THERE are many different ways of believing in God, because God shows Himself to us in many different ways. We believe in one God. We are what you call theists. But in a different sense, we could call ourselves a polytheist, an atheist or an agnostic.
The old classics had a saying: gnoti seouton – know yourself. Teresa of Avila brought this together in the image of the Inner Castle, a fortress or a stronghold. The soul is like a crystal palace with many different rooms. And you walk though these rooms searching for God. People are searching for the meaning of life, which some people say is God. Other people will say: is it not a bit stupid to believe in a God? Nowadays there are groups of people who claim to have the absolute truth, either in politics or in science or in the existence of God.
We see what manifests itself in the outside and we notice that things are happening without man’s interference, for instance, the rising of the sun. But also it doesn’t show much respect for the other and to find out what are the different opinions. This can broaden your horizon. Belief and what is your stand in life is something personal. You don’t have to prove that scientifically. Spiritual development happens in life itself, through the experiences you encounter.
I have studied the writings of Teresa of Avila. She is a very strong woman who has meant a lot for the Church, for the Carmelites but also for women in general. She is a very meaningful example. But it is very difficult also to give this your own angle. St. John of the Cross is even more difficult.
Teresa of Avila has written somewhere: “To lay a foundation for what I am going to say, I look into my own soul and see that it consists of one single diamond or a very clear crystal castle with many different rooms, like there are also in heaven many different rooms”.
The Divine enters your senses. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross wrote many beautiful writings. For instance, about the castle. She describes the movements of the soul. People look for meaning in their life and some call this God. It is beautiful to understand a religious.
On Teresa of Avila, I myself went through life searching. I was struck by her commitment to make the love of God a purpose in your life. The encounter grew into an inner friendship. She became my spiritual advisor, a loving sister who let me experience in my daily life the working of God’s presence. Every time again I met Teresa. I learned from her the poem “I am yours, because of you I was born”.
And next the way in prayer: through the Our Father into the castle of my soul. In times of crisis and extreme poverty she was the one who showed me the way. Sometimes she surprised me as an envoy of Love. Teresa emphasizes also the humility as a virtue, as a characteristic you need on your way to God. That strikes me, may be, because it is straight against our time and that is what I like. Also because of Teresa I became a believer in truth and the power of humility. She taught me everything in this respect.
God shows Himself in many different ways.
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