In the first mansions, the soul is an easy prey. It has only one means of escape; to retire into the inner Mansions where the light shines more brightly, where life is invigorated, where peace reigns and fruit is gathered in. The soul must flee to God!
The quest for God must guide its steps and inspire all its actions. St. Teresa of Jesus invites the soul to enter into itself by the door of “prayer and meditation”. To know God in Himself and the riches that he pours into the soul is why prayer is necessary. The knowledge of self also depends on the knowledge of God. A loving converse of Him leads us to a knowledge of self and of God – this is the source of all we need in the spiritual life. Beginners in the first Mansions pray only a few times a month, and as a rule they are thinking all the time of their preoccupations. These preoccupations make it easy for the evil spirits to cause havoc to the soul. St. Teresa says, “If we fill the palace with vulgar people and all kinds of junk, how can the Lord and His Court occupy it?” (Mansion II Interior Castle) The effort of detachment to “things” must be persevering. A person living in the world must create a rule of life, a plan that is stable, yet flexible, in order to have the time for prayerful converse with God. St. Teresa states that this King does not allow Himself to be taken except by one who surrenders wholly to Him. Detachment, humility and absolute poverty (not being attached to our material goods) and perfect charity for the love of God and neighbor, draws down the outpouring of divine love and prepares the soul for divine union. Therefore, determination and courage are necessary for beginners.
St. Teresa demands courage for the beginner. Entering into the second Mansions with a resolute spirit and courageous will – will experience trials. Satan will do all he can to keep a soul from entering deeper into the castle of one’s soul. St. Teresa says: “The soul will certainly suffer great trials at this time, especially if the devil sees that its character and habits are such that it is ready to make further progress.” (Interior Castle, II Mansions) The soul will require a certain violence to turn to God to renounce bad habits, to be more alone in order to freely seek God and live according to His light. It is in these early steps that their labor is harder. We need to remember that God is merciful and is so anxious for our friendship and our sanctity that we should desire Him and strive after His companionship. He calls us ceaselessly, time and time again to approach Him; and this voice of His is so sweet that the poor soul is consumed with grief at being unable to do His bidding immediately; and therefore it suffers more than if it could not hear Him. These appeals come to us through our conversations of good people, or from sermons, or through reading of good books; and there are many other ways of which God calls us. The evil spirits cannot let that soul escape to God without exerting all their efforts to bring it back or to bar its way, especially when they understand that “its character and habits are such that it is ready to make further progress. The devil brings great confusion into the soul and distresses it. The devils once more show the soul the things of the world and they pretend that earthly pleasures are almost eternal. They remind the soul of the esteem in which it is held in the world, of its friends and relatives, of the way in which its health will be endangered by penances and of impediments of a thousand other kinds. Fighting off these temptations with more fervent prayer and self-denial will allow our Saviour to recognize His valiant friends. At this point, discouragement is a great temptation; and if one gives in to it, it has disastrous consequences. The soul must set its courage and persevere in spite of all. St Teresa says: “His Majesty is quite prepared to wait for many days, and even years, especially when He sees we are persevering and have good desires. This is the most necessary thing here; if we have this, we cannot fail to gain greatly.” (II Mansions of Interior Castle) We must persevere in the struggle despite all obstacles, not to halt until the goal is reached. All that one has to do is be resolute and prepare himself with all possible diligence to bring his will into conformity with the will of God. This is what constitutes the greatest perfection on the spiritual road to union with God – says St. Teresa. 