Book Review - INTERIOR CASTLE by Teresa of Avila

Interior Castle, which can be purchased from Christian Audio, http://christianaudio.com/, centers on prayer and the reflections of the soul. The author pictures the soul of a person as a castle with many rooms, which she calls mansions. The book conveys the journey of a person into the various mansions, seven in all. It could be seen as a journey of sanctification. There is a progressiveness of maturity pictured in each of the mansions, of which the last, the seventh, is seen as the central dwelling place of Jesus in the soul.

This book is read most excellently by Susan Deneker. I believe she captured the intent of the author through her skilled reading.

As a Protestant evangelical Christian, I had some theological differences (some of which were serious) with this book, which was written from a Roman Catholic perspective. However, having said that, I would not reject it and would even encourage people to read it. A Scripture came to mind as I was meditating on the things:

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

                                                                        1Thessalonians 5:20-21

While I had my differences, I found that the good was worth holding on to and very uplifting to my faith.                      

What was good that I could hold on to? This author had a very biblical view of man as concerns his state of sin and separation from God. It was this view that caused the author to offer a very biblical view of true humility. Both of these themes are heard throughout the book.

It was these two themes that naturally brought the reader to another theme, we are nothing and God is everything. This resulted in much praise and glory to be given to God. I was much moved by a name that she used often for God – “His Majesty”.

Much more could be said but my favorite moment in listening to this was her encouragement to contemplate, meditate on Jesus and his work on the cross.

I have reviewed this audio book for the christianaudio Reviewers Program, of which I am privileged to be a member.

"THEY PUT THEM AT HIS FEET"

Matthew 15: 29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

In light of this passage, I have been thinking (and praying for) the various people in my church family who had/have serious illnesses.

The Holy Spirit has impressed upon me this thought: The bringing of the sick and diseased to Jesus was an act of worship. These phrases caused me to see it this way:

1. "great crowds came to him, bringing with them"

• Do we not bring to the Lord, not just our sick, but, all things that we can do nothing about. Worship recognizes the One with whom nothing is impossible. Worship confesses our helplessness and His great power to, save, heal, change the course of events, etc.
  

1. "and they put them at his feet"

• Is this not a recognizable act of worship. We lay things at Jesus' feet all the time. I have prayed and heard others pray, "Lord we lay this - whatever - at your feet."
  

1. "the crowd wondered, when they saw"

• Is not worship a time of wonder and awe at the mighty majesty of the Lord. We see him high and lifted up in all his mighty deeds.
  

1. "And they glorified the God of Israel"

• And now they respond in the only way that would be appropriate, they glorified God.

Is there anything too hard for the Lord to do? Don't hesitate, bring those hard things and place them at his feet. Then be prepared to wonder and and glorify the Lord of Israel!