Inspirers: St. Teresa of Avila

teresa1

I came across St. Teresa of Avila through her book “The Interior Castle“, and it revolutionised the way I thought.

“The soul’s beauty and capabilities are so immeasurably great” she writes.   For me, that said that I mattered, that what was inside was precious and valuable, that God cared.

soulsbeauty AVILA

“The soul is like a castle“, she writes.  In a short blog post I can’t do justice to how she elaborates on this image but I find such illumination in the way she writes about inner conflict, distractions and temptations in prayer (in the outer rooms, where the “lizards” enter and cause problems…!). 

I find it so uplifting how she writes about the “inner rooms” of the castle, where the soul is sometimes caught up in prayer and adoration, in unity with God.

soullikecastle AVILA

I have gone on to read part of her own autobiography, a modern biography of her life and some of her other writings.  But for me, “The Interior Castle” still provides a profound and spiritually inspiring read whenever I return to it. She is remembered throughout the world on 15th October.

I have called this sequence of seven poems, inspired by her writing, “The Castle of St. Teresa”…

The Castle of St. Teresa

I.

The soul is like a castle

made of clear crystal

.

And there are

many mansions

.

God delights to dwell

within this paradise

.

Its beauty is beyond

all comprehension

.

And no matter how theological

our minds

.

We cannot fully apprehend

the sacred image of God.

.

II.

God dwells in the very centre of being

where the most secret things pass

.

Where differences seem most indistinguishable

between spirit human and divine

.

In the timeless immaterial

reality of transformation.

.

III.

I know that place

where the lizards scuttle

.

And the soul strains each spiritual nerve

for holiness

.

But if I have a soul

as beautiful

.

As the crystal castle

May it be cleansed

.

And full

Of light.

IV.

God always calls

            such is his love

No matter how much

            we fail him

He always calls

            us to draw near.

.

V.

The soul could give no shade

if it were not growing by this spring

.

The soul would produce no fruit

without its living waters

.

It is the spring that flows

throughout all living being

.

The spring of life

For all.

.

VI.

Enter the castle

By prayer and reflection

.

Inhabit each room

Through divine meditation

.

The door of life

Opens

.

And before

Is the way

.

Of wisdom

Of love

.

And of the soul’s

Eternal salvation.

.

VII

Think of the soul

As a diamond

.

Whose many

Facets

.

The light

Of God

.

Enters

Reflects

.

In fascinating

Glory

.

Transforming

An ordinary

.

Human

Story.

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There is a deeper past

There is a deeper past

Than my own

.

I inherit

The culture of human time

.

And nature’s

Ancient legacy

.

Drawing

From these springs

.

And from eternity

The energies of life

.

My spirituality

And deeper than it all

.

The grace

Of God’s divinity.

.

Spiritual Reflection: On Being a Spiritual Person – Vocation

 

My vocation encompasses my being, my thinking, my planning, my decisions, the words I say and everything I do.  It encompasses everything.  And it is a vocation, because it is a life I am called to. 

“God called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”  

1 Peter 2:9

But even though the vocation and the light is wonderful, it is clear that I am not “wonderful” all the time.  Human error, past hurts, shortcomings, character flaws, selfishness, moodiness – these all take their toll on my vocation, so my being, my thinking, my planning, my decisions, the words I say and everything I do is often not what I would want it to be if I really was completely out of darkness and a being of total light. 

So vocation creates a powerful tension in the spiritual life: a tension between being a person with faults and failures, and being a person called to praise and pray, laugh and love. 

To help me, I have disciplines, beliefs, values, choices, grace, nurture and relationships, experience and nature – and these are for another post. 

Spiritual Reflection: What does it mean to be human?

What is man that you are mindful of him?

The son of man, that you care for him?

Psalm 8

At the start of each month, I come to reflect on fundamentals: what does it mean to be human?

Three aspects emerged at the start of this October, in 2019:

  1. To be human is to be created
  2. To be human is to interdependent
  3. To be human is to be complex

Created

Although my culture in 21st century Britain emphasises autonomy, actually I find that this is not an accurate description of being human. I did not create myself: I was born to my parents, as they were to theirs, and so the chain goes back into history.

As human beings we are created, not autonomous. Michelangelo’s interpretation of being created tells me this is something incredibly energetic and vital:

The creative power behind human being is a God of love and energy, without whom I would not have life – as Adam, in this painting, just lounges lifelessly, awaiting God’s touch.

Interdependent

Just as I am not autonomous in origin, so I am not autonomous in living. I depend on air, water, food, the earth, and especially other people. Collaboration is one of the most powerful forces available to us as human beings. Synergy multiplies our capabilities hundreds and hundreds of times. We were made to live together.

I love the way the angels dance together synergistically in this painting by Botticelli:

To live interdependently is a great challenge: the devils scuttle away at the bottom of Botticelli’s painting, reminding us that mixed motives and the presence of evil in life is never too far away. When we seek to live with others, we must deal with problems and darknesses in ourselves and in others, without losing the vision of those angels at the top of the painting, dancing in perfect harmony.

Complex

To be human is to be a complex of body, mind, emotion and spirit.

Leonardo’s “Vitruvian Man” captures something of the mystical beauty and complexity of humanity:

“Vitruvian Man”, Leonardo Da Vinci

Probably most of us are more like Van Eyck’s “Adam” below, though: not perfectly symmetrical, not beautiful in every way.

Adam, from The Ghent Altarpiece, Van Eyck

And yet, as the inside of The Ghent Altarpiece reveals, our physical existence is only part of the complexity of what it means to be human:

In Van Eyck’s vision, Adam and Eve (top left and top right) are just part of a much bigger spiritual picture, with God top centre, and the mystical “Lamb of God” and the fountain of life in the middle at the bottom. Humanity assembles from the four corners of the earth to worship and acknowledge their createdness, their dependence on each other and in God, and their physical, emotional and spiritual complexity.

What is man that you are mindful of him?

The son of man that you care for him?

Psalm 8