Many books, perhaps too many have been written on the subject of prayer. Some are highly technical and some are emotional. As the readers might have guessed, this book leans heavily toward the latter. What Teresa de Avila is aiming here in her memoir is the fullness of enjoyment in prayer. But the methodology she proposes is not only complicated and confusing but also mechanical and  unbiblical. She views the soul as a castle with many mansions. The outermost mansion is described as full of temptations. She uses the imagery of poisonous loathsome reptiles molesting the soul as she strives in her attempt to reach the innermost mansion where the perfection of a full union with God, whatever that term means, is achieved. This level of complexity is unheard of in the Bible. In Mat 6, Jesus teaches one to enter his or her chamber without the need to show off and there enjoy a sweet communion with God through a simple prayer, yet loaded with significance. Indeed, the Lord's prayer contains the outline of what prayer should consist of; praise and adoration, petition and repentance. Something worth pointing out in this book is the terms sweetness and consolation. It is hard to get their clear definition due to the haphazard nature of Teresa's notes where she seems to keep jumping from one subject to another and return to the previous subject and unnecessary commentary that she is not worthy or smart enough to talk about this matter.

What I gather is follows. Sweetness is the joy that the soul experiences as God opens her mind to behold his glory through the revelation of Himself in Scripture, usually through the reading, thinking, and praying of the Word. It consists first in understanding, then rejoicing over it as the soul embraces it in her head and heart with gladness. The soul then responds back to God in agreement, praise, repentance or resolution to follow up through certain actions. The experience of sweetness involves the use of mental power more, not only in thinking and understanding the revelation of God, but also in responding back to Him with joy and praise. Consolation is the comfort that the soul receives as an expression of the love and compassion of God. Unlike sweetness which usually happens during the thinking, reading and meditation of Scripture in prayer and worship, consolation can happen anytime. For example, one can be overwhelmed by the sense of the presence and compassion of God during meal time or while walking or driving. It is the moment where God seems to make his gracious presence suddenly felt to bless the soul immensely. There is a major similarity between the two. Both come from God and result in joy, peace and comfort to the soul, as well as gratitude to God. The only difference I can think of is the occasion where they are felt. We may even say that sweetness is a subset to consolation because it is also possible for the soul to receive consolation as she is blessed with the understanding of God's Word.

This interesting coverage on sweetness and consolation is pretty much the only highlight of this book. I caution the readers against following Teresa's methodology. In fact, I discourage anyone from reading it at all. There are better books out there on prayer; one of which I recommend is "A Call to Spiritual Reformation," by D.A. Carson.
Many books, perhaps too many have been written on the subject of prayer. Some are highly technical and some are emotional. As the readers might have guessed, this book leans heavily toward the latter. What Teresa de Avila is aiming here in her memoir is the fullness of enjoyment in prayer. But the methodology she proposes is not only complicated and confusing but also mechanical and  unbiblical. She views the soul as a castle with many mansions. The outermost mansion is described as full of temptations. She uses the imagery of poisonous loathsome reptiles molesting the soul as she strives in her attempt to reach the innermost mansion where the perfection of a full union with God, whatever that term means, is achieved. This level of complexity is unheard of in the Bible. In Mat 6, Jesus teaches one to enter his or her chamber without the need to show off and there enjoy a sweet communion with God through a simple prayer, yet loaded with significance. Indeed, the Lord's prayer contains the outline of what prayer should consist of; praise and adoration, petition and repentance. Something worth pointing out in this book is the terms sweetness and consolation. It is hard to get their clear definition due to the haphazard nature of Teresa's notes where she seems to keep jumping from one subject to another and return to the previous subject and unnecessary commentary that she is not worthy or smart enough to talk about this matter. What I gather is follows. Sweetness is the joy that the soul experiences as God opens her mind to behold his glory through the revelation of Himself in Scripture, usually through the reading, thinking, and praying of the Word. It consists first in understanding, then rejoicing over it as the soul embraces it in her head and heart with gladness. The soul then responds back to God in agreement, praise, repentance or resolution to follow up through certain actions. The experience of sweetness involves the use of mental power more, not only in thinking and understanding the revelation of God, but also in responding back to Him with joy and praise. Consolation is the comfort that the soul receives as an expression of the love and compassion of God. Unlike sweetness which usually happens during the thinking, reading and meditation of Scripture in prayer and worship, consolation can happen anytime. For example, one can be overwhelmed by the sense of the presence and compassion of God during meal time or while walking or driving. It is the moment where God seems to make his gracious presence suddenly felt to bless the soul immensely. There is a major similarity between the two. Both come from God and result in joy, peace and comfort to the soul, as well as gratitude to God. The only difference I can think of is the occasion where they are felt. We may even say that sweetness is a subset to consolation because it is also possible for the soul to receive consolation as she is blessed with the understanding of God's Word. This interesting coverage on sweetness and consolation is pretty much the only highlight of this book. I caution the readers against following Teresa's methodology. In fact, I discourage anyone from reading it at all. There are better books out there on prayer; one of which I recommend is "A Call to Spiritual Reformation," by D. A. Carson.