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Episode 3 – How the Enemy Affects Us  – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

In this episode, Dan Burke and Kris McGregor talk about how St. Teresa addresses the devil’s influence at different stages of spiritual growth, a topic often overlooked in discussions of her work. St. Teresa’s guidance on combating the enemy offers crucial tools for understanding spiritual struggles and moving toward union with God.

The idea that the “interior castle,” Teresa’s metaphor for the soul, exists within each person. Dan shares how this inward journey toward God is both challenging and transformative, drawing comparisons with other mystics like St. John of the Cross and Ignatius of Loyola. The need for mental prayer, discernment, and spiritual companions in this process, and discuss the dangers of passivity, encouraging listeners to engage in active dialogue with God to avoid being controlled by external circumstances.

They also address common misunderstandings about religious life, particularly the difference between attending church and living a deep, spiritual life. Listeners are called to move beyond intellectual knowledge and enter a lived experience of faith, using St. Teresa’s writings as a guide for personal transformation and healing from wounds.

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

1. Understanding Spiritual Warfare
   
   How does St. Teresa of Ávila’s teaching on spiritual warfare in the Interior Castle help you recognize and combat the enemy in your own spiritual journey?


2. The Inward Journey to God
   
   What does it mean for you personally to recognize that the “interior castle” is within you, and how can this awareness deepen your relationship with God?


3. Role of Mental Prayer
   
   In what ways can you incorporate mental prayer into your daily routine to grow closer to God, as St. Teresa suggests?


4. Discernment in Everyday Life
   
   How can you apply discernment to better understand spiritual movements in your life and distinguish between God’s guidance and distractions from the enemy?


5. The Importance of Spiritual Companions
   
   Who are the spiritual companions or mentors in your life, and how can their guidance help you navigate your spiritual journey more effectively?


6. Authentic Discipleship
   
   How does your relationship with God influence those around you, and what steps can you take to deepen your witness as an authentic disciple?


7. Living Your Faith Beyond Sunday Mass
   
   In what ways can you move beyond attending Mass as a ritual to living a more deeply integrated spiritual life, as discussed in the episode?

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.

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