Sixth Mansions Chapter 7 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Meditating on the Passion - TOG EP 158

In Tales of Glory episode 158, we are in the Seventh Chapter of Saint Teresa of Avila's masterpiece on prayer, The Interior Castle, in the Sixth Mansion. Here, Saint Teresa shares her wisdom on meditation, emphasizing that we still need to focus on the Passion of Jesus Christ and his humanity. She also discusses why we can't stay in contemplation and how it can be unhealthy spiritually and physically to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

Timeline:
00:00:00 Opening Scripture  Hebrews V 7-10 ESV  
00:01:40 Tales of Glory Episode 158 Intro   
00:09:23 Sixth Mansions Chapter 7 Topic Outline
00:11:27 Outline I Reflection and grieving for our sins.
00:12:42    nos. 1. Sorrow for sin felt by souls in the Sixth Mansion. 
00:15:44    nos. 2. How this sorrow is felt.
00:19:21    nos. 3. St. Teresa's grief for her past sins.
00:20:40    nos. 4. Such souls, centered in God, forget self-interest.   
00:27:54     nos. 5. The remembrance of divine benefits increases contrition.
00:35:17 Outline II The importance of meditation.
00:35:30     nos. 6. Meditation on our Lord’s Humanity.
00:39:59     nos. 7. Warning against discontinuing it. 
00:44:40     nos. 8. Christ and the saints our models. 
00:50:08  Outline III Meditation and the faculties.
00:50:25     nos. 9. Meditation of contemplatives.
00:52:52     nos. 10. Meditation during aridity. 
00:56:49     nos. 11. We must search for God when we do not feel His presence.
00:59:45 Outline IV Challenges in meditation.     
00:59:57     nos. 12. Reasoning and mental prayer.
01:02:12     nos. 13. A form of meditation on our Lord’s Life and Passion. 
01:05:03     nos. 14. Simplicity of contemplatives’ meditation.
01:09:24 Outline V Meditation Advice  
01:09:42     nos. 15. Souls in every state of prayer should think of the Passion. 
01:13:04     nos. 16. Need of the example of Christ and the saints. 
01:18:22     nos. 17. Faith shows us our Lord as both God and Man.
01:19:13 Outline VI Teresa's closing thoughts on meditation.
01:19:23     nos.18. St. Teresa’s experience of meditation on the sacred Humanity. 
01:20:09    nos.19. Evil of giving up such meditation.   
01:20:56 Conclusion
 

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Show Notes

The Interior Castle PDF (Zimmerman translation) from Discerning Hearts

The Interior Castle PDF (Peers Translation) <- the translation used for the TOG podcasts.

 
The Interior Castle Sixth Mansions HTML  

Commentary Notes

I. Reflection and grieving for our sins. 
  

nos. 1. Sorrow for sin felt by souls in the Sixth Mansion.   

Life, ch. vi. 7.

7. All these tokens of the fear of God came to me through prayer; and the greatest of them was this, that fear was swallowed up of love—for I never thought of chastisement. All the time I was so ill, my strict watch over my conscience reached to all that is mortal sin.  
  
  
nos. 2. How this sorrow is felt.   

nos. 3 St. Teresa's grief for her past sins.  
 

nos. 4. Such souls, centered in God, forget self-interest.   

nos. 5. The remembrance of divine benefits increases contrition.

Life, ch. xxi, 9.

9. Oh, if we were utterly detached,—if we never placed our happiness in anything of this world,—how the pain, caused by living always away from God, would temper the fear of death with the desire of enjoying the true life! Sometimes I consider, if a person like myself—because our Lord has given this light to me, whose love is so cold, and whose true rest is so uncertain, for I have not deserved it by my works—frequently feels her banishment so much, what the feelings of the Saints must have been. What must St. Paul and the Magdalene, and others like them, have suffered, in whom the fire of the love of God has grown so strong? Their life must have been a continual martyrdom. It seems to me that they who bring me any comfort, and whose conversation is any relief, are those persons in whom I find these desires—I mean, desires with acts. I say with acts, for there are people who think themselves detached, and who say so of themselves,—and it must be so, for their vocation demands it, as well as the many years that are passed since some of them began to walk in the way of perfection,—but my soul distinguishes clearly, and afar off, between those who are detached in words, and those who make good those words by deeds. The little progress of the former, and the great progress of the latter, make it plain. This is a matter which a person of any experience can see into most clearly.
 

II. The importance of meditation. 
 

nos. 6. Meditation on our Lord’s Humanity. 

Life, ch. xxii. 9-11


9. With so good a Friend and Captain ever present, Himself the first to suffer, everything can be borne. He helps, He strengthens, He never fails, He is the true Friend. I see clearly, and since then have always seen, that if we are to please God, and if He is to give us His great graces, everything must pass through the hands of His most Sacred Humanity, in whom His Majesty said that He is well pleased. I know this by repeated experience: our Lord has told it me. I have seen clearly that this is the door by which we are to enter, if we would have His supreme Majesty reveal to us His great secrets.

