Catholic Thought discussion

The First Mansions

Teresa tells us that prayer and meditation are the entry points to the castle. I may have missed it, but I am surprised that she did not mention confession, unless it is assumed that confession would naturally flow from meditation. It seems to me that it would be a good idea to wipe my muddy feet on the doormat before I enter the castle.

She also tells us that the two most important things are humility and self-knowledge. To gain self-knowledge we are to look to the center of the castle where God resides and reflect on his virtue. His virtue will reflect back on us and show us where we are lacking. It is interesting to learn that fears arise from not knowing ourselves. She also tells us “What we should really be afraid of is obsessing over ourselves…” I think it is hard not to obsess over myself when my wish is to make progress towards the center of the castle and this progress or lack of progress causes me to obsess over myself. But I guess if I keep my focus on the center, then I won’t be obsessing over myself because I will be thinking of God. I don’t know if you can understand what I am trying to say, but it just seems to be a circular relationship: Me to God, and God to me, with lots of stopping points in between. I think this first mansion is going to require a lot of work.

I came across another edition of “The Interior Castle” on the web and I found an introduction written by the Very Rev. Fr. Benedict Zimmerman, O.C.D. in 1911. Fr. Zimmerman explains that there are three parts to Mystical Theology: 1) Purgative - which applies to the first two mansions, 2) Illuminative – applies to the third and fourth mansions, and lastly 3) Unitive – applies to the remaining mansions. I am unfamiliar with mystical theology, but it makes sense to me that the first two mansions are purgative since we need to let go of worldly attachments and obsessions.

I look forward to see what everyone thinks about the first mansion. I am finding this book to be very interesting.

I'm actually ahead in the reading for once, so I can say that penance comes up in the Second Mansion... ;)

I am really into this book. It is cause for reflection and a 'checkup' of my own spiritual journey. Humility is an ongoing stumbling block for my outspoken, opinionated self, but St. Theresa's passion filled words give me comfort that I am on the right path, reguardless of trials to come.

I love her writing...the castle imagery seems perfect for the times she was writing in and carries through the times.

I have engaged in Centering Prayer on and off for 25 years...the mystic side of Catholicism was one of the things that called me to the faith initially. Finding that quiet place to just 'be' with God during our hectic lives, is indeed a refuge of the highest order for our soul's well being. It also demands abiding faith, which for me, cultivates humility...
See? Full circle, like you said, Susan Margret!

Love the distictions drawn by Zimmerman between the rooms...thanks for sharing!

Susan Margaret wrote: "The First Mansions

Teresa tells us that prayer and meditation are the entry points to the castle. I may have missed it, but I am surprised that she did not mention confession, unless it is assumed..."

I think you are spot on, Susan. Letting go of worldly attachments and obsessions as well as our ego is where we can start. And with a humble, contrite heart, how can God not show Himself more in our castle?

I have heard some commentary from Father Timothy Furlow recently about mortal sin and how it is not that we have offended God with our actions and He cannot forgive us until we say sorry. What could we possibly do in this lifetime that God cannot forgive with the sacrifice of His only Son for our salvation? Rather, Father Timothy Furlow says that sin is when we put earthly things above God. It is so easy to do, to want to relax and zone out on the television or to spend more time on Sunday rooting for my favorite football team than at Mass. When I don't put God first, I can see how focusing on prayer can be the start to entering into my mansion again and in communion with God's will.

Is there hope with this vicious cycle? I feel like Saint Teresa does give us a glimmer of hope - of something obtained when she talks about "a person" (herself as it says in the footnotes of the book).

"I know of a person to whom Our Lord wished to show what a soul was like when it committed mortal sin. That person says that, if people could understand this, she thinks they would find it impossible to sin at all, and, rather than meet occasions of sin, would put themselves to the greatest trouble imaginable. So she was very anxious that everyone should realize this. May you be no less anxious, daughters, to pray earnestly to God for those who are in this state and who, with all their works, have become sheer darkness. For, just as all the streamlets that flow from a clear spring are as clear as the spring itself, so the works of a soul in grace are pleasing in the eyes both of God and of men, since they proceed from this spring of life, in which the soul is as a planted tree....When the soul, on the other hand, through its own fault, leaves this spring and becomes rooted in a pool of pitch-black, evil-smelling water, it produces nothing but misery and filth."

