Interior Castle

By: Teresa of Avila

Narrated by: Susan Denaker

"WHILE I was beseeching Our Lord to-day that He would speak through me, since I could find nothing to say and had no idea how to begin to carry out the obligation laid upon me by obedience, a thought occurred to me which I will now set down, in order to have some foundation on which to build. I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions."

Thus begins Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle, one of the most celebrated books ever written by a mystic on abiding in union with Christ. Writing in obedience to the requests of two of her superiors, the humble 16th century Spanish sister protests "...for the love of God, let me get on with my spinning and go to choir...like the other sisters...I am not meant for writing; I have neither the health nor the wits for it."

However, in her pre-coffee-house conversational style, Teresa of Avila charmingly proves to her listeners that she does have the wits for conveying that "the most essential thing is that we should love God..." as she takes us by the hand and lead us on a visually beautiful spiritual journey into the soul, that Interior Castle where Christ abides, and where we may abide with Him in holy, intimate communion.

©2007 christianaudio.com

Phenomenal in all respects

I found this book to be so remarkable, so inspiring, so impactful. Praise God! Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us!

beautiful

exquisite mystical writing by the catholic Saint and Carmelite, Saint Teresa of Avila. well presented and narrated.

a long awaited read

Far more spiritually mature than I. Difficult to follow at times yet worth the effort

The voice of another century long ago

If you could sum up Interior Castle in three words, what would they be?

The Interior Castle offers a brilliant framework for self reflection, spiritual maturity, and transformation.

What other book might you compare Interior Castle to and why?

This book is a good companion to works written by St. John of the Cross as both he and St. Teresa of Avila share similar interior insights and perspectives on mystical experience with the Divine.

What about Susan Denaker’s performance did you like?

Ms. Denaker has a good nun voice :) She speaks with clarity and excellent diction. Listening to her is like sitting at the feet of St. Teresa of Avila and listening to her spiritual experience as it was shaped in her particular world view of Catholicism in the 1500's. Yet, what Teresa shares about the mystical experience is timeless! Susan Denaker gets better and better at capturing the nuances of St. Teresa's writing voice as the Castle progresses.

Interior life castle layout.

I have only glimpsed the subject of this book personally but Teresa explains my experience and gives it context, perspective and much more. Susan Denaker narrates amazingly. I'd like to sit and talk with her and hear her experience since her narration sounds more than simply reading aloud. Thank you Audible.