10. So, then, I would have your reverence seek no other way, even if you were arrived at the highest contemplation. This way is safe. Our Lord is He by whom all good things come to us; He will teach you. Consider His life; that is the best example. What more can we want than so good a Friend at our side, who will not forsake us when we are in trouble and distress, as they do who belong to this world! Blessed is he who truly loves Him, and who always has Him near him! Let us consider the glorious St. Paul, who seems as if Jesus was never absent from his lips, as if he had Him deep down in his heart. After I had heard this of some great Saints given to contemplation, I considered the matter carefully; and I see that they walked in no other way. St. Francis with the stigmata proves it, St. Antony of Padua with the Infant Jesus; St. Bernard rejoiced in the Sacred Humanity; so did St. Catherine of Siena, and many others, as your reverence knows better than I do.

11. This withdrawing from bodily objects must no doubt be good, seeing that it is recommended by persons who are so spiritual; but, in my opinion, it ought to be done only when the soul has made very great progress; for until then it is clear that the Creator must be sought for through His creatures. All this depends on the grace which our Lord distributes to every soul. I do not intermeddle here. What I would say is, that the most Sacred Humanity of Christ is not to be counted among the objects from which we have to withdraw. Let this be clearly understood. I wish I knew how to explain it.

nos. 7. Warning against discontinuing it. 

Life ch. xxii. i

1. There is one thing I should like to say—I think it important: and if you, my father, approve, it will serve for a lesson that possibly may be necessary; for in some books on prayer the writers say that the soul, though it cannot in its own strength attain to this state,—because it is altogether a supernatural work wrought in it by our Lord,—may nevertheless succeed, by lifting up the spirit above all created things, and raising it upwards in humility, after some years spent in a purgative life, and advancing in the illuminative. I do not very well know what they mean by illuminative: I understand it to mean the life of those who are making progress. And they advise us much to withdraw from all bodily imagination, and draw near to the contemplation of the Divinity; for they say that those who have advanced so far would be embarrassed or hindered in their way to the highest contemplation, if they regarded even the Sacred Humanity itself. They defend their opinion by bringing forward the words of our Lord to the Apostles, concerning the coming of the Holy Ghost; I mean that Coming which was after the Ascension. If the Apostles had believed, as they believed after the Coming of the Holy Ghost, that He is both God and Man, His bodily Presence would, in my opinion, have been no hindrance; for those words were not said to the Mother of God, though she loved Him more than all. They think that, as this work of contemplation is wholly spiritual, any bodily object whatever can disturb or hinder it. They say that the contemplative should regard himself as being within a definite space, God everywhere around, and himself absorbed in Him. This is what we should aim at.


Life ch. xxiii. 18


18. I communicated the whole state of my soul to that servant of God and he was a great servant of His, and very prudent. He understood all I told him, explained it to me, and encouraged me greatly. He said that all was very evidently the work of the Spirit of God; only it was necessary for me to go back again to my prayer, because I was not well grounded, and had not begun to understand what mortification meant,—that was true, for I do not think I knew it even by name,—that I was by no means to give up prayer; on the contrary, I was to do violence to myself in order to practice it, because God had bestowed on me such special graces as made it impossible to say whether it was, or was not, the will of our Lord to do good to many through me. He went further, for he seems to have prophesied of that which our Lord afterwards did with me, and said that I should be very much to blame if I did not correspond with the graces which God bestowed upon me. It seems to me that the Holy Ghost was speaking by his mouth in order to heal my soul, so deep was the impression he made. He made me very much ashamed of myself, and directed me by a way which seemed to change me altogether. What a grand thing it is to understand a soul! He told me to make my prayer every day on some mystery of the Passion, and that I should profit by it, and to fix my thoughts on the Sacred Humanity only, resisting to the utmost of my power those recollections and delights, to which I was not to yield in any way till he gave me further directions in the matter.



John 8:12
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

III. Meditation and the faculties. 

nos. 9. Meditation of contemplatives. 
 

nos. 10.  
 

nos. 11. We must search for God when we do not feel His presence. 

 
 Canticles, iii. 3
 
 3 The watchmen found me
    as they went about in the city.
    “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”

 

IV. Challenges in meditation.   

nos. 12. Reasoning and mental prayer.  

nos. 13. A form of meditation on our Lord’s Life and Passion. 

Life, ch. xiii. 19
19. Going back, then, to what I was saying. We set ourselves to meditate upon some mystery of the Passion: let us say, our Lord at the pillar. The understanding goeth about seeking for the sources out of which came the great dolors (suffering/distress) and the bitter anguish which His Majesty endured in that desolation. It considers that mystery in many lights, which the intellect, if it be skilled in its work, or furnished with learning, may there obtain. This is a method of prayer which should be to everyone the beginning, the middle, and the end: a most excellent and safe way, until our Lord shall guide them to other supernatural ways.

nos. 14. Simplicity of contemplatives’ meditation.    

V. Meditation advice.  

nos. 15. Souls in every state of prayer should think of the Passion.  
 

nos. 16. Need of the example of Christ and the saints. 

nos. 17. Faith shows us our Lord as both God and Man. 

