The Interior Castle

SPEAKS OF VARIOUS OTHER GRACES GOD BESTOWS ON THE SOUL IN DIFFERENT
WAYS, AND OF THE GREAT BENEFITS CONFERRED BY THEM.

1. Reasons for speaking of these supernatural favours. 2. An
intellectual vision. 3. God compared to a palace in which His creatures
dwell. 4. Forgive as we are forgiven. 5. The vision shows God to be
Truth itself. 6. We should imitate God by truthfulness. 7. Why God
reveals these truths.

1. OUR Lord communicates with the soul by means of these apparitions on
many occasions--sometimes when it is afflicted, at other times when it
is about to receive some heavy cross, and again for the sake of the
mutual delight of Himself and His beloved. There is no need for me to
specify each different case nor do I intend to do so. I only wish to
teach you (as far as I am acquainted with them myself) what are the
different favours God shows a soul in this state so that you may
understand their characteristics and the effects they produce. Thus you
will not mistake every idle fancy for a vision and if you really see
one, knowing that such a thing is possible, you will not be disturbed
nor unhappy. The devil, who gains greatly by it, is delighted to see a
soul troubled and distressed, knowing how this hinders it from
employing itself wholly in loving and serving God.

2. His Majesty has far higher ways of communicating Himself to the
soul; they are less dangerous for I do not think the evil spirit can
imitate them. They are more difficult to explain, being more abstruse;
therefore imaginary visions are easier to describe. God is sometimes
pleased, while a person is engaged in prayer and in perfect possession
of her senses, to suspend them and to discover sublime mysteries to her
which she appears to see within God Himself. This is no vision of the
most sacred Humanity nor can I rightly say the soul sees,' for it sees
nothing; this is no imaginary vision but a highly intellectual one,
wherein is manifested how all things are beheld in God and how He
contains them within Himself. [375] It is of great value, for
although passing in an instant, it remains deeply engraved in the
memory, producing a feeling of great shame in the mind which perceives
more clearly the malice of offences against God, since these most
heinous sins are committed within His very being since we dwell within
Him. I will try to explain this truth to you by a comparison, for
although it is obvious and has been often told us, we either never
reflect upon it or do not wish to understand it. If we realized it, we
could not possibly behave with such audacity.

3. Let us compare God to a very spacious and magnificent mansion or
palace and remember that this edifice is God Himself. Can the sinner
withdraw from it in order to carry out his crimes? No, certainly not,
for within this very palace, that is, within God Himself, are
perpetrated all the abominations, impurities and evil deeds that
sinners commit. Oh awful thought, well worthy to be pondered over! What
profit it would bring to us, who know so little and understand these
truths but partially or how could we possibly be so reckless in our
daring? Let us, sisters, meditate on the infinite mercy and patience of
God in not casting us down to hell at once and let us render Him hearty
thanks. Surely we should be ashamed of resenting anything done or said
against us--we who are the scum of the earth--when we see what outrages
are offered to God our Creator within His very being, by us His
creatures; yet we are wounded whenever we hear of an unkind word having
been spoken of us in our absence, although perhaps with no evil
intention.

4. Oh misery of mankind! When, daughters, shall we imitate Almighty God
in any way? Oh, let us not think we are doing great things if we suffer
injuries patiently: rather let us bear them with alacrity; let us love
our enemies, since this great God has not ceased to love us in spite of
our many sins! This is indeed the chief reason that all should forgive
any harm done them. I assure you, daughters, that though this vision
passes very quickly, our Lord has bestowed signal grace on her to whom
He grants it, if she seeks to profit by keeping it constantly in mind.

5. Short as the time lasts, yet, in a manner impossible to describe,
God also manifests that in Him there is a verity which makes all truth
in creatures seem obscure. He convinces the soul that He alone is that
Truth which cannot lie, thus demonstrating the meaning of David's words
in the psalm: Every man is a liar,' [376] which could never be thus
realized by any other means, however often we might hear that God is
truth infallible. As I recall Pilate and how he besought our Lord in
His Passion to answer his question: What is truth?' [377] I realize
how little mortals know of that sublime veracity.

6. I wish I could explain this better but am unable to do so. Let us
learn from it, sisters, that if we would bear any resemblance to our
God and our Spouse, we must strive to walk ever in the truth. I do not
merely mean that we should not tell falsehoods thank God, I see that in
these convents you are most careful never to do so on any account--but
I desire that as far as possible we should at with perfect truth before
God and man and above all that we should not wish to be thought better
than we are; that in all our deeds we should ascribe to God what is His
and attribute what is ours to ourselves, and that we should seek for
verity in all things. Thus we shall care little for this world, which
is but deception and falsehood, and therefore cannot last. Once, while
I was wondering why our Lord so dearly loves the virtue of humility,
the thought suddenly struck me, without previous reflection, that it is
because God is the supreme Truth and humility is the truth, for it is
most true that we have nothing good of ourselves but only misery and
nothingness: whoever ignores this, lives a life of falsehood. They that
realize this fact most deeply are the most pleasing to God, the supreme
Truth, for they walk in the truth. God grant, sisters, that we may have
the grace never to lose this self-knowledge! Amen.

7. Our Lord shows the soul these favours because she is now indeed His
bride, resolute to do His will in all things; therefore He wishes to
give her some idea how to accomplish it and to manifest to her some of
His divine attributes. I need say no more about it, but I believe the
two points above mentioned will prove very useful. These favours should
cause no fear but lead us to praise God for bestowing these graces. I
think neither the devil nor our own imaginations can have much to do
with them, therefore the soul may rest in perfect peace.
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[375] Life, ch. xl. 13-16.

[376] Ps. cxv. 11. Omnis homo mendax.'

[377] St. John xviii. 38: Quid est veritas?
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