The Interior Castle and Learning Deep Personal Prayer
In this set of reflections on Teresa’s invitation to deep personal prayer, we will begin with a summary of her concrete suggestions in her classic text. Then there will be some thoughts on “What is Prayer” that leads to the importance of the Word of God for our growth in deep personal prayer. This will be supported by the presentation of two simple methods of prayer, Lectio Divina am d Christian Mediation.
Coming next will be a series of themes that help us both understand and better experience this prayer that calls us to change our ways to be free to walk with Jesus. Some of the topics are self-knowledge, composure of heart in prayer, difficulties in prayer, the stages of the spiritual life, practical consequences of being faithful to prayer and many more all leading to the strengthening our commitment of deep personal prayer.
In the end, we are all called to be one with God, to enter the deepest center of the Interior Castle that is our being. Here we can find out the answer to life’s truly big questions of who we are and both where we are going in life and how do we get there?
Part Two
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
I
A good place to delve more deeply into the gift of prayer is the parable of the lost treasure. (Mt 13:44-46) This parable offers the challenge of action with three steps: finding, selling, and buying. One needs to find the treasure. Then there is a selling all one has. Finally, there is the serious commitment of buying the field.
The “finding” comes from a basic human experience. There is a universal hunger in the depths of the heart, a sense of incompleteness. There is a perception that life holds more than what we have.
Carmelite spirituality builds on the central Gospel truth that God loves us first and loves us as we are. The “finding” we experience is rooted in our encounter with God’s love for us in our brokenness. In the initial steps of faith, we begin to believe that God is at the deepest and most real part of our being. God is the center of both our heart and all reality. However, we seldom give much credence or attention to this reality. Deep personal prayer will draw us into an encounter with God at the center and let us begin to see God in all reality. This helps make our “finding” both concrete and productive.
The “selling” involves making a commitment to pray. This costs us our convenience, time, and comfort. Making time, generating a schedule, building an atmosphere, and discovering and practicing a method of prayer all come at a cost: self-sacrifice. What we are doing is making space for God in a growing surrender to God’s terms. In the process, we gradually learn God always wants more from us.
The “buying” brings one to a personal dedication to pray. The practice of prayer becomes a regular and disciplined part of one’s lifestyle.
The material we read, the thoughts that lead to reflection almost always have a spark of light. At times, it is more like a lightning storm. This touches our spirit. The new perspectives call us to change. When we accept the challenge we are now on the bridge between our heart and our life. Deep personal prayer is always rooted in the connection of God’s loving call, our acceptance in our poverty and our determination to make it take flesh in our life.
Prayer is measured by how we live not how we feel. Most often, God gives beginners at prayer a sense of peace and progress. Gradually God weans us from the beautiful feelings to sharpen our focus away from ourselves and towards God. We need to hunger for the God of consolations and not the consolations of God. This will be an ongoing battle for all who are serious about prayer.
Genuine self-knowledge constantly helps our prayer. In turn, self-knowledge grows when our prayer is authentic. A major purpose of prayer is to draw us out of a world of self-deception, illusions, and a sense of self grandiosity that places us at the center of our consciousness. The slow process of growing in self-knowledge leads to that gradual development of personal transformation called conversion. It is repeated at several levels. The journey to refocus and recognize God at the center is only possible when growing self-knowledge nurtures a budding awareness of our sinfulness and pettiness. Once again, humility surfaces as essential to our prayer journey. To encounter ourselves with honesty is a challenging task. It is not a joyful part of our passage. Another name for it is getting real.
With faithfulness to prayer, self-knowledge helps us to slowly grow in patience. The possibilities of reconciliation come out of nowhere. Situations where it was difficult to see the other side of a story now often open up to four or five different valid points of view. The prejudices of a lifetime get exposed for exactly what they are, a lie.
These are just some of the benefits of self-knowledge and humility flowing out of a life of faithfulness to prayer. This is the fruit of the purification and transformation of the Carmelite Way. It is the dynamic beginning of the Pilgrimage to God.
The “finding” comes from a basic human experience. There is a universal hunger in the depths of the heart, a sense of incompleteness. There is a perception that life holds more than what we have.
Carmelite spirituality builds on the central Gospel truth that God loves us first and loves us as we are. The “finding” we experience is rooted in our encounter with God’s love for us in our brokenness. In the initial steps of faith, we begin to believe that God is at the deepest and most real part of our being. God is the center of both our heart and all reality. However, we seldom give much credence or attention to this reality. Deep personal prayer will draw us into an encounter with God at the center and let us begin to see God in all reality. This helps make our “finding” both concrete and productive.
The “selling” involves making a commitment to pray. This costs us our convenience, time, and comfort. Making time, generating a schedule, building an atmosphere, and discovering and practicing a method of prayer all come at a cost: self-sacrifice. What we are doing is making space for God in a growing surrender to God’s terms. In the process, we gradually learn God always wants more from us.
The “buying” brings one to a personal dedication to pray. The practice of prayer becomes a regular and disciplined part of one’s lifestyle.
II
The initial atmosphere for prayer is important. We need to minimize the distractions by seeking the most silence and solitude that is a practical reality for us. It is our responsibility to create this supportive environment. We need to be aware of who it is we are encountering. We need a growing sense of the sacred in our effort. Secondly, prayer always has to be rooted in love responding to love. Thirdly, prayer needs to come from a heart yearning for faithfulness to love, not just a brain having the right ideas. In prayer, insight is important, but it is always trumped by love.The material we read, the thoughts that lead to reflection almost always have a spark of light. At times, it is more like a lightning storm. This touches our spirit. The new perspectives call us to change. When we accept the challenge we are now on the bridge between our heart and our life. Deep personal prayer is always rooted in the connection of God’s loving call, our acceptance in our poverty and our determination to make it take flesh in our life.
Prayer is measured by how we live not how we feel. Most often, God gives beginners at prayer a sense of peace and progress. Gradually God weans us from the beautiful feelings to sharpen our focus away from ourselves and towards God. We need to hunger for the God of consolations and not the consolations of God. This will be an ongoing battle for all who are serious about prayer.
IIISelf-Knowledge
Genuine self-knowledge constantly helps our prayer. In turn, self-knowledge grows when our prayer is authentic. A major purpose of prayer is to draw us out of a world of self-deception, illusions, and a sense of self grandiosity that places us at the center of our consciousness. The slow process of growing in self-knowledge leads to that gradual development of personal transformation called conversion. It is repeated at several levels. The journey to refocus and recognize God at the center is only possible when growing self-knowledge nurtures a budding awareness of our sinfulness and pettiness. Once again, humility surfaces as essential to our prayer journey. To encounter ourselves with honesty is a challenging task. It is not a joyful part of our passage. Another name for it is getting real. With faithfulness to prayer, self-knowledge helps us to slowly grow in patience. The possibilities of reconciliation come out of nowhere. Situations where it was difficult to see the other side of a story now often open up to four or five different valid points of view. The prejudices of a lifetime get exposed for exactly what they are, a lie.
These are just some of the benefits of self-knowledge and humility flowing out of a life of faithfulness to prayer. This is the fruit of the purification and transformation of the Carmelite Way. It is the dynamic beginning of the Pilgrimage to God.
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