VI.Teresa's closing thoughts on meditation.  
    

nos.18. St. Teresa’s experience of meditation on the sacred Humanity. 

nos.19. Evil of giving up such meditation.

Supplemental References on the Interior Castle

Interior Castle: The Classic Text with Spiritual Commentary - My favorite reference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Within: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and the Gospel on Prayer -excellent reference!

 

 

 

 

Into the Deep: Finding Peace Through Prayer - Dan Burke great book!

 

The Essential Teresa of Avila - Interior Castle, Life, Way of Perfection in Modern English!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Till Next Time

We're moving through the supernatural prayer experiences of the sixth mansions. Next time, we will explore visions in the sixth mansion, chapter 8.
God Bless, 

Rev. Mike

 

Sixth Mansions Chapter 6 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – The Prayer of Jubilation - TOG EP 157

In episode 157, we explore Saint Teresa of Avila's classic manuscript on prayer, The Interior Castle, in the Sixth Mansions chapter 6. The doctor on prayer explains the trials she experienced from raptures. And she teaches us how to discern whether tears during prayer are from Jesus or from our emotions. She teaches us about a new form of prayer experience - jubilation!

Listen to the Podcast on Anchor.fm

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Watch the Podcast on Spotify

Spotify

Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts

Watch the Podcast on YouTube

YouTube

Watch the Podcast on Rumble

Rumble

Show Notes

Discerning Hearts Interior Castle VI vi Audio MP3

The Interior Castle PDF (Zimmerman translation) from Discerning Hearts

The Interior Castle PDF (Peers Translation) <- the translation used for the TOG podcasts.

 
The Interior Castle Sixth Mansions HTML  

Commentary Notes

 1. The soul longs for death. 

Life, ch. xxv. 18.

18. Nevertheless, Satan has many devices; and so there is nothing more certain than that it is safer to be afraid, and always on our guard, under a learned director, from whom nothing is concealed. If we do this, no harm can befall us, though much has befallen me through the excessive fears which possessed some people. For instance, it happened so once to me, when many persons in whom I had great confidence, and with good reason, had assembled together,—five or six in number, I think,—and all very great servants of God. It is true, my relations were with one of them only; but by his orders made my state known to the others. They had many conferences together about my necessities; for they had great affection for me, and were afraid I was under a delusion. I, too, was very much afraid whenever I was not occupied in prayer; but when I prayed, and our Lord bestowed His graces upon me, I was instantly reassured. My confessor told me they were all of opinion that I was deceived by Satan; that I must communicate less frequently, and contrive to distract myself in such a way as to be less alone.




2. The soul cannot help desiring these favors. 

Life, ch. xxv. 20.
 

20. In this distress, I quitted the church, and entered an oratory. I had not been to Communion for many days, nor had I been alone, which was all my comfort. I had no one to speak to, for every one was against me. Some, I thought, made a mock of me when I spoke to them of my prayer, as if I were a person under delusions of the imagination; others warned my confessor to be on his guard against me; and some said it was clear the whole was an operation of Satan. My confessor, though he agreed with them for the sake of trying me, as I understood afterwards, always comforted me: and he alone did so. He told me that, if I did not offend God, my prayer, even if it was the work of Satan, could do me no harm; that I should be delivered from it. He bade me pray much to God: he himself, and all his penitents, and many others did so earnestly; I, too, with all my might, and as many as I knew to be servants of God, prayed that His Majesty would be pleased to lead me by another way. This lasted, I think, about two years; and this was the subject of my continual prayer to our Lord.


Life, ch. xxvii. 1-2


1. I now resume the story of my life. I was in great pain and distress; and many prayers, as I said, were made on my behalf, that our Lord would lead me by another and a safer way; for this, they told me, was so suspicious. The truth is, that though I was praying to God for this, and wished I had a desire for another way, yet, when I saw the progress I was making, I was unable really to desire a change,—though I always prayed for it,—excepting on those occasions when I was extremely cast down by what people said to me, and by the fears with which they filled me.

2. I felt that I was wholly changed; I could do nothing but put myself in the hands of God: He knew what was expedient for me; let Him do with me according to His will in all things. I saw that by this way I was directed heavenwards, and that formerly I was going down to hell. I could not force myself to desire a change, nor believe that I was under the influence of Satan. Though I was doing all I could to believe the one and to desire the other, it was not in my power to do so. I offered up all my actions, if there should be any good in them, for this end; I had recourse to the Saints for whom I had a devotion, that they might deliver me from the evil one; I made novenas; I commended myself to St. Hilarion, to the Angel St. Michael, to whom I had recently become devout, for this purpose; and many other Saints I importuned, that our Lord might show me the way,—I mean, that they might obtain this for me from His Majesty.



3. St. Teresa bewails her inability to serve God. 
4. Fervor resulting from ecstasies. 
5. Excessive desires to see God should be restrained. 
6. They endanger health. 

Background on St, Martin reference.

