Journey into Divine Intimacy with St. Teresa of Avila

About this book

Journey into Divine Intimacy with St. Teresa of Avila: A Retreat, Spiritual Direction Guide and Study Resource is a guide through the various levels of the human person to the deepest center of the soul where God abides. It is based on St. Teresa of Avila's masterpiece on prayer and the spiritual journey to God: The Interior Castle. This book is also offered as a Retreat with practical suggestions for prayer, along with the wisdom of St. Teresa's spiritual direction guidance for growth in passive supernatural prayer. St. Teresa is a Doctor of the Catholic Church in mystical theology, and her teaching on prayer is comprehensive and sophisticated and cannot be immediately grasped without some guidance. Thus, the book also covers the underpinning pedagogical explanations of her terminology with extensive Supplemental Material. This book covers each of the seven dwelling places of the soul and includes a Description of the Dwelling Place and Teresian Teachings for Prayer and Life pertinent to each dwelling place. The first section is followed by a second that is directed more towards a retreat and the spiritual activity of praying and includes: Internalizing the Teachings, a Reflection, Reflection Questions, Guidance for Prayer and Prayer Period with Scripture Passages that suit that inner dwelling. There is also a Guided Meditation based on Teresian images that can be used for prayer associated with that particular dwelling. At the end of each of the dwelling places is a short biographical piece on St. Teresa that relates to her own stage of life and prayer within a particular dwelling place. The book comes with introductory material that describes how to get the most out of the book: How to Use this Book, How to Use this Book for Prayer and How to Use this Book for a Retreat. It also includes useful visual illustrations of the material in diagrams and charts that summarize important material. This book is meant to be a good balance of Teresian prayer-theory and inspirational Teresian mentoring for the practice of prayer and growth in contemplative prayer and Christian life. The audience for this book is comprehensive. It can be a directed retreat or a self-guided retreat, as well as counseling for personal spiritual guidance, or a manual for spiritual directors. It can be for beginners in prayer, those in a stalemate in their prayer life, or those proficient in prayer. It can be an introduction as well as a good basic academic teaching for those who want to better understand their reading of St. Teresa's Interior Castle. It would be of great value to Clergy, Apostolic Religious, Contemplatives, Lay Associates, Carmelites and anyone in initial religious formation. Prayer groups, religious educators, and any Christian seeking a deeper prayer life can be enriched by St. Teresa's teachings.