 And your mark you got to put away from get set go This is Dennis Stephanie Burke with divine intimacy radio your radio haven of brass your hermitage of the heart You're a monastery of the mind where we lift our hearts and minds to heaven to draw upon the wisdom of the saints to help us To navigate this very very challenging life, and it's getting more challenging Every day it seems in the church and outside both So today we're talking but we're continuing we're ending our series on devil in the castle Yeah, and I have to tell you I'm sad. Are you sad? I have I have so enjoyed Digging deeper into st. Teresa and the interior castle. You know, so beautiful I agree with you. I and I do love this book. I know it sounds strange. I wrote it, but it feels like it's separate from me I don't know doesn't feel like it came out of me I'm not implying it came from God or anything like that, but it just She's amazing and the wisdom she provides is amazing and just how she goes through the progress of the soul and how to what battles are gonna come at each stage and how do we fight and it's been was fun to structure that to summarize each, you know battle and then to give Strategies to overcoming each one specific things people can do and then encouragement because it's interesting And I didn't discover this really the pattern really Until I did this that she always is encouraging saying this is tough. This is tough. But hey be encouraged This is this is a you know, you're moving toward God is the most common encouragement your father from sin now You're moving toward God. Yeah. Yeah, she really feels like a sister in Christ to me Yeah, and just her accompaniment her presence her You know, it's just awesome to have her around so Okay, so let's dive in the seventh mansion. What struck you about the seventh mansion, um, you know first of all is that What what struck me is this is a period of when the enemy's ability to derail someone is to greatly diminish Yeah, there's always the worry that you could get off track if you reach this level but what I love is that the We must always the reminder that we must always work to retain spiritual disciplines And to guard against the flashes rising up to rule the spirit again that we constantly have to be aware and so it ties right into her Admonition her encouragement her reminder constantly that self-knowledge is the thing that we can never let go of we always need to be growing in self-knowledge and it's it's just endless because God is endless and our comparison to him Our nothingness reveals so much. And so the enemy is always wanting us to kind of fall into this pattern of self-reliance or complacency Or sloth Asedia this idea like, you know, oh things are kind of quiet I can just kind of rest right now and as soon as we rest and we get complacent We need to expect that that will be Falling backward falling backwards. So we need to not do that So she just admonishes to keep going keep up your spiritual disciplines And at this point in the journey, it should be fairly habitual almost what it would in fact It is yeah, all of the disciplines are habitual And that's why the battle is not as raging as the first six mansion Yeah, I love that she makes it very personal and that she she reveals that the lord just loves us So tenderly that at this point He's he's really protective And it it just makes the enemy just ride because the enemy can't get to this soul And if they get to this point and hold on to the lord, they're They're safe like the lord's gonna bring them home at the end of their life And the enemy just rides against that because there's so much good being done The soul is their will is completely aligned with god's will. So they live for the lord 24 7th they live for the lord and they fight to that end constantly Yeah, I think it's important a couple of things you said I really liked one We're not impervious to falling to sin and you always have to guard and the way you do that Is to maintain your spiritual disciplines, which which she knows The other is that and I and I I you know, I talked a little bit about it before the show god is very He loves us and he's encouraging to us and I actually had a flashback a negative flashback I wanted to be a professional tennis player when I was a kid And I remember, you know, I didn't get much support from my family or whatever god's not like that He he puts us in the game if you will of becoming a saint And he is super encouraged. He's like the perfect parent Coming alongside to say you're gonna be fine. Hang in there. Don't get discouraged. I'm with you You know, in fact, he even said it. I'm with you even to the, you know, so God is always he set us on the course, but he promises That he began the good work in us, which it says in Philippians, I think And he's gonna finish it in us and the key is we just have to constantly Show up stay in the game. Yeah. Yeah. We at this point, we've really Sold all for the pearl of great price, right? We've understood this this exquisite journey we're on The goal is union with god and we're going to sell everything in order To to follow him and gain that that pearl Um at at the cost of all else, right? Um, but at this point the soul's discovered that nothing else really matters Nothing else really nothing else really matters. Yeah, there's no doubt about that And and just for folks if you're tuning in late and you miss the series You can get it out at spiritualdirection.com And also we're going to create a little a free mini course out at apostoleva.org Anything else strike you Stephanie about this chapter that you wanted to bring up? Yeah, that this is um really kind of Like a divine