’When St. Martin was dying, his brethren said to him: ‘Why, dear Father, will you leave us? Or to whom can you commit us in our desolation? We know, indeed, that you desire to be with Christ, but your reward above is safe and will not be diminished by delay; rather have pity on us whom you are leaving desolate.’ Then Martin, always pitiful, moved by these lamentations, is said to have burst into tears. Turning to God, he replied to the mourners around him only by crying: ‘O Lord, if I am still necessary to Thy people, I do not shrink from toil; Thy will be done.’ (Sulpitius Severus, Life of St. Martin, letter 3.)


7. Tears often come from Physical causes. 


Way of Perf.. ch. xvii. 4
 

4. Other souls, receiving no spiritual consolations, are humble, for they doubt whether it is not through their own fault and are most anxious to improve. When they see any one else weeping, unless they do the same, they think they must be much more backward than she is in God's service, although perhaps they are more advanced, for tears, though a good sign, do not always indicate perfection. Humility, mortification, detachment, and other virtues are the safest: there is no cause for fear, nor need you doubt that you may become as perfect as the greatest contemplatives. St. Martha was holy, though we are never told she was a contemplative; would you not be content with resembling this blessed woman who deserved to receive Christ our Lord so often into her home, where she fed and served Him, and where He ate at her table, and even, perhaps, off her own plate? If she had always been enraptured like the Magdalen there would have been no one to offer food to this divine Guest. Imagine, then, that this community is the house of St. Martha where there must be different kinds of people. Let not the nun who is called to the active life murmur at others who are absorbed in contemplation, for she knows our Lord will defend them; as a rule, they themselves are silent, for the 'better part' makes them oblivious of themselves and of all else. Remember that some one must cook the food, and think yourself favoured in being allowed to serve with Martha. Reflect: that true humility consists in being willing and ready to do what our Lord asks of us: it always makes us consider ourselves unworthy to be reckoned among His servants.

Life, ch. xxix. 12. 

12. In the beginning, I had tears of this kind. They left me with a disordered head and a wearied spirit, and for a day or two afterwards unable to resume my prayer. Great discretion, therefore, is necessary at first, in order that everything may proceed gently, and that the operations of the spirit may be within; all outward manifestations should be carefully avoided.

8. St. Teresa’s own experience. 

9. Works, not tears, are asked by God. 

Life, ch. xviii. 12 

12. I am now speaking of the water which cometh down from heaven to fill and saturate in its abundance the whole of this garden with water. If our Lord never ceased to pour it down whenever it was necessary, the gardener certainly would have plenty of rest; and if there were no winter, but an ever temperate season, fruits and flowers would never fail. The gardener would have his delight therein; but in this life that is impossible. We must always be careful, when one water fails, to obtain another. This water from heaven comes down very often when the gardener least expects it.

Supplemental References on the Interior Castle

Interior Castle: The Classic Text with Spiritual Commentary - My favorite reference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Within: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and the Gospel on Prayer -excellent reference!

 

 

 

 

Into the Deep: Finding Peace Through Prayer - Dan Burke great book!

 

The Essential Teresa of Avila - Interior Castle, Life, Way of Perfection in Modern English!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Till Next Time

We're moving through the supernatural prayer experiences of the sixth mansions. Next time, we will explore visions in the sixth mansion, chapter 7.
God Bless, 

Rev. Mike

Sixth Mansions Chapter 2 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Going Deeper in Prayer - TOG EP 151

 We're exploring the Interior Castle, the Sixth Mansions, Chapter 2, where Saint Teresa edifies us with her experience of Jesus deeply touching our hearts during prayer. She describes these interactions as delicate and powerful. These mystical experiences are vital for enduring trials in the Sixth Mansions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timeline:
00:00:00 Opening Scripture  Luke 7:44-50
00:03:13  Tales of Glory Episode 151 Intro
00:03:44 Sixth Mansions Chapter 2 Topical Outline
00:04:50 Outline I. Introduction to Wounds of Love
00:06:09   nos. 1. Our Lord excites the love of His spouse.
00:09:00  nos. 2. The wound of love. 
00:12:54  nos. 3. The pain it causes. 
00:19:31  nos. 4. The Call of the Bridegroom. 
00:21:57  nos. 5. Effect on the Soul.
00:35:51 Outline II. Divine Spark 
00:36:18  nos.  6. A spark of the fire of love. 
00:43:02  nos.  7. Spark Dies Out.
00:45:37 Outline III. Security, Peace, and Joy.
00:45:55  nos.  8. This grace evidently divine.
00:46:55  nos.  9. One such wound repays many trials. 
00:48:41 Outline IV. Security felt about these experiences.
00:49:05  nos. 10. First reason of immunity from deception.
00:50:22  nos. 11. Second and third reasons.  
00:52:52  nos. 12. The imagination not concerned in it. 
00:57:24  Outline V. No Fear of Deception
00:57:49  nos. 13. St. Teresa never alarmed at this prayer.  
01:02:07  nos. 14.  ‘The odor (Fragrance) of Thine ointment.’ 
01:05:49  nos. 15.  No reason to fear deception here.
01:08:11 Conclusion

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Show Notes

The Sixth Mansions Chapter 3 audio from Discerning Hearts 

 

The Interior Castle PDF (Zimmerman translation) from Discerning Hearts

The Interior Castle PDF (Peers Translation) <- the translation used for the TOG podcasts.