2. DISCRETION AND LIBERTY OF SPIRIT Perseverance rather than violence and intermittent effort is important and effective in the way of prayer. Recollection cannot be begun by making strenuous efforts but must come gently, after which you will be able to practice it for longer periods at a time. Violence can spoil everything and will foster discouragement. The tricks of the devil must be noticed, otherwise, he will do all to stifle the good will of a soul on its journey toward God. St. Teresa says: “In the early stages, then, one should strive to feel happy and free. There are some people who think that devotion will slip from them if they relax a little. It is good to have misgivings about oneself and not to allow self-confidence to lead one into occasions which habitually involve offences against God… Yet there are many circumstances in which… it is permissible for us to take some recreation, in order that we may be stronger when we return to prayer. In everything we need discretion.” (Life, p. 74) 3. GREAT DESIRES It is known that St. Teresa of Jesus has a magnanimous soul. She had great desires and great desires are the hallmark of a great soul. Great desires alone can inspire courage necessary to surmount the obstacles that beset its way. They are the wind that carries the soul high and far. St. Teresa say: “We must have great confidence, for it is most important that we should not cramp our good desires, but should believe that, with God’s help, if we make continual efforts to do so, we shall attain, though perhaps not at once, to that which many saints have reached through His favor. If they had never resolved to desire to attain this and to carry their desires continually into effect, they would never have risen to as high a state as they did. His Majesty desires and loves courageous souls if they have no confidence in themselves but walk in humility; and I have never seen any such person hanging back on this road, nor any soul that, under the guise of humility, acted like a coward, go as far in many years as the courageous soul can in a few.” (Life, p. 74) St. Therese of Lisieux writes in her “Story of A Soul”: “As I reflected that I was born for great things, and sought the means to attain them, it was made known to me interiorly that my personal glory would never reveal itself before the eyes of men, but that it would consist in becoming a Saint. This aspiration may very well appear rash, seeing how imperfect I was, and am, even now, after so many years of religious life; yet I still feel the same daring confidence that one day I shall become a great Saint. I am not trusting in my own merits, for I have none; but I trust in Him Who is Virtue and Holiness itself. It is He alone Who pleased with my feeble efforts, will raise me to Himself, and by clothing me with His merits, make me a Saint.” (Autobiography, p. 55) Fr. Marie Eugene ends with the conclusion that at the point of departure, a soul must be thirsty for God, have a true judgement, a great desire for great things and hasten on with all the energy of their soul to those summits where shines the light of God that is drawing them irresistibly on. I will of course add that we can do none of this without the aid of our good Mother and Queen. We must live in true imitation of Her humility and love. We must beg Her at every step to help us as we are too feeble to walk alone without the hand and help of our generous and loving Mother. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us. Good St. Joseph, pray for us. All ye holy saints and angels, pray for us
0 Comments
CHAPTER 1 – THE FIRST MANSIONS
They are in a state of grace as they are called to enter. Only those who are in the state of grace can enter the castle for grace alone permits one to establish with God that exchange of friendship that is prayer and the spiritual life. Grace is somewhat anemic though. They come with good intentions but are full of preoccupations. They only pray a few times a month. The soul is still absorbed in worldly affairs, engulfed in worldly pleasures and puffed up with worldly honors and ambitions. So many reptiles get in with them that they are unable to appreciate the beauty of the castle or to find any peace within it. It is noted that the light which comes from the palace occupied by the King hardly reaches these first Mansions at all. These rooms are to some extent darkened. The soul cannot enjoy the light because he is prevented from doing so by these wild beasts and animals, which force him to close his eyes to everything but themselves. As the devil’s intentions are always very bad, he has many legions of evil spirits in each room to prevent souls from passing from one to another, and as we, poor souls, fail to realize this, we are tricked by all kinds of deceptions. (This is why good spiritual direction is crucial but also unfortunately scarce, as our priests are many times too busy to have a prayer life of their own – This should not discourage us – It will be hard but if God sees our resolute ambition to grow closer to Him, He is God and can provide assistance whether it be through books, our patron saints or angels, our Blessed Mother herself and of course – the Holy Spirit. Think of the hermit saints. Of course, there is danger into thinking one can go “alone”. Satan will deceive you and only deep prayer – especially prayer to Our Lady will help you discern these deceptions. One must be humble enough to know that knowledge ONLY COMES FROM GOD.) St. Teresa talks about how in the higher Mansions, the faculties of the soul have enough “strength for the fight”. Once a soul has climbed the mountain away from the serpents and reptiles of deception, it will have more grace to discern and fight off temptation. It is critical for the soul to know that it is only by God’s grace and not to be attributed to his own “gifts” – they came from God. She goes on to talk about the bite of Satan which is sin and sometimes grave sin.