secret, which I just love. So, you know, we've been You know, sometimes folks say well, why do you focus on the devil? You shouldn't focus on the devil just, you know, focus on the good or whatever And the thing is is You know this growing in self-awareness and understanding how the enemy works in us Is all important because if you don't know what you're fighting or or how to fight You know, you can fall prey pretty quickly without some sort of extraordinary supernatural grace So I love what you put here, which is just so very important and we and and at this point the soul sees How the devil's evil efforts Have borne fruit in the soul through testing and purification Like silver and gold in the refiner's fire and it's referencing Zechariah 13 9 You know, so that the enemy is still a creature that's been created by god He's rejected god, but he's still god's creature And he's trying to destroy um The soul and I you know, it's like the lord is a mass is the master jujitsu, you know Uh coach or whatever And he constantly is showing the soul helping the soul and redirecting The efforts of the attacks of the enemy to actually work for the good of the soul, right? So these divine tests of love These trials and it's why we're told in james one. We should rejoice in the trials We should rejoice in these difficulties that we face because the lord is Jesus is lord and he's going to use it Against the enemy and for the good of our salvation and purification If we stay awake if we cooperate and if we Again follow the lord with all that we are Yeah, exactly. And you know, some people might be listening and wondering Well, how the heck do I do that? Like, uh, you know, they read it. They read the strategies that you know One of the things I did in this book and I really Wanted to make sure it was in this book Is I've never written a book and given all the tools that I thought were fundamentally necessary For someone to grow in holiness. There's not enough time Right, right, but the the book Covers each each chapter of the interior castle from st. Teresa of Avila and the strategies but also in it I've woven into that text and then in the the appendix out after that Ways that you can do what she presumed you were already doing in order to get where She's describing you can go right So we have something called the paradigm of ascent which Really is a summary of how it is that we Can be authentic disciples of jesus and it's in this book, right? It is. Yeah, both Visual form as well as description, right? And this is the first time it's been published in one of your in visual form. Yeah It was in a spiritual warfare and discernment of spirits, but it but Only in in word form But I wanted to make sure and the publisher agreed to put it all in So that you you get a visual of how it is that you say yes to god What are the most important protections and nurturing for that? Yes which are the sacraments and then prayer daily mental prayer in the exam and in a cesis But I think it breaks it down. I think to a level where Nobody can fail to understand. I don't know if there is is that a double negative? It's impossible to misunderstand How to make progress does that make sense if if you really desire it? And you ask for that grace you're going to understand and I you know one of Your giftings and I think part of our charism and in Apostle Eba and what we do And all of our teaching is that we bring things down to the practical, right? So it's really really helpful I know that visually if I mean you could even take that paradigm of the scent And stick it in your prayer book and just check yourself against that every day every day And you will make progress you will persevere and make progress if you stick to it And I think folks are good wondering Why aren't you talking about the chapter and the bottom line is in the seventh mansion? She said, you know, you're this is this is the easiest place really you still have to retain your disciplines that sort of thing So what we want to focus on and this part of the show in the last half is How do you get begin on the journey? What are the resources available to them and all of that? So the paradigm of scent we're talking about it now. It's in the book We also have a free course out on apostoleva.org And you can create a free profile you don't It's kind of like a digital monastery So there's a there's thousands and literally thousands of faithful Catholics on that site Anti facebook it is the anti right the anti facebook or social media And we have a traditionalist Catholics and charismatic Catholics in the whole gamut priest religious lady Right who are all wanting to learn together how to grow but there are free courses on The paradigm of ascent There's a free course on how to practice mental prayer, which st. Teresa says it's necessary For how you enter into the interior castle. It's necessary for your salvation. It's necessary. Well Well, let's just say this and this is true too Entering in the into the interior castle is necessary for your salvation And i'll say that because two doctors of the church have said it that if that Mental prayer is st. Teresa of Avalon st. Alfonso sluguri Both have said that mental prayer is necessary for your salvation. And if I could reword that before we go to the break Drawing near to jesus and talking to him Which sounds crazy to say it this way, but it's that is mental prayer Is necessary for your salvation. I think that breaks it down and takes it out of the ethereal Into the practical. So when we get back from the break, we'll talk about a few more resources available for your spiritual growth Okay, new markets that go This is dan self