I am not saying that watching television is a mortal sin. But if we could truly comprehend the love, mercy and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then any venial sin and mortal sin would fall short. And we would put ourselves to the 'greatest trouble imaginable' avoiding them and putting our focus back on God.

Easier said than done in my case and one reason why I think God has led me to this group and this great discussion on a book that we could spend a lifetime trying to imitate but to know avail. I need so much help in this regard. To simply put God first.

I think we should quote the central sentence of the entire book, right in that first paragraph in the First Mansion:

“I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions.”

I agree, that’s a great image, but as I look at it more carefully she says the castle is “formed of a diamond or very transparent crystal.” Normally we think of a soul as being vaporous and amorphous. A crystal is just the opposite. It’s hard. I don’t think she explains why.

And look at the end of that complicated metaphor. The soul (resembling a mansion) has “many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions.” What confuses me is that I thought the soul enters these rooms but here she seems to be saying that the soul is made up of rooms. Fast forward to the fifth paragraph where she addresses that:

“Now let us return to our beautiful and charming castle and discover how to enter it. This appears incongruous: if this castle is the soul, clearly no one can have to enter it, for it is the person himself: one might as well tell some one to go into a room he is already in! There are, however, very different ways of being in this castle; many souls live in the courtyard of the building where the sentinels stand, neither caring to enter farther, nor to know who dwells in that most delightful place, what is in it and what rooms it contains. Certain books on prayer that you have read advise the soul to enter into itself, and this is what I mean.”

So the soul is a castle with rooms and yet it walks into its rooms, into itself. Now that is mystical!

All of you have made some very good posts on this section. I am learning from you!

There were interesting passages in chapter 2 as well. For instance the very opening lines:

“Before going farther, I wish you to consider the state to which mortal sin brings this magnificent and beautiful castle, this pearl of the East, this tree of life, planted beside the living waters of life which symbolize God Himself. No night can be so dark, no gloom nor blackness can compare to its obscurity. Suffice it to say that the sun in the centre of the soul, which gave it such splendour and beauty, is totally eclipsed, though the spirit is as fitted to enjoy God's presence as is the crystal to reflect the sun. While the soul is in mortal sin nothing can profit it; none of its good works merit an eternal reward, since they do not proceed from God as their first principle, and by Him alone is our virtue real virtue. The soul separated from Him is no longer pleasing in His eyes, because by committing a mortal sin, instead of seeking to please God, it prefers to gratify the devil, the prince of darkness, and so comes to share his blackness.”

There’s that crystal again as I mentioned it in my other comment. And a few lines into the next paragraph, St. Theresa brings in what will be another big metaphor later in this book, the spring or river:

“In a state of grace the soul is like a well of limpid water, from which flow only streams of clearest crystal. Its works are pleasing both to God and man, rising from the River of Life, beside which it is rooted like a tree. Otherwise it would produce neither leaves nor fruit, for the waters of grace nourish it, keep it from withering from drought, and cause it to bring forth good fruit. But the soul by sinning withdraws from this stream of life, and growing beside a black and fetid pool, can produce nothing but disgusting and unwholesome fruit.”

There’s the crystal again. I think in St. Theresa’s symbolism, the crystal represents the pure soul. I’m pretty sure that tree beside the river is an allusion to the beginning of Psalm 1:

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. Rather, the law of the Lord is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted near streams of water that yields its fruit in season; its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers.”

Another interesting passage is that on self-knowledge. It’s a few paragraphs in from the beginning of the chapter.

“A soul which gives itself to prayer, either much or little, should on no account be kept within narrow bounds. Since God has given it such great dignity, permit it to wander at will through the rooms of the castle, from the lowest to the highest. Let it not force itself to remain for very long in the same mansion, even that of self-knowledge. Mark well, however, that self-knowledge is indispensable, even for those whom God takes to dwell in the same mansion with Himself. Nothing else, however elevated, perfects the soul which must never seek to forget its own nothingness. Let humility be always at work, like the bee at the honeycomb, or all will be lost. But, remember, the bee leaves its hive to fly in search of flowers and the soul should sometimes cease thinking of itself to rise in meditation on the grandeur and majesty of its God. It will learn its own baseness better thus than by self-contemplation, and will be freer from the reptiles which enter the first room where self-knowledge is acquired. Although it is a great grace from God to practise self-examination, yet 'too much is as bad as too little,' as they say; believe me, by God's help, we shall advance more by contemplating the Divinity than by keeping our eyes fixed on ourselves, poor creatures of earth that we are.”