As long as the soul has not, by contrition and firm purpose, retracted its attitude of sin and returned to God, it remains deprived of all the spiritual advantages that ensure its right orientation and union with Him. A soul in the state of grace resembles the tree of life, planted in the living waters of life – namely, in God. If a soul commits mortal sin, it loses that life. Charity alone can vivify good work; without it, every work is dead. But a soul in the state of sin has lost contact with the divine source of Love; charity is no longer poured out within it. It gives no shade and yields no fruit. Dead to the supernatural life, it is condemned by its state to a complete sterility. Teresa says: None of the good works it may do will be of any avail to win it glory; for they will not have their origin in that First Principle, which is God, through Whom alone our virtue is true virtue. After all, what kind of fruit can one expect to be borne by a tree rooted in the devil? St. Teresa lays stress on the profit she had gained from the vision of a soul in the state of mortal sin; the principal benefit was that she “had learned to have the greatest fear of offending God”. After the Last Supper, when He had crossed the Cedron, Jesus makes known a change in His soul; “My soul is sorrowful unto death. It is the hour of the power of darkness.” On hearing this cry of sadness, we are led to think of the word of St. Paul: “The wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23 During the Agony in the Garden, Jesus’ holy humanity becomes the battle ground of the two most powerful forces; that of the divinity which sanctifies it; and that of the sin of the world of all time. Hell rises to the attack of Heaven, to spread its darkness, its hatred, its death. It is the hour of the power of darkness. Jesus who without weakening had borne the weight of the divinity, falls to the ground, groans, and sweats blood under the weight of sin. Humanly, He would have died if God had not sent an angel to sustain Him and to assure Him of sufficient strength to go through all the stages of His sacrifice. More eloquently than all speeches and all visions, the drama of Gethsemane discloses the destructive power of sin.
O souls redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ! Learn to understand yourselves and take pity on yourselves! Surely, if you understand your own natures, it is impossible that you will not strive to remove the pitch which blackens the crystal? Remember, if your life were to end now, you would never enjoy this light again. (I Mansions, Chapter ii Peers. Pg. 206) She then goes into explaining her visit to Hell which God afforded her so that she would explain it to us and experience it to increase within her a greater love for God and His Most Holy Will (read pages 162-163 in I Want to See God) The vision of hell arouses in St. Teresa an immense pity. She writes: This vision, too, was the cause of the very deep distress which I experience because of the great number of souls who are bringing damnation upon themselves. It also inspired me with fervent impulses for the good of souls: for I really believe that, to deliver a single one of them from such dreadful tortures, I would willingly die many deaths. I do not know how we can look on so calmly and see the devil carrying off as many souls as he does daily. (Life, xxxii; Peers p. 215-7) She adds: May God, in His mercy, deliver us from such great evil, for there is nothing in the whole of our lives that so thoroughly deserves to be called evil as this, since it brings endless and eternal evils in its train. (1 Mansions,ii, Peers p 206) Blessed Father Marie-Eugene states that the writings of St. Teresa about the First Mansions should stir a soul to have salutary fear in order to prod it on to an effort to leave the regions they inhabit and enter resolutely into a more profound interior life. Unless one does so, a terrible danger threatens it, the evil of mortal sin with its train of further evils. May we make an energetic resolution in order to find ourselves already in the second Mansions. Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us. All ye holy angels and saints, Pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus – Have mercy upon us! Chapter 9 – SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Fr. Marie Eugene begins the chapter with the fact that the divine life in our soul develops like a grain of a mustard seed which, when upon the earth is the smallest of all the seeds, but it grows up and becomes larger than any other herb and puts out great branches. He covers how that growth takes place and by what signs it shall be recognized. It is a mystery which St. Teresa of Jesus tries to give us insight into with her writings.
