TSP9 - Entering the Sixth Mansion - St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

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Episode 9 – Entering the Sixth Mansion – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

Dan Burke and Kris McGregor explore St. Teresa of Ávila’s profound influence, particularly through her work The Interior Castle. Burke admires Teresa’s unique blend of genius, spirituality, and resilience, emphasizing her late awakening and subsequent achievements despite physical and societal hardships. Teresa’s nonlinear, almost “stream of consciousness” writing style—perhaps influenced by her various locations and personal challenges—presents a relatable, deeply human way of sharing mystical experiences.

They discuss Teresa’s guidance on spiritual phenomena like “locutions”—divine impressions or messages experienced in the soul. These mystical experiences can arise from God, angels, or even personal thoughts and must be discerned carefully. Dan describes his own experience with a locution reminding him to be “slow to speak,” which has since become part of his daily rule of life.

The simplicity yet power of such locutions, while brief, leave a lasting impression, providing clarity and the grace needed to act on them.

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

Reflect on Teresa’s Resilience: How does St. Teresa’s courage amidst physical and societal struggles inspire your own perseverance in faith?
Embrace Nonlinear Spirituality: In what ways can you appreciate and accept the seemingly chaotic or nonlinear parts of your spiritual journey?
Discern Your Locutions: Have you experienced moments of inner clarity that felt divinely inspired, and how did you discern their source?
Prioritize Vocational Clarity: How might God be calling you to realign your roles and priorities in life, focusing more on your core identity as His child?
Practice Humility in Gifts: How can you guard against pride in any spiritual gifts or insights you receive, allowing them to deepen your love and humility?
Seek Simplicity in Faith: In what ways can you simplify your spiritual understanding to connect more deeply with God’s message?
Reflect on the Power of Love: How does each spiritual experience or insight guide you to love others more fully and generously?

You can find the book here.

An excerpt from the book:

“Have you ever considered that the devil is active in your prayer life? In the parish church where you attend Mass? In the lives and actions of people of goodwill all around you? The saints remind us of a key aspect of living the spiritual life that we are wont to forget simply because we can’t see it and because we have been conditioned by the media and popular culture to think the devil works visibly only in “bad” people or in extraordinary ways, as in the movies. And although demons are certainly capable of extravagant or extraordinary manifestations, their ordinary work flies under our radar because it just isn’t that spectacular, though it is deadly.

In fact, subtlety, illusion, and deceit are their preferred methods of attack. An invisible battle for souls is being waged in and around us without reprieve, and we remain ignorant of it to our peril. St. Teresa of Avila, great mystic and Doctor of the Church, is best known for her writings on the way God leads souls along the path to union with Him through prayer. What many do not know about St. Teresa is that she also observed the actions of demons working with militant force to lead even good souls astray in ways that might surprise you. She shares these experiences freely in her autobiography, which she was commanded to write under obedience to her spiritual director.“

Burke, Dan; Burke, Dan. The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul (p. 12). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Dan Burke’s Discerning Hearts page here:

Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 14 dioceses.

Dan is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com.

In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church.

Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.