The Interior Castle Study Edition

The Interior Castle is considered St. Teresa of Avila’s masterpiece. She wrote this last work in just a few months in 1577, five years before her death. At this point in her life she had been granted the highest mystical graces; this book is the fruit of her lived experience and a deep-felt praise of God for it. More than a book, The Interior Castle is a powerful image of the mystery of the human person. It is, in a very real sense, Teresa’s soul. Using the image of a castle, Teresa describes the soul’s progressive inner journey through seven dwelling places, until finally reaching the center where, now transformed, it is united with God. Reading the works of Teresa herself is indispensable. This second, revised study edition has been completely redesigned as a springboard to reading and understanding Teresa’s text. The book presents a chapter of The Interior Castle itself, followed by a review of the development of her thought and the principal ideas in each chapter. Interpretive notes after each chapter cover doctrine, history, and sociology. Expanded questions for reflection and/or discussion conclude each chapter. A glossary of terms offers definitions as well as their specific and sometimes unique meaning in Teresa’s writings. Comprehensive indexes of key themes and figures, castle imagery, and biblical references make this volume an indispensable reference resource.

A Study Edition, with Introduction, Commentary, Discussion Questions, Glossary, and a fully linked Index. St. Teresa of Avila is an unsurpassed teacher of Christian prayer and spirituality, and in The Way of Perfection she is at her best. Now, with the help of this study edition, everyone can enjoy the benefits of her wisdom. In The Way of Perfection, St. Teresa gives practical counsels and advice on prayer, destined originally for the few nuns who embraced the reformed Carmelite life she established. As a handbook for spiritual formation, it presented them with the basic Christian spirituality undergirding their Constitutions and Rule. Over the centuries, the book's appeal has reached far beyond the walls of Carmelite monasteries, and The Way of Perfection has become a spiritual classic. More and more today, Teresa's instructions speak to all those interested in prayer, providing them with basic guidelines for praying and showing how to avoid potential pitfalls. But as the readership and interest grow, so does the need for some help in working with this sixteenth-century text. The principles and teachings in Teresa's book, first presented within the limited horizons of her own situation, clearly lend themselves to broader applications, and can work well in all walks of life. This study edition-with its introduction, commentary, notes, discussion questions, glossary, and a fully linked Index-provides what is needed to assist contemporary readers in making these applications and delving more deeply into the text's spiritual riches.

The Interior Castle is considered St. Teresa of Avila’s masterpiece. She wrote this last work in just a few months in 1577, five years before her death. At this point in her life she had been granted the highest mystical graces; this book is the fruit of her lived experience and a deep-felt praise of God for it. More than a book, The Interior Castle is a powerful image of the mystery of the human person. It is, in a very real sense, Teresa’s soul. Using the image of a castle, Teresa describes the soul’s progressive inner journey through seven dwelling places, until finally reaching the center where, now transformed, it is united with God. Reading the works of Teresa herself is indispensable. This second, revised study edition has been completely redesigned as a springboard to reading and understanding Teresa’s text. The book presents a chapter of The Interior Castle itself, followed by a review of the development of her thought and the principal ideas in each chapter. Interpretive notes after each chapter cover doctrine, history, and sociology. Expanded questions for reflection and/or discussion conclude each chapter. A glossary of terms offers definitions as well as their specific and sometimes unique meaning in Teresa’s writings. Comprehensive indexes of key themes and figures, castle imagery, and biblical references make this volume an indispensable reference resource. Then, because Teresa always wanted her writings to be in harmony with Scripture, the study edition offers a biblical index that lists by page number scriptural texts or allusions to them found in Teresa's writings. With its combination of Teresa's text and modern commentary and notes, The Interior Castle Study Edition demonstrates how contemporary church teachings are reflected in Teresa's basic concepts and principles of the spiritual life, and how modern readers can apply these perennially rich teachings to our lives today.

This book contains Book of Her Foundations and Minor Works. Includes general and biblical index. In 1573, while staying in Salamanca to assist her nuns in the task of establishing one of her seventeen monasteries, Teresa began composing the story of their foundation. The Book of Her Foundations comprises the major portion of Volume Three. This book not only tells the story of the establishment of her monasteries but, characteristic of Teresa, digresses into counsels on prayer, love, melancholy, virtuous living and dying, plus other teachings of the Mother Foundress. This book also has an excellent introduction, chronology, and map of Teresa's foundations and journeys. Five of her brief works, including her poetry, complete ICS Publications' third volume of her Collected Works. Includes general and biblical index.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This book compares Teresa's approach to prayer with the ancient tradition of Lectio Divina. St. Teresa of Jesus is the Church's great teacher of prayer, and lectio divina, the ancient Christian approach to praying over the Scriptures, is among the Church's most venerable prayer methods. In this booklet, noted Carmelite retreat director Sam Anthony Morello shows how the tradition of lectio can assist us in following the Teresian way of prayer, and how in turn Teresa's insights and attitudes can enrich our contemporary practice of lectio. In clear and practical language, the author explains the fundamental ingredients of Teresian prayer, and relates them to lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), oratio (prayer), and contemplatio (contemplation), the four traditional elements of lectio divina. A closing series of reflection questions make this an ideal introduction to Teresian prayer for both group discussion and individual study.

Complete unabridged edition of The Way of Perfection, Interior Castle, and The Book of Her Life (her Autobiography) by Saint Teresa of Avila. This treasury, with over 1,000 footnotes cross referencing all three, will give the reader a unified study of Avila's spiritual path to God's glorious peace. It is accessible advice, written to friends, about practicing a spiritual life. For many, Avila's body of work is soul piercing and inspiring. "Blessed and praised be the Lord, from Whom comes all the good that we speak and think and do." The Way of Perfection was translated by E. Allison Peers, and includes over 100 footnotes. Interior Castle was translated by the Benedictines of Stanbrook, and includes over 400 footnotes. The Book of Her Life (her Autobiography) was translated by David Lewis, and includes over 500 footnotes. No student of thought should be without these historic books. This compilation edition is provided in a slim volume with full text at an affordable price.

A poignant and powerful spiritual memoir about how the lives of the saints changed the life of a modern woman. In My Sisters the Saints, author Colleen Carroll Campbell blends her personal narrative of spiritual seeking, trials, stumbles, and breakthroughs with the stories of six women saints who profoundly changed her life: Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Faustina of Poland, Edith Stein of Germany, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Mary of Nazareth. Drawing upon the rich writings and examples of these extraordinary women, the author reveals Christianity's liberating power for women and the relevance of the saints to the lives of contemporary Christians.