TERESA OF AVILA

Teresa of Avila was a sixteenth-century Carmelite nun who was committed to a life of contemplative prayer. Beloved for both her deep spiritual insights and practical approach to life, her writings are considered spiritual classics, andThe Interior Castleis widely recognized as her literary masterpiece. To readThe Interior Castleis to put yourself in the hands of an extraordinarily qualified faith mentor who well understands our struggles to connect with God.

Teresas primary metaphor throughout this work is that the human soul is an "interior castle," or a series of "dwelling places," of great grandeur, beauty, and value. Her book is a tour of the different ways we relate to God through prayer, with varying intensity, awareness, and intimacy, culminating with spiritual unity with God.

Many books on prayer are about whatwedo to pray, or to pray better. But there are relatively few, likeThe Interior Castle, that focus on whatGoddoes in prayerparticularly the sometimes inexplicable ways God gives us experiences of love, healing, strength, insight, companionship, and knowledge of Gods presence in, and will for, our lives.

In this new edition ofThe Interior Castle, editor Laurel Mathewson, author ofAn Intimate Good: A Skeptical Christian Mystic in Conversation with Teresa of Avila, brings this renowned spiritual leader into clear focus for contemporary readers. This edition features a modernized text with an introduction to St. Teresa and her work, brief chapter summaries, helpful footnotes for additional information and clarity, and questions for personal reflection. Mathewson encourages us to be open to the ways in which Teresas "experiences and writings still shed light on things that happen inourworld, so different from hers in many ways but still filled with human beings struggling to be in relationship with one another and God."

288 pages

9798887690926

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