Perfection consists in perfect union with God, transforming union or spiritual marriage. God is our end and to attain to Him is perfection. The soul is perfect in the measure in which it is near to Him. St. Teresa explains that these seven mansions are comprised of many more, both above and below and around. She also states that the sixth and seventh mansions might be fused in one – that there is no closed door to separate the one from the other. Fr. Marie Eugene states that seven is the perfect number and that the first can be considered as the point of departure; the third mansions is where the natural activity of the soul takes place which is aided by grace; the fifth mansion enlightened by the longing for transforming union. He states that the three other mansions are periods of transition or preparation. Dryness dominates the second mansion; the night of the senses in the fourth and the night of the spirit in the sixth. In these transition or preparation mansions, there are more stumbling blocks to be met. In the first phase – 1st to 3rd mansions – God assures the soul of His ordinary grace or general help. For the soul - attention to Prayer is predominant and correction of exterior faults. The soul exercises its apostolic mission with its natural activity aided by grace. In the second phase – 4th to 7th mansions –God intervenes progressively in the life of the soul taking the initiative away from the soul and imposes upon it submission and abandonment and finally establishes the perfect rule of God – making the soul a child of God and it now becomes moved by the Spirit of God. For the soul – self-surrender is necessary.
The action of God and the cooperation of the soul in such close dependence on each other produce a real transformation. St. Teresa used the analogy of a silk worm and how it is transformed from a worm into a butterfly. St. Teresa uses this analogy several times to show the transforming action of charity which divinizes as it develops, creates new virtues, perfects the natural powers and produces a new and perfect type of humanity, a soul transformed in God.
The mystery that surrounds the supernatural and its external signs explains why the inhabitants of Nazareth did not recognize the divinity of Jesus, any more than the high sanctity of Mary and of Joseph. Also mentioned was the holiness of St. Therese among her sisters in the convent. This is found with many of the saints – it sufficed to leave to grace the mystery that envelops it and to assure to the external manifestations of the supernatural the veil of simplicity which is the characteristic of the highest and most pure souls. St. Teresa states: “…in this life of ours, the soul does not grow in the way the body does, though we speak as if it did, and growth does in fact occur.” She also states, “No soul on this road is such a giant that it does not often need to become a child at the breast again. (This must never be forgotten: I may repeat it again and again, for it is of great importance.)” Life, pg. 80 Father Marie Eugene states that it is beyond a doubt that it is the action of God Himself that contributes most to the complexity of this problem or mystery of growth. The Holy Ghost gives to each one, grace in the measure that He has chosen. St. Teresa states, “…the Lord grants to one person less contemplation in twenty years than to others in one.” Life, pg. 237 She also states: “ But, O my God, how is it that even in spiritual matters we often try to interpret things in our own way, as if they were worldly things, and distort their true meaning? We think we can measure our progress by the number of years during which Who bestows on us measureless gifts, and Who can give more to one person in six months than to another in many years. This is something which I have so often observed, and in so many people, that I am amazed to find we can act so pettily.” Life, pg. 283
We thank God for these gifts given to us through the writings of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us! CHAPTER 8 – Teresian Spirit – Zeal for God and Souls
St. Teresa of Jesus was a mother of souls. Once she entered the “castle” herself, she was consumed with a desire to share this peace of soul with others. Even though her writings tend to the soul that is filled with desire to reach the summit, she holds out an invitation to those not quite ready to make the commitment. Fr. Marie Eugene states that St. Teresa does not abandon the souls that she cannot draw after herself because sin holds them fixed in the immobility of death but she looks back to them with a glance of tender kindness. He says that as she grows closer to God in prayer, so too, her charity for souls grows. She was consumed with the zeal of the Prophet Elijah when founding the reformed Convent of St. Joseph of Avila. St. Teresa was drawn by her own zeal for a strict cloister and intimacy with Jesus. As Teresa saw other souls interested in the same goal, she then realized that God had His own special design in it. Fr. Marie Eugene points out that St. Teresa was aware of the religious troubles that were spreading throughout the world and this fed the fuel to the fire of divine love. “At about this time, there came to my notice the harm and havoc that were being wrought in France by these Lutherans and the way in which their unhappy sect was increasing. This troubled me very much and as though I could do anything, or be of any help in the matter, I wept before the Lord and entreated Him to remedy this great evil.” It breaks my heart