THE CASTLE AND THE FRIEND

In cloistered halls of stone and prayer,
A soul arose with vision rare;
Teresa of Avila, with fervent flame,
Softly came the world to claim.

Not sword nor crown her path defined,
But depths unveiled within the mind;
For there she saw, with mystic eye,
A castle where the soul draws nigh.

A shining keep of crystal light,
With many rooms both dark and bright;
And in its heart, beyond all strife,
Dwells Jesus Christ, the source of life.

She called us in from restless days,
From scattered thoughts and anxious ways;
“To enter in,” her voice still pleads,
“And tend with care your soul’s deep needs.”

For though the world may roar and shake,
And trials rise for faith to break,
She knew the storms, she felt the strain,
Yet clung to Christ through every pain.

Through illness, doubt, and piercing night,
She walked by faith and not by sight;
In her weakness, frail yet true,
God’s strength like hidden fire grew.

“Pray, trust, and learn,” her counsel rings,
“Accept the cross that each day brings;
But more than all, hold fast this art - 
Be Christ’s dear friend with all your heart.”

Not distant Lord nor shadowed King,
But One to whom our souls may cling;
A Friend who walks the narrow way,
Who lights our path from day to day.

So when our burdens weigh us low,
Our tears like silent rivers flow,
Remember her, who walked before,
And found in Christ a boundless store.

The castle waits, its doors unsealed,
Its hidden chambers yet revealed;
Go inward now, with courage bright -
To meet your Friend in living Light.

Image courtesy of ChatGPT with CN Whittle "St Teresa before the radiant castle"