The Interior Castle

REATS OF THE INSECURITY OF LIFE IN THIS EXILE, HOWEVER HIGH WE MAY BE
RAISED, AND OF HOW WE MUST ALWAYS WALK IN FEAR. CONTAINS SOME GOOD
POINTS.

1. Souls in the Third Mansions. 2. Insecurity of this life. 3. Our
danger of falling from grace. 4. The Saint bewails her past life. 5.
Our Lady's patronage. 6. Fear necessary even for religious. 7. St.
Teresa's contrition. 8. Characteristics of those in the Third Mansions.
9. The rich young man in the Gospel. 10. Reason of aridities in prayer.
11. Humility. 12. Tepidity. 13. We must give all to God. 14. Our debt.
15. Consolations and aridities.

1. As for those who, by the mercy of God, have vanquished in these
combats and persevered until they reached the third mansions, what can
we say to them but Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord'? [86] It
is no small favour from God that I should be able to translate this
verse into Spanish so as to explain its meaning, considering how dense
I usually am in such matters. We may well call these souls blessed,
for, as far as we can tell, unless they turn back in their course they
are on the safe road to salvation. Now, my sisters, you see how
important it is for them to conquer in their former struggles, for I am
convinced that our Lord will henceforth never cease to keep them in
security of conscience, which is no small boon.

2. I am wrong in saying security,' for there is no security in this
life; understand that in such cases I always imply: If they do not
cease to continue as they have begun.' What misery to live in this
world! We are like men whose enemies are at the door, who must not lay
aside their arms, even while sleeping or eating, and are always in
dread lest the foe should enter the fortress by some breach in the
walls. O my Lord and my all! How canst Thou wish us to prize such a
wretched existence? We could not desist from longing and begging Thee
to take us from it, were it not for the hope of losing it for Thy sake
or devoting it entirely to Thy service--and above all because we know
it is Thy will that we should live. Since it is so, Let us die with
Thee!' [87] as St. Thomas said, for to be away from Thee is but to
die again and again, haunted as we are by the dread of losing Thee for
ever!

3. This is why I say, daughters, that we ought to ask our Lord as our
boon to grant us one day to dwell in safety with the Saints, for with
such fears, what pleasure can she enjoy whose only pleasure is to
please God? Remember, many Saints have felt this as we do, and were
even far more fervent, yet fell into grave sin, and we cannot be sure
that God would stretch forth His hand to raise us from sin again to do
such penance as they performed. This applies to extraordinary grace.
[88] Truly, my daughters, I feel such terror as I tell you this, that
I know not how to write it, nor even how to go on living, when I
reflect upon it as I very often do. Beg of His Majesty, my daughters,
to abide within me, for otherwise, what security could I feel, after a
life so badly spent as mine has been?

4. Do not grieve at knowing this. I have often seen you troubled when I
spoke about it, for you wish that my past had been a very holy one, in
which you are right--indeed, I wish the same myself. But what can be
done, now that I have wasted it entirely through my own fault? I have
no right to complain that God withheld the aid I needed to fulfil your
wishes. It is impossible for me to write this without tears and great
shame, when I see that I am explaining these matters to those capable
of teaching me. What a hard task has obedience laid, upon me! God grant
that, as I do it for Him, it may be of some service to you; therefore
beg Him to pardon me for my miserable presumption.

5. His Majesty knows that I have nothing to rely upon but His mercy; as
I cannot cancel the past, I have no other remedy but to flee to Him,
and to confide in the merits of His Son and of His Virgin Mother, whose
habit, unworthy as I am, I wear as you do also. Praise Him, then, my
daughters, for making you truly daughters of our Lady, so that you need
not blush for my wickedness as you have such a good Mother. Imitate
her; think how great she must be and what a blessing it is for you to
have her for a patroness, since my sins and evil character have brought
no tarnish on the lustre of our holy Order.

6. Still I must give you one warning: be not too confident because you
are nuns and the daughters of such a Mother. David was very holy, yet
you know what Solomon became. [89] Therefore do not rely on your
enclosure, on your penitential life, nor on your continual exercise of
prayer and constant communion with God, nor trust in having left the
world or in the idea that you hold its ways in horror. All this is
good, but is not enough, as I have already said, to remove all fear;
therefore meditate on this text and often recall it: 'Blessed is the
man that feareth the Lord.' [90]

7. I do not recollect what I was saying, and have digressed very much:
for when I think of myself my mind cannot soar to higher things but is
like a bird with broken wings; so I will leave this subject for the
present.

8. To return to what I began to explain about the souls which have
entered the third mansions. God has shown them no small favour, but a
very great one, in enabling them to pass through the first
difficulties. Thanks to His mercy I believe there are many such people
in the world: they are very desirous not to offend His Majesty even by
venial sins, they love penance and spend hours in meditation, they
employ their time well, exercise themselves in works of charity to
their neighbours, are well-ordered in their conversation and dress, and
those who own a household govern it well. This is certainly to be
desired, and there appears no reason to forbid their entrance to the
last mansions; nor will our Lord deny it them if they desire it, for
this is the right disposition for receiving all His favours.