 
The Interior Castle Sixth Mansions HTML  

Life XV - read in this episode's commentaries.

Life XXIX - read in this episode's commentaries.

 

Supplemental References on the Interior Castle

Interior Castle: The Classic Text with Spiritual Commentary - My favorite reference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Within: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and the Gospel on Prayer -excellent reference!

 

 

 

 

Into the Deep: Finding Peace Through Prayer - Dan Burke great book!

Till Next Time

Thank you for stopping by and sitting in on the Interior Castle Sixth Mansions workshop. Next time, we will be in the Sixth Mansions, Chapter 4, "Raptures and Flight of the Spirit".

God Bless
Rev. Mike

Sixth Mansions Chapter 1 Part 1 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Going Deeper in Prayer - TOG EP 149

 We're exploring the Interior Castle, Sixth Mansions Chapter 1, in part 2 of this two-part podcast on stages of mystical prayer life. Saint Teresa explains the importance of the prayer stage of the Sixth Mansions. She uses the analogy of a spiritual engagement to describe the depths of the relationship of our heart and soul to Jesus. And of course, this deep interior prayer relationship is accompanied by trials. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listen to the Podcast on Anchor.fm

Watch the Podcast on Spotify

Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Watch the Podcast on YouTube

Watch the Podcast on Rumble

Show Notes

Discerning Hearts Interior Castle Sixth Mansions Chapter 1 audio pm3
 

The Interior Castle PDF (Zimmerman translation) from Discerning Hearts

The Interior Castle PDF (Peers Translation) the translation used for the podcasts.

 
The Interior Castle Sixth Mansions HTML
 

Supplemental References on the Interior Castle

Interior Castle: The Classic Text with Spiritual Commentary - I am using this book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Within: Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and the Gospel on Prayer -excellent reference!

 

 

 

 

Into the Deep: Finding Peace Through Prayer - Dan Burke great book!

Till Next Time

That's a wrap on The Interior Castle Sixth Mansions Chapter 1 Part 1. Hope you enjoyed this workshop series on Deeper Prayer. In the next episode, we examine the trials of confessors (spiritual directors). If you have questions or comments, leave them here or on our Facebook page.

God Bless
Rev. Mike 

 

Locutions - Sixth Mansions Chapter 3 part 1 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Going Deeper in Prayer - TOG EP 147

 We're exploring the Interior Castle, Sixth Mansions Chapter 3, in part 1 of this two-part podcast on locutions. Locutions means "to speak". God speaks to us in many ways. How do we know what is being spoken to us by God, or soul making up fantasies, or the devil? Saint Teresa instructs us on these supernatural experiences from her classic manuscript on prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timeline:
00:00:00 Opener 
00:01:47 Welcome
00:04:26 Intro Sixth Mansions Chapter 3
00:05:50 Locution vs. Prophecy
00:07:04 1. Locutions. 
00:15:40 2. Sometimes caused by melancholia. 
00:19:05 3. Caution needed at first. 
00:23:11 4. Locutions frequently occur during prayer. 
00:27:44 5. Resist those containing false doctrine. 
00:36:35 6. First sign of genuine locutions.
00:37:05 7. Effect of the words: ‘Be not troubled.’ 
00:42:49 8. ‘It is I, be not afraid.’ 
00:44:54 9. ‘Be at Peace.’ 
00:45:20 10. Second sign.
00:48:43 11. Third sign. 
00:53:41 12. The devil suggests doubts about true locutions. 
00:56:41 13. Confidence of the soul rewarded. 
00:58:41 14. Its joy at seeing God’s words verified. 
00:59:54 15. Its zeal for God’s honor.
01:01:23 Conclusion

Listen to the Podcast on Anchor.fm

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Watch the Podcast on YouTube

Watch the Podcast on Rumble

Show Notes

Discerning Hearts Sixth Mansions Chapter 3 audio

The Interior Castle PDF (Zimmerman translation) from Discerning Hearts

The Interior Castle PDF (Peers Translation) the translation used for the podcasts.

Locutions

Excellent Supplementary Material

Discerning Hearts Podcast Sixth Mansions Chapter 3 Dr. Anthony Lilles 

Discerning Hearts Sixth Mansions Chapter 3 part 1 - BTP-IC18


Discerning Hearts Sixth Mansions Chapter 3 part 2 - BTP-IC19


Discerning Hearts Sixth Mansions Chapter 3 part 3 - BTP-IC20

Dr. Anthony Lilles on Locutions from The Life of Saint Teresa

Discerning Hearts Extraordinary Mystical Phenomenon – The Life of St. Teresa of Avila – BTP-LOT17 

Discerning Hearts Chap 25 – The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus – Mp3 audio

I recommend downloading and reading these bucks while going through the mystical mansions. 

