Anyone who practices mental prayer for any length of time will reach a dry period. Why does this happen? What can we do about it? Sometimes prayer is dry because we are sick, depressed, anxious, or over-tired. In such cases, … Continued
Reading Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila, we might find ourselves surprised. The Church has proclaimed Teresa a Doctor of Prayer, but the first part of her master work on the subject barely mentions prayer! If prayer is … Continued
I hope you are ready to begin studying St. Teresa of Avila’s second mansions. I’m excited about this. My guess, based on experience, is that most of my readers are in this stage or the next. Some of you … Continued
Before we go on into Teresa’s second mansions, I want to talk about the pattern of change I have noticed in my life. If we want to move on to the next stage of the spiritual life, how can we … Continued
Sometimes my mind is too tired or distracted to engage in detailed meditations during prayer time. I look for a simple image to focus on that will bring me into God’s presence and still my scattered thoughts. One of my … Continued
Okay, you’ve all poured over the chart of the seven mansions from Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle that I posted last week and now you’re ready to study each in depth, right? Let’s dig right in. Many people, unfortunately, live … Continued