There’s a lot to unpack there. As I think I understand it, the sequence of events is prayer leads being industrious like the bee, which leads to humility which leads to self-knowledge. It’s this self-knowledge that leads to the first mansions. Now to be frank, I don’t know what she means by “self-knowledge.” She doesn’t define it, but it seems to be different than self-examination. That too is interesting because that contrasts with Jesuit spirituality, where self-examination plays a big part. St. Theresa says—and this may be her Carmelite spirituality—that it’s better to focus n the Divinity than on oneself. Still I’m at a loss to know what she means by self-knowledge. Did she define it somewhere and I missed it?

Manny wrote: "There were interesting passages in chapter 2 as well. For instance the very opening lines:

“Before going farther, I wish you to consider the state to which mortal sin brings this magnificent and b..."

I don't believe she does define self-knowledge. But I took it to mean knowing your limitations, and becoming aware of which virtues you are lacking in. I think the main idea for knowing yourself is knowing your virtues. She also says " She must not feel compelled to linger too long in any one place, unless of course, it is the dwelling of self-knowledge". As you quoted above Teresa says that too much self examination is bad (she is maybe referring to being over scrupulous?) whereas spending as much time as you need on self knowledge is more important. So I am thinking that perhaps in self examination we focus on the seven deadly sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride) and for self-knowledge we focus on the opposite which is our virtues (Chastity, Abstinence, Liberality, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, Humility). I could be wrong though.

That's a good thought Susan. Maybe so. The way I read is that time spent worshiping God does more good than trying to understand your sins. I would say that's different than St. Ignatius who brings a soldierly discipline to his spirituality. I think I agree more with St. Theresa. No matter how much I examine my sins, I still commit the same ones. It's almost beyond my power. But time spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament feels so enriching. I think it does me more good than beating myself up and going through a spiritual boot camp.

I guess it all depends on the person.

When I started reading this book,I will admit that I was very drawn to 'live' the process -to make the interior journey -but as I prayed about it I felt that to truly enter in might be very challenging.It might mean,for example, letting go things which are arguably very good,even very spiritual and godly-a little bit like Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac.If I am honest,my 'Isaac' is my pursuit of God through study.It seemed as if,to go deeper, it might be necessary to think -and that may not even be the right word-'out of the box.'I am stumbling around for words,but this poem of John of the Cross-who was spiritually very close to Teresa best describes the direction one might be going in:

“I came into the unknown
and stayed there unknowing
rising beyond all science.

I did not know the door
but when I found the way,
unknowing where I was,
I learned enormous things,
but what I felt I cannot say,
for I remained unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

It was the perfect realm
of holiness and peace.
In deepest solitude
I found the narrow way:
a secret giving such release
that I was stunned and stammering,
rising beyond all science.

I was so far inside,
so dazed and far away
my senses were released
from feelings of my own.
My mind had found a surer way:
a knowledge of unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

And he who does arrive
collapses as in sleep,
for all he knew before
now seems a lowly thing,
and so his knowledge grows so deep
that he remains unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

The higher he ascends
the darker is the wood;
it is the shadowy cloud
that clarified the night,
and so the one who understood
remains always unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

This knowledge by unknowing
is such a soaring force
that scholars argue long
but never leave the ground.
Their knowledge always fails the source:
to understand unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

This knowledge is supreme
crossing a blazing height;
though formal reason tries
it crumbles in the dark,
but one who would control the night
by knowledge of unknowing
will rise beyond all science.

And if you wish to hear:
the highest science leads
to an ecstatic feeling
of the most holy Being;
and from his mercy comes his deed:
to let us stay unknowing,
rising beyond all science.”

If this is the journey,the experience of contemplative prayer and meditation would seem a likely way in.I agree that repentance,too,would be an inevitability.It has also occurred to me that the way in might also include a degree of suffering.Thomas Merton seems to think this an essential when drawing near God-remembering his conclusions at the end of The Seven Storey Mountain. Hannah Hurnard in her book Hinds Feet in High Places showed how,in following after her Shepherd her spiritual companions "Sorrow and Suffering" might one day become known as "Grace and Glory."No doubt in reading further,I will discover what Teresa has to say on the subject.

Vicky:
It is hard. I have no illusions that I could reach the fourth mansion or beyond. I only ask to get closer to God and improve in virtue.

The level we reach in the castle is a gift from God, but we are expected to do the footwork.