Life of Saint Teresa of Jesus (Avila) PDF 

The Way of Perfection (PDF) 

The Third Spiritual Alphabet (PDF) - source for "the soul enters into itself". 

Till Next Time

A big thank you to the Tales of Glory family for dropping by! Next time, we will complete the headers 16-27 and complete chapter 3 on locutions. |

God Bless
Rev. Mike

Shift Happens When You Practice His Presence - TOG EP 100

In our epic 100th episode of Tales of Glory, Shift happens! We welcome Meagan and Abby from the podcast The Shift. Yes, you read that right; we have guests! We dive into conversations on "Practicing His Presence" and what our personal interior prayer life walks with Jesus look like—lots of spiritual wisdom from our guests in learning to hear from God. We share stories from early spiritual development. We'll glean great spiritual direction from two outstanding ministers passionate about pulling souls from dark places.

 
 

 

#TalesOfGlory #M16Ministries #AFieldGuideToSpiritualWarfare
 

Listen to the Podcast on Anchor.fm

Watch the Podcast on Spotify

Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Watch the Podcast on YouTube

Watch the Podcast on Rumble

Show Notes

THE SHIFT podcast on Spotify

 

 

Cindy McGill and Abby McKee interview  on Elijah Fire

-the first encounter by Abby in this video (t=23:30) we discussed on TOG.

WHAT GOD DID IN VEGAS ElijahFire: Ep 392 - Cindy McGill and Abby McKee

Words That Work - mentioned in the podcast for street ministry.

 

Till Next Time

I hope you enjoyed our guests! It was an amazing time and I am grateful for Abby and Meagan being on the podcast. Have questions? Ask in the comments below or over on our Facebook page - A Field Guide to Spiritual Warfare.

God Bless

Rev. Mike


 

How do we know if we're hearing from God? TOG EP 72

In Tales of Glory Episode 72, we dive back into mystical theology with Saint Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle - Sixth Mansion chapter 3. Saint Teresa explains to us the three ways our soul hears internally. How do we learn to hear from God and know it's God's voice speaking to us? What do we do when we get bad spiritual direction from leaders who don't understand the supernatural? We cover this and more in this episode of Tales of Glory.

 

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Show Notes

Saint Teresa of Avila Interior Castle Sixth Mansion Chapter 3 HTML

Saint Teresa's notes on the subject from her autobiography, Life:

²³⁸Life, ch. xxiii. 114.

14. And certainly the affliction to be borne is great, and caution is necessary, particularly in the case of women,—for our weakness is great,—and much evil may be the result of telling them very distinctly that the devil is busy with them; yea, rather, the matter should be very carefully considered, and they should be removed out of reach of the dangers that may arise. They should be advised to keep things secret; and it is necessary, also, that their secret should be kept. I am speaking of this as one to whom it has been a sore trouble; for some of those with whom I spoke of my prayer did not keep my secret, but, making inquiries one of another, for a good purpose, did me much harm; for they made things known which might well have remained secret, because not intended for every one and it seemed as if I had made them public myself.

²⁴⁰Life, ch. XXV(25). 13, 18. https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/life/life.viii.xxvi.html#viii.xxvi-p0.2

 

13. Locutions that come from Satan not only do not leave any good effects behind, but do leave evil effects. This has happened to me; but not more than two or three times. Our Lord warned me at once that they came from Satan. Over and above the great aridity which remains in the soul after these evil locutions, there is also a certain disquiet, such as I have had on many other occasions, when, by our Lord's permission, I fell into great temptations and travail of soul in diverse ways; and though I am in trouble often enough, as I shall show hereafter,³⁶⁶ yet this disquiet is such that I know not whence it comes; only the soul seems to resist, is troubled and distressed, without knowing why; for the words of Satan are good, and not evil. I am thinking whether this may not be so because one spirit is conscious of the presence of another.

 

18. Nevertheless, Satan has many devices; and so there is nothing more certain than that it is safer to be afraid, and always on our guard, under a learned director, from whom nothing is concealed. If we do this, no harm can befall us, though much has befallen me through the excessive fears which possessed some people. For instance, it happened so once to me, when many persons in whom I had great confidence, and with good reason, had assembled together,—five or six in number, I think,—and all very great servants of God. It is true, my relations were with one of them only; but by his orders made my state known to the others. They had many conferences together about my necessities; for they had great affection for me, and were afraid I was under a delusion. I, too, was very much afraid whenever I was not occupied in prayer; but when I prayed, and our Lord bestowed  His graces upon me, I was instantly reassured. My confessor told me they were all of opinion that I was deceived by Satan; that I must communicate less frequently, and contrive to distract myself in such a way as to be less alone.