stephanie. What? Stop this is why you get to watch behind the scenes on the live stream. You get to see all of our mistakes This is dan and stephanie berke. Welcome back to divine intimacy radio your radio haven of rest We're talking about the the My newest book devil in the castle saint tree spiritual warfare st. Teresa of Avalon And the progress of the soul and we've reached the pinnacle. We've reached union with god Uh spiritual marriage now in the book you're talking about right right right seventh seventh chapter right seventh mansion Not seventh chapter seventh mansion in seventh chapter two. Oh, okay. You're very very cold. You were double, right? Okay, yeah one chapter per mansion, but we've reached in this mansion spiritual marriage where the souls human will Is completely united with god's divine will in other words everything about them Is into the best of their ability is constantly Being aligned and following what god desires for them that that's their end all be all that's how they live Yeah, well said the the a lot of people don't know this But it's not complicated to define holiness Is to holiness is The union of the wills right it means that all that I will whatever a hundred percent of my desires are The same as god's desires for me. Yeah, and you know, it's really beautiful before we get to the different resources that we have for for our listeners is that god in his Beautiful divine mercy Has given us all that we need in order to reach that state if we desire it And it's his desire that we reach that level of union with him. So it's you know, the sacraments and reconciliation, you know all of these beautiful um sacraments of the church, you know the prayer the teaching of the saints and the example of himself And his gift of his body In the Eucharist and with all of this combined if we just continue to stay and persevere We will reach reach this state if we desire it. Yeah, you're pointing to my favorite passage in the catechism Is the entire divine economy is ordered that we might know union Yeah with god what you just described it god has given us You know the hierarchy of the church canon law the sacraments that you know just parishes Yeah, you know all of that is ordered so that we will come to union not so that we will be Mediocre christians, but that we would become saints, you know, and what's so incredible about it is he desires it And and if we have fallen pray to the lie that god is against us that he's some sort of you know A superpower nemesis that wants to see our failure or divine killjoy. Yeah, whatever it is It's not And it's not true. It's not true and we we need to Learn how to really listen to god's voice to understand and recognize his voice And follow it and in partake of all these beautiful things that he's given us to bring us to himself In complete unity, you know absolutely and the In terms of resources we have we mentioned before the break. We have a free course On the paradigm of ascent in apostolate va We have a free course on mental prayer, you know that follows what I wrote in into the deep To help people understand what that is We have a free course on how to do the examine. I mean just Whatever you need along with all the fellowship and support that you need an apostolate va.org is out there if you want a More formal education On the interior life spiritual direction calm will lead you to The avala institute as well. So avala dash institute dot org We have amazing courses on the interior life Both from a graduate study standpoint and from What we call a school of spiritual formation Which is not undergrad it's it's actually easier than that But there the quality of the education is not less It's just made for busy priests religious and lay people who Don't have as much time at their disposal to do a graduate program and all the papers and all that I want to tell folks just as an example A few different kinds of courses that we teach at the avalanche suit that are absolutely amazing Liturgies and devotion to the Byzantine right so learning more about the eastern rung eastern lung As uh john paul the second used to speak of The church so the Byzantines of course in union with the pope in rome And father joel bar sats teaching that and he's a Byzantine priest, which is pretty cool Dr. Bar sat talked used to teach with with us before he became a priest That's one example another one is transformation in christ. It's funny. Both of these are on on catholic eastern Spirituality and this one is how that you become a partaker in the divine nature as st. Peter said in his official but Dr. Gamma talks about the mission of christ his invitation is calling to deeper conversion and intimacy Etc so If you want to grow in your faith if you want to understand What the saints have said across the spectrum of the church It's not just why it is named. I mean we are the founders dr. Lillis and I are carmelite as is stephanie as is our community Um primarily carmelite, but our goal is not to make everyone into our own image So to speak or even to the image of the carmelite saints The goal is to present the panoply the beautiful Our cornucopia. It's not it's not a Thanksgiving I always think of cornucopia as a Thanksgiving but the beautiful panoply of The church or the the the facets of the diamond Franciscans of spirituality is very beautiful when it's worth when it's faithful Dominican spirituality So all of these different spiritualities in the church. We're trying to give To you through the avalanche to to grow and really come to union with god. Yeah, I mean whatever you Really most anything that you're looking for you're going to find it and it's going to be faithful