9. O Jesus! can any one declare that he does not desire this great
blessing, especially after he has passed through the chief
difficulties? No; no one can! We all say we desire it, but there is
need of more than that for the Lord to possess entire dominion over the
soul. It is not enough to say so, any more than it was enough for the
young man when our Lord told him what he must do if he desired to be
perfect. [91] Since I began to speak of these dwelling-rooms I have
him constantly before my mind, for we are exactly like him; this very
frequently produces the great dryness we feel in prayer, though
sometimes it proceeds from other causes as well. I am not speaking of
certain interior sufferings which give intolerable pain to many devout
souls through no fault of their own; from these trials, however, our
Lord always delivers them with much profit to themselves. I also except
people who suffer from melancholy and other infirmities. But in these
cases, as in all others, we must leave aside the judgments of God.

10. I hold that these effects usually result from the first cause I
mentioned; such souls know that nothing would induce them to commit a
sin (many of them would not even commit a venial sin advertently), and
that they employ their life and riches well. They cannot, therefore,
patiently endure to be excluded from the presence of our King, Whose
vassals they consider themselves, as indeed they are. An earthly king
may have many subjects yet all do not enter his court. Enter then,
enter, my daughters, into your interior; pass beyond the thought of
your own petty works, which are no more, nor even as much, as
Christians are bound to perform: let it suffice that you are God's
servants, do not pursue so much as to catch nothing. [92] Think of
the saints, who have entered the Divine Presence, and you will see the
difference between them and ourselves.

11. Do not ask for what you do not deserve, nor should we ever think,
however much we may have done for God, that we merit the reward of the
saints, for we have offended Him. Oh, humility, humility! I know not
why, but I am always tempted to think that persons who complain so much
of aridities must be a little wanting in this virtue. However, I am not
speaking of severe interior sufferings, which are far worse than a want
of devotion.

12. Let us try ourselves, my sisters, or let our Lord try us; He knows
well how to do so (although we often pretend to misunderstand Him). We
will now speak of these well-ordered souls. Let us consider what they
do for God and we shall see at once what little right we have to murmur
against His Majesty. If we turn our backs on Him and go away
sorrowfully like the youth in the Gospel [93] when He tells us what to
do to be perfect, what can God do? for He must proportion the reward to
our love for Him. This love, my daughters, must not be the fabric of
our imagination; we must prove it by our works. Yet do not suppose that
our Lord has need of any works of ours; He only expels us to manifest
our goodwill. [94]

13. It seems to us we have done everything by taking the religious
habit of our own will, and renouncing worldly things and all our
possessions for God (although they may have been but the nets of St.
Peter, [95] yet they seemed much to us, for they were our all). This
is an excellent disposition: if we continue in it and do not return,
even in desire, to the company of the reptiles of the first rooms,
doubtless, by persevering in this poverty and detachment of soul, we
shall obtain all for which we strive. But, mark this--it must be on one
condition--that we hold ourselves for unprofitable servants,' [96] as
we are told either by St. Paul or by Christ, and that we do not
consider that our Lord is bound to grant us any favours, but that, as
we have received more from Him, we are the deeper in His debt.

14. How little is all we can do for so generous a God, Who died for us,
Who created us, Who gives us being, that we should not think ourselves
happy to be able to acquit ourselves of part of the debt we owe Him for
having served us, without asking Him for fresh mercies and favours? I
am loath to use this expression, yet so it is, for He did nothing else
during the whole time He lived in this world but serve us.

15. Think well my daughters, over some of the points I have treated,
although confusedly, for I do not know how to explain them better. Our
Lord will make you understand them, that you may reap humility from
your dryness, instead of the disquietude the devil strives to cause by
it. I believe that where true humility exists, although God should
never bestow consolations, yet He gives a peace and resignation which
make the soul happier than are others with sensible devotion. These
consolations, as you have read, are often given by the Divine Majesty
to the weakest souls who, I suppose would not exchange them for the
fortitude of Christians serving God in aridities: we love consolations
better than the cross! Do Thou, O Lord, Who knowest all truth, so prove
us that we may know ourselves.
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[86] Ps. cxi: 1. Beatus vir qui timet Dominum.'

[87] St. John xi. 16: Eamus et nos ut moriamur cum eo.'

[88] These last words, in the margin, but in the handwriting of the
Saint, were scored through by one of the censors, but Fr. Luis de Leon
wrote underneath, (as he did in other cases) Nothing to be crossed
out.'

[89] St. Teresa wrote Solomon'; Father Gracian corrected Absalom,' and
Fr. Luis de Leon restored the original text.

[90] Ps. cxi. 1.

[91] Matt. xix. 21.

[92] Proverbially, like having too many irons in the fire.'

[93] St. Mark. x. 22. Way of Perf. ch. xvii. 5.

[94] Rel. ix. 15.

[95] St. Matt. iv. 20: Relictis retibus secuti sunt eum.'

[96] St. Luke xvii. 10: Servi inutiles sumus: quod debuimus facere
fecimus.'
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