²⁴²Life, ch. xxvi. 6; https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/life/life.viii.xxvii.html#viii.xxvii-p0.2

 

6. Whenever our Lord commanded me to do one thing in prayer, and if my confessor forbade it, our Lord Himself told me to obey my confessor. His Majesty afterwards would change the mind of that confessor, so that he would have me do what he had forbidden before. When we were deprived of many books written in Spanish, and forbidden to read them,—I felt it deeply, for some of these books were a great comfort to me, and I could not read them in Latin,—our Lord said to me, "Be not troubled; I will give thee a living book." I could not understand why this was said to me, for at that time I had never had a vision.[8]³⁸³ But, a very few days afterwards, I understood it well enough; for I had so much to think of, and such reasons for self-recollection in what I saw before me and our Lord dealt so lovingly with me, in teaching me in so many ways, that I had little or no need whatever of books. His Majesty has been to me a veritable Book, in which I saw all truth. Blessed be such a Book, which leaves behind an impression of what is read therein, and in such a way that it cannot be forgotten!

 

Life, ch.  xxx. 17.  https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/life/life.viii.xxxi.html#viii.xxxi-p0.2

17. On other occasions, if our Lord spoke to me but one word, saying only, "Be not distressed, have no fear,"—as I said before,⁴⁵⁶—I was made whole at once; or, if I saw a vision, I was as if I had never been amiss. I rejoiced in God, and made my complaint to Him, because He permitted me to undergo such afflictions; yet the recompense was great; for almost always, afterwards, His mercies descended upon me in great abundance. The soul seemed to come forth as gold out of the crucible, most refined, and made glorious to behold, our Lord dwelling within it. These trials afterwards are light, though they once seemed to be unendurable; and the soul longs to undergo them again, if that be more pleasing to our Lord. And though trials and persecutions increase, yet, if we bear them without offending our Lord, rejoicing in suffering for His sake, it will be all the greater gain: I, however, do not bear them as they ought to be borne, but rather in a most imperfect way. At other times, my trials came upon me—they come still—in another form; and then it seems to me as if the very possibility of thinking a good thought, 267 or desiring the accomplishment of it, were utterly taken from me: both soul and body are altogether useless and a heavy burden. However, when I am in this state, I do not suffer from the other temptations and disquietudes, but only from a certain loathing of I know not what, and my soul finds pleasure in nothing.

²⁴⁴Life, ch. xxv. 22; xxxiii. 10. Rel. vii. 22. St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, bk. ii. ch. xxxi. 1.

 

Life, ch. xxv. 22

22. O my Lord, how true a friend art Thou! how powerful! Thou showest Thy power when Thou wilt; and Thou dost will it always, if only we will it also. Let the whole creation praise Thee, O Thou Lord of the world! Oh, that a voice might go forth over all the earth, proclaiming Thy faithfulness to those who love Thee! All things fail; but Thou, Lord of all, never failest! They who love Thee, oh, how little they have to suffer! oh, how gently, how tenderly, how sweetly Thou, O my Lord, dealest with them! Oh, that no one had ever been occupied with any other love than Thine! It seems as if Thou didst subject those who love Thee to a severe trial: but it is in order that they may learn, in the depths of that trial, the depths of Thy love. O my God, oh, that I had understanding and learning, and a new language, in order to magnify Thy works, according to the knowledge of them which my soul possesses! Everything fails me, O my Lord; but if Thou wilt not abandon me, I will never fail Thee. Let all the learned rise up against me,—let the whole  creation persecute me,—let the evil spirits torment me,—but do Thou, O Lord, fail me not; for I know by experience now the blessedness of that deliverance which Thou dost effect for those who trust only in Thee. In this distress,—for then I had never had a single vision,—these Thy words alone were enough to remove it, and give me perfect peace: "Be not afraid, my daughter: it is I; and I will not abandon thee. Fear not."

Life, xxxiii. 10.

10. One day, when in great distress, because I thought my confessor did not trust me, our Lord said to me, Be not troubled; this suffering will soon be over. I was very much delighted, thinking I should die shortly; and I was very happy whenever I recalled those words to remembrance. Afterwards I saw clearly that they referred to the coming of the rector of whom I am speaking, for never again had I any reason to be distressed. The rector that came never interfered with the father-minister who was my confessor. On the contrary, he told him to console me,—that there was nothing to be afraid of,—and not to direct me along a road so narrow, but to leave the operations of the Spirit of God alone; for now and then it seemed as if these great impetuosities of the spirit took away the very breath of the soul.

 ²⁴⁵Life, ch. xxxv. 7.  https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/life/life.viii.xxxvi.html

 

7. One day, when I was very earnestly commending the matter to God, our Lord told me that I must by no means give up my purpose of founding the monastery in poverty; it was His will, and the will of His Father: He would help me. I was in a trance; and the effects were such, that I could have no doubt it came from God. On another occasion, He said to me that endowments bred confusion, with other things in praise of poverty; and assured me that whosoever served Him would never be in want of the necessary means of living: and this want, as I have said,⁵¹⁷ I never feared myself. Our Lord changed the dispositions also of the licentiate,—I am speaking of the Dominican friar,⁵¹⁸—who, as I said, wrote to me that I should not found the monastery without an endowment. Now, I was in the greatest joy at hearing this; and having these opinions in my favour, it seemed to me nothing less than the possession of all the wealth of the world, when I had resolved to live in poverty for the love of God.

