The Interior Castle: From Judgment to Grace

Rom 2:1-11, Psalm: 61, Lk 11:42-46

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of the great Saint Teresa of Jesus, a Doctor of the Church who mastered the science of the soul, the Word of God offers us a profound examination of conscience. It calls us to look beyond the external structures of religion and into the interior castle of our own hearts, where true holiness is forged.

In the Gospel, Jesus continues His stern critique of the Pharisees, but His focus sharpens. He acknowledges their external fidelity—they tithe meticulously from their garden herbs—but He condemns their interior neglect: “You pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.” Their religion has become a series of transactions, missing the very purpose of the Law: a relationship with God characterized by justice and love. Then, He turns to the scholars of the law, accusing them of laying impossible burdens on people, “and do not lift a finger to touch them.” Their knowledge of God has not led to compassion, but to a heavier yoke.

This indictment of externalism is powerfully reinforced by St. Paul. He addresses anyone who would judge another, warning, “You are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For in the standard by which you judge another, you condemn yourself.” The great sin Paul identifies is a lack of self-awareness—the failure to see that we are all guilty before God. He then reveals the purpose of God’s patience: “Do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God would lead you to repentance?” God’s mercy is not an endorsement of our sin, but the very means He uses to call us back to Himself.

This is where the life and wisdom of Saint Teresa of Jesus burst forth as a radiant light. She, who spent her life reforming religious life from a laxity that prioritized comfort in prayer, understood that the only solution to the hypocrisy Jesus condemns is a deep, personal, and transformative interior life. Her masterpiece, The Interior Castle, describes the soul as a castle with many rooms, at the center of which dwells God. The journey of prayer is the journey inward, through self-knowledge and humility, to union with God.

The Pharisees and scholars in the Gospel were preoccupied with the outer walls of the castle—the rules, the appearances. But Saint Teresa teaches that what God desires is for us to enter the interior rooms, where we encounter His love and are transformed by it. This interior conversion naturally leads to the justice and mercy that the Pharisees lacked. A soul united to God in prayer cannot help but become compassionate, lifting burdens rather than adding to them.

Pope Francis, echoing this Teresian wisdom, constantly warns against a “self-referential” faith that judges others and is content with external observance. He urges us instead to experience God’s mercy, which then compels us to be merciful.

The comfort to us today is immense. God is not waiting to condemn us for our hypocrisy. He is patiently offering His kindness to lead us to repentance. He invites us, as He invited Saint Teresa, to begin the journey inward.

Let us ask ourselves: Do I judge others while being lenient with myself? Is my faith more about external observance than the interior movement of love and justice? Do I feel the burden of religion without experiencing its liberating power?

Let us pray for the grace of true self-knowledge, which is the doorway to humility. And let us ask Saint Teresa to intercede for us, that we may have the courage to enter our own interior castle, to be cleansed of all pretense, and to be filled with the love that alone can fulfill the law and lighten every burden. Amen.