I'm your net you're going to be able to engage in the material and listen and And and the community of apostole v a and never worry that you're going to be Led into something that's going to be dangerous for your spiritual growth or lead you often to You know Some non-christian Something something or another and you know, I I was talking to somebody recently at our divine intimacy marriage retreat And she said I'm I'm just so relieved To have found y'all she said I I have gone to things. I've gone to events I've I've engaged in things that have come across at my parish or whatever And she said I get an inch deep and I'm panicking because I'm realizing that they're teaching things That are going to be dangerous for my soul and I had enough formation And enough understanding that this was not Christian and it wasn't in keeping with the teachings of the church And she said I just can't tell you what a relief it is to be able to rest And to just partake of this and just drink it to the dregs And and what god's doing in in me and in my marriage and all of this Through the avala institute through spiritual direction calm and through apostole v a you know, it's a it's a difficult time There's a lot of confusing stuff out there And it's important to draw near to truth and goodness and holiness and uh as as you and I often say Saints run in packs So you need to go look for the saints and run with them and run with them because that's how we're going to get each other there and It's just really such a grace, you know, I'm just curious because this whole series has been on saint therese of avalon how to Her wisdom and of course you you did a series with Endow with education the nature and dignity of women and yeah great organizations supporting and you find it on their podcast series It's a seven part series on their study of saint therese of avalon teacher of prayer as we kind of wind things down Uh, is there anything about her or saint therese her teachings that really Got to you in a different way because we you've been around it for a while Or is there any anything you want to convey to people about it that maybe is just uniquely impacted you? Um, I think it's just her Desire through her writings to convey this for everyone Yeah, just her her, you know, she she can She can be difficult to understand sometimes but Her obedience her humility Her fervency her strength All of it conveys her ingenuity. Yeah all of that and and I just um, I'm so moved by her And I just think that if you engage in it no matter really what your spirituality is whether you're Dominican, Franciscan Um, certainly if you're carmelite You're gonna gain you're going to gain by knowing saint therese and her writings. It's funny Of course great Dominican scholars father original gargoyle grange father legrange Ontario uh and others jordan amon They were all Dominic those three I mentioned are dominicans and were deeply enriched by A carmelite spirituality and I think no matter it's your point is really good Because people think that if they're in one order That that's only where they should get their sustenance and that just isn't true No, because it really whatever order you're in You need to be praying. Yeah, and if you don't know the god who created you I mean you're gonna end up at the end no matter, you know, how many, you know Devoted practice, you know devotions you've done if you don't know him You will hear depart from me. I never knew you new you, you know as adam new eve There's this intimacy that he's calling us to and it can only come through prayer And saint Teresa explains that she shows us she gives concrete examples And it's just really so incredibly helpful Yeah, and for the picky listener out there if you're if you didn't if you haven't listened to stephanie for a long time Of course, she's assuming that we're in the sacraments and that we're living in a state of grace But that's foundational. I mean even to get all the graces out of the sacraments the Great doctors of the church, Teresa of Avalon in particular, but also Sino-Fonza, Seguri Saint John of the cross, Saint Therese would all tell you That the more you draw near to Jesus in mental prayer the more it's going to enrich Your sacramental participation. Yeah, so it's not a separate thing It's that saves you, but it's something that draws you near to him and where you experience him more great deeply so pick up the book Devil in the Castle Saint Teresa of Avalon progress to the soul Yeah, so I'd like to end today with your the final sentence in your book because I just think it's so fantastic So again, we've been talking about, you know, the devil in the castle And so here is what you put and I just think it's awesome For God uses the devil as his own instrument in the sanctification of souls A paradoxical mode of resistance training To raise up valiant Lovers soldiers who will fight for and worship their lord and their king in the holy and sacred heart of the castle awesome I mean I'm giving myself credit for writing that I you know, I think what my editor may have written that I don't know. It was it was too too well done. It's beautiful. There you go. Just receive there you go Thanks for being with us folks and for walking with us through Devil in the castle go pick it up read it spread the word Help others to come to a deeper relationship with jesus Through that and a lot of other of our works were grateful to have you as listeners and friends and we'll meet you in prayer Until the next time may the god of peace make you perfect in holiness May he preserve you whole and entire spirit soul and body Irreproachable at the coming of our lord jesus christ amen