📚Interior Castle - Second Mansions📚
Second Mansions:
Practice of Prayer
Three Main Takeaways:
- A soul residing here is driven by a hope of moving further, as they become better at recognising the Lord’s voice, who ceaselessly calls them closer [oops almost made a typo...He doesn’t call them ‘closet,’ He calls them ‘closer!’)
- Here, the devil puts up a fight, trying to make the soul turn back. The soul can combat this by reflecting on and resting in God our Lover, who truly does give us everything we could ever need.
- Pray, have faith and trust in Him, no matter how fruitless it may seem. Persevere.
A soul residing here: Has started practicing prayer and realises they must move on to further Mansions, but is not yet free of temptation, or determined enough to avoid occasions to sin.
To progress: Pray and trust in the mercy of God. Practice noticing and combating the devil's attacks.
Chapter 1
(Sorry not sure how to get rid of all the spelling suggestions!)
Souls in these Mansions, in brief moments of respite from the snakes and other creatures, realise it is actually good to be free of them and they want to progress further. They are driven by a hope that they will get further into the Castle.
They are becoming more acquainted with the voice of the Lord, because the closer they get to Him, the more they come to know Him as a friend.
“These souls, then, can understand the Lord when He calls them, for, as they gradually get nearer to the place where His majesty dwells, He becomes a good Neighbour to them.”
The Lord is 'ceaselessly’ calling them to come closer to Him, no matter how distracted they might be, or how long it might take for them to respond.
“And such are His mercy and goodness that even when we are engaged in our worldly pastimes...falling into sins...this Lord of ours is so anxious that we should desire Him and strive after His companionship that He calls us ceaselessly, time after time, to approach Him”
He speaks to us through things like conversations with other people, sermons, good books, sickness and trials, prayer etc...
“For His Majesty is quite prepared to wait for many days, and even years, especially when He sees we are persevering and have good desires.”
A soul becomes more aware of the battle being waged. They are tempted again by worldly things, fame, family etc...with the false promise that these things are eternal, as the devil panics and tries to stop further progress.
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: all the powers of hell will combine to drive it back again.”
If nothing else should show us what wretched creatures we are and what harm we do to ourselves by dissipating our desires, this war which goes on within us should be sufficient to do so and lead us back to recollection.
This is combated by reason, faith, memory, will and understanding. When the devil see’s that they’ve made up their mind not to go backwards, he will soon leave him alone.
“In particular, the will shows the soul how this true Lover never leaves it, but goes with it everywhere and gives it life and being. Then the understanding comes forward and makes the soul realise that, for however many years it may live, it can never hope to have a better friend....it has a Host Who will put all good things into its possession.
“It is reflections of this kind which vanquish devils.”
“..there are no better weapons than the cross.”
Friends are important!
“It is a very great thing for a person to associate with others who are walking in the right way...and get into such close touch with them that they will take him with them.”
Don’t even think of ‘spiritual favours’ (consolations) just yet. Be content with anything, even suffering, and simply persevere and prepare to conform with the will of God.
“..embrace the Cross which your Spouse bore upon His shoulders and realize that this Cross is yours to carry too; let her who is capable of the greatest suffering suffer most for Him and she shall have perfect freedom. “
“His Majesty knows best what is suitable for us; it is not for us to advise Him what to give us...for often it is the Lord’s will that we should be persecuted and afflicted by evil thoughts...
“For even out of your fall God will bring good.“
Let them place their trust not in themselves but in the mercy of God.
“But, provided we do not abandon our prayer, the Lord will turn everything we do to our profit, even though we may find no one to teach us.”
“...it is absurd to think that we can enter Heaven without first entering our own souls.”
Thoughts on the Second Mansions:
Again, perfect timing!! I really felt a pull to do the next part of my Book Study today, but have been putting it off for ages. It definitely hasn’t been a weekly thing, but I do need to be in the right mindset to digest a Spiritual Book!
I recently posted about ‘Battle Fields,’ so what a ‘God-incidence' that most of this chapter is on Spiritual Warfare, and combating the attacks of the devil! I love this whole chapter (as you can probably tell by the number of quotes I have typed out...).
The other day I encountered an attack when I was overwhelmed by the seemingly impossible amount of work coming up, and literally curled up in a ball on the ground in my room, with no drive to go and face the day. I did pray, but didn’t feel much different. And then I eventually said ‘OK God, I don’t want to do this today. You have to motivate me. Let’s face this together’ (or something along those lines). I got up, and went to work, and had a really good day!
All we need to do to ‘vanquish’ the enemy, is to reflect on God’s goodness, be strengthened by the knowledge that He will never abandon us, and resolve to move forward, no matter what we’re feeling. And that I think that is what St Teresa is getting at in her description of the Second Mansions.
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