Saint Teresa of Ávila is a distinctive sign of female genius, capable of reaching the highest heights of humanity and contemplation when she allows herself to be permeated and touched by the love of God.
She is a Doctor of the Church, the author of works that have shaped Christian literature, a reformer of the Carmelite Order, and a teacher of prayer and spiritual life. And it is precisely from her experience of prayer that we wish to draw in order to discover some of her secrets for entering into intimacy with God.
What is prayer?
For the Spanish mystic, to pray means traveling a path that leads from the outside inward, from the surface to the heart. The secret of prayer lies in surrendering oneself completely to God, placing one’s life in his hands and thus allowing him to act within us.
A journey within oneself
Teresa offers an eloquent and fascinating image of how to attain intimacy with the Lord: the interior castle. Indeed, in her work The Interior Castle, she invites us to think of the soul as a castle: each room tells of a moment of spiritual growth, and the goal is to reach the central room, where the soul is intimately united with God.
The seven rooms of love
The first room corresponds to the castle gate, which Teresa identifies with prayer: prayer is the key to entering the castle. To pray, one must withdraw, set aside time to pause, and leave noise and agitation outside one’s home. Only through this first act of prayer is it possible to open oneself to God’s presence.
The second is the room of images. Here, images and mental representations of ourselves and of God meet. It is a place where one imagines and reflects; one is preparing to encounter God.
The third is the room of memory. Here one retraces one’s life and recognizes God’s grace in it. Memory thus becomes an instrument for contemplating the wonders the Lord has worked in our lives.
The fourth is the room of the intellect. Here the mind turns to God through intelligence and will. It is an act of love that draws on all one’s capacities for deep understanding.
The fifth is the room of the will. The soul finally surrenders itself completely to God, desiring only his will. At this stage, one makes an act of total and unconditional trust.
The sixth is the room of silence. As one draws closer to the center, words and images make room for silence, which becomes vast and profound. Here the soul listens to the voice of the Beloved.
The seventh room is the center. Upon reaching the heart of the castle, the soul experiences union with God in an embrace of mutual and total spousal love.
What Saint Teresa teaches us is a genuine journey within ourselves. By entering our inner castle, we can learn to seek God always; we can desire him with a sincere heart, having the courage to open the door and take the first, marvelous step toward inner prayer, toward intimate union with him at the center of our heart, where he dwells and awaits us.
Teresa’s own words can light the way and dispel every fear: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. Everything passes; God alone does not change. Patience obtains everything. Whoever has God lacks nothing: God alone is enough! May your desire be to see God, your fear to lose him, your sorrow not to possess him, and may your joy be whatever can lead you toward him, and you will live in great peace.”