²⁴⁷Life, ch. xxv. 23-25. https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/life/life.viii.xxvi.html

 

23. It seems to me that, in the state I was in then, many hours would have been necessary to calm me, and that no one could have done it. Yet I found myself, through these words alone, tranquil and strong, courageous and confident, at rest and enlightened; in a moment, my soul seemed changed, and I felt I could maintain against all the world that my prayer was the work of God. Oh, how good is God! how good is our Lord, and how powerful! He gives not counsel only, but relief as well. His words are deeds. O my God! as He strengthens our faith, love grows. So it is, in truth; for I used frequently to recollect how our Lord, when the tempest arose, commanded the winds to be still over the sea.³⁷¹ So I said to myself: Who is He, that all my faculties should thus obey Him? Who is He, that gives light in such darkness in a moment; who softens a heart that seemed to be made of stone; who gives the waters of sweet tears, where for a long time great dryness seems to have prevailed; who inspires these desires; who bestows this courage? What have I been thinking of? what am I afraid of? what is it? I desire to serve this my Lord; I aim at nothing else but His pleasure; I seek no joy, no rest, no other good than that of doing His will. I was so confident that I had no other desire, that I could safely assert it.

24. Seeing, then, that our Lord is so powerful,—as I see and know He is,—and that the evil spirits are His slaves, of which there can be no doubt, because it is of faith,—and I a servant of this our Lord and King,—what harm can Satan do unto me? Why have I not strength enough to fight against all hell? I took up the cross in my hand,—I was changed in a moment into another person, and it seemed as if God had really given me courage enough not to be afraid of encountering all the evil spirits. It seemed to me that I could, with the cross, easily defeat them altogether. So I cried out, Come on, all of you; I am the servant of our Lord: I should like to see what you can do against me.

25. And certainly they seemed to be afraid of me, for I was left in peace: I feared them so little, that the terrors, which until now oppressed me, quitted me altogether; and though I saw them occasionally,—I shall speak of this by and by,³⁷²—I was never again afraid of them—on the contrary, they seemed to be afraid of me.³⁷³ I found myself endowed with a certain authority over them, given me by the Lord of all, so that I cared no more for them than for flies. They seem to be such cowards; for their strength fails them at the sight of any one who despises them. These enemies have not the courage to assail any but those whom they see ready to give in to them, or when God permits them to do so, for the greater good of His servants, whom they may try and torment.

 

²⁴⁸Life, ch. xxv. 3, 10

 

 3. I should like to explain the delusions which may happen here, though he who has had much experience will run little or no risk, I think; but the experience must be great. I should like to explain also how those locutions which come from the Good Spirit differ from those which come from an evil spirit; and, further, how they may be but an apprehension of the understanding,—for that is possible,—or even words which the mind addressed to itself. I do not know if it be so but even this very day I thought it possible. I know by experience in many ways, when these locutions come from God. I have been told things two or three years beforehand, which have all come to pass; and in none of them have I been hitherto deceived. There are also other things in which the Spirit of God may be clearly traced, as I shall relate by and by.

 

10. There is no reason, therefore, why I should dwell longer on this matter. It is a wonder to me that any experienced person, unless he deliberately chooses to do so, can fall into delusions. It has often happened to me, when I had doubts, to distrust what I had heard, and to think that it was all imagination,—but this I did afterwards: for at the moment that is impossible,—and at a later time to see the whole fulfilled; for our Lord makes the words dwell in the memory so that they cannot be forgotten. Now, that which comes forth from our understanding is, as it were, the first movement of thought, which passes away and is forgotten; but the divine locution is a work done; and though some of it may be forgotten, and time have lapsed, yet is not so wholly forgotten that the memory loses all traces of what was once spoken,—unless, indeed, after very long time, or unless the locution were words of grace or of instruction. But as to prophetic words, they are never 210 forgotten, in my opinion; at least, I have never forgotten any,—and yet my memory is weak.

²⁴⁹Ibid, ch. xxv. 10.

 

10. There is no reason, therefore, why I should dwell longer on this matter. It is a wonder to me that any experienced person, unless he deliberately chooses to do so, can fall into delusions. It has often happened to me, when I had doubts, to distrust what I had heard, and to think that it was all imagination,—but this I did afterwards: for at the moment that is impossible,—and at a later time to see the whole fulfilled; for our Lord makes the words dwell in the memory so that they cannot be forgotten. Now, that which comes forth from our understanding is, as it were, the first movement of thought, which passes away and is forgotten; but the divine locution is a work done; and though some of it may be forgotten, and time have lapsed, yet is not so wholly forgotten that the memory loses all traces of what was once spoken,—unless, indeed, after very long time, or unless the locution were words of grace or of instruction. But as to prophetic words, they are never 210 forgotten, in my opinion; at least, I have never forgotten any,—and yet my memory is weak.

 

Till Next Time

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God Bless

Rev. Mike