Teresa of Avila and
John of the Cross were sixteenth-century Roman Catholic mystics who
are among the most influential writers on contemplative prayer. In The
Interior Castle, Teresa described her vision of the spiritual
life as a crystal castle with many dwelling places where pilgrims experience
the presence of God at different levels according to where they
are in their unique relationship to God. These seven "mansions" are “dwelling
places” of progressive enlightenment in a person's journey within
his or her own soul, culminating in union with God.
For John, in Ascent
of Mount Carmel and Dark Night of the Soul, the journey in Christ is depicted
as emerging through an ascetic purging
darkness of faith and
eventually coming to a point where one finds his or her own way with Christ.
Persecuted as a reformer of his church, the Dark Night of the Soul was John's
exposition of the "Spiritual Canticles," a poem of his loving relationship
with Christ written during his imprisonment.
Though contemporaries of the Protestant Reformation, Teresa and John
were in a different theological universe from Protestant and evangelical
They lived in the context of sixteenth-century Spanish Inquisition Catholicism
and were reformers in their own right. I’m reminded of the original meaning
of “Protestant,” which is “to profess.” Though in a
different context, Teresa and John carried on a mission similar to the early
of the Reformation: to profess the truth that believers may have a personal
and direct relationship with God.
The works of Teresa and John have become cherished guides in my journey
of relating to God. Their personalities come through in their writings
all the more real. I identify with John’s melancholia and his struggle
to find a place in the world. His gift for analysis inspires me. Teresa’s
bent toward emotion invites me to step beyond mere logic and experience
God with my whole self. Her vivaciousness challenges me to step out of
and find connections between my contemplation and community.