to see so many souls travelling to perdition, she continues. I would the evil were not so great and I did not see more being lost every day. (Way of Perfection, Ch 2) The zeal that St. Teresa had was compared to that of the prophet Elijah when he states, “With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant. They have thrown down Thy altars, they have slain Thy prophets.” To work for the Church is the vocation of St. Teresa and the purpose of her Reform. The love of the Church is her whole life; so much so that at the end of her life, she says, “I am a daughter of the Church.” In order to understand the Carmelite vocation, it is important to understand this teaching of St. Teresa and that is: to live for the glory of God and the salvation of souls by our prayers for the Church. This entails our struggles as well as our joys in our loving union with Christ. St Teresa offers her daily duty in the convent as her works of reparation and service to the Church which is what we as laymen are called to do. Prayer was already the principal function of Carmel in the Church. This prayer must obtain for us “the qualities needed for the struggle” and preservation from the dangers of the world. St. Teresa, and the Carmelites who follow her, understood that we must pray for its leaders, its priests and for all those who defend our Church. She looked at this as a direct help to Jesus, Who is guiding these men to victory; but with the aid of our prayers in imitation of Our Lady! The apostolic role assigned to prayer contributes to its higher perfection. For if prayer is to be powerful, it must in fact be perfect. The efficacy of prayer depends especially on the degree of sanctity of the soul who prays. Thus, love for souls and the Church is an incentive to strive for union with God. “Let us strive to live in such a way,” says St. Teresa, “that our prayers may be of avail to help these servants of God.” We must understand that our prayer life and our charity for our neighbor and especially those who serve the Church, feed on each other by increasing our zeal for a greater union with God. This zeal opens up horizons of sacrifice that were unknown when desire was set only on intimate union with God. St. Teresa said, “To see God we must die.” Not only meaning the physical death but the mortifications necessary to truly give ourselves to God in prayer. Prayer for the Church finds its efficacy only in sacrifice. St. Teresa implemented sacrifices and austerities into St. Joseph’s convent. Soon, God allowed it that this St. Joseph’s should multiply and that the demand for new convents was to happen at the request of a Superior General by the name of Father Rubeo. The world was on fire and Christ was not loved as He should be. This was St. Teresa’s motivation to do as Fr. Rubeo had asked. Multiplying courageous Christians for prayer will save souls and contribute to the triumph of Christ and His Church. She had to sacrifice the sweet joys of solitude for the activity of opening new convents. She shared her zeal for God and His Church with these new souls and they too became contemplatives and intercessors whose prayers were all given to the Church. Following this, she dreamed of prolonging her conquering action by extending the Reform to the friars of the Order. She wanted them to be such that they could sustain her daughters, govern her convents, but also do combat for the Church and cross seas for the conquest of souls. Soon, a Father Gracian became the first Superior to the Discalced Carmelite Friars. SUMMARY: A work of reform and a spiritual doctrine sprang simultaneously from her soul: they are both fruits of the same living spirit that work together. All must be contemplatives seeking the summit of perfection by way of prayer. Fr. Marie Eugene points out that St. Teresa does not receive among her following those souls who would come only to learn the ways of prayer and the secret of divine intimacy – they must be dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ and His Church. They must thirst for the salvation of souls and be willing to make sacrifices to bring these souls to the Heart of Jesus. Without Fr. Marie Eugene saying so in this Chapter, it is the spirit of Mary – Our Queen and Mother. This is her sole desire – to please the Heart of Her Son by winning for Him the souls that He came to die for. Fr. Marie Eugene points out the example of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. She desired to win souls for God with her life of sacrifice and prayer. This is a Carmelite. He also uses the example of St. Teresa of Jesus, herself, when she moans and cries over the sins of the world and feels the pain of God over the lack of love the world has for Him. “I was so afflicted by the loss of so many souls that I did not know what to do. I withdrew into a hermitage and wept tears in abundance.” (Foundations – Ch. 1) St. Teresa and the Carmelites are to continue for the Church the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane. Fr. Marie Eugene points out that this spirituality of contemplation and an apostolate are solidly united; they are fused into one life of the soul and happily complete each other. They are two aspects of a harmonious whole, two manifestations of the same profound life. The soul must be united to God in order to work for the good of souls. Carmel forms spiritual souls who are still apostles with a consuming zeal when they have learned to remain constantly in the presence of the living God. |
Blessed Fr. Marie-Eugene
|