The inner room makes us think about the Mansion in the center of the soul where St. Teresa invites us to walk down in order to go forward to union with God. She specifies that the door is “prayer and meditation” (1M 1, 7 and 2M 11). Generally we understand that door as an opening, a passage, access we should have clear in order to penetrate into the inner dwelling where the King is. But, should we open or close this inner door? Or, are there doors that we should open and others we should close?

The doors to close are primarily those of the body: eyes, ears, tongue. Then the doors of our weaknesses: curiosity, susceptibility, gossip. Finally, the doors of our wounds: resentment, guilt, fear.

It seems that the key is the opening of conscience, confession; and also an unshakeable determination. Pope Francis addressing to seminarians and novices warned them against the culture of the transitory: “It is very hard today to make a definitive decision. In my day it was easier, because the culture encouraged definitive decisions, whether for married life, consecrated life or priestly life. However, in this day and age it is far from easy to make a decision once and for all.

We are victims of this culture of the transitory.  I would like you to think about this: how can I be free, how can I break free from this “culture of the transitory”? We must learn to close the door of our inner cell from within. Once a priest, a good priest, who did not feel he was a good priest because he was humble, who felt he was a sinner, said many prayers to Our Lady; and he said this to Our Lady — I will say it in Spanish because it is beautiful poetry. He told Our Lady that he would never abandon Jesus, saying: “esta tarde, Señora, la promesa es sincera. Por las dudas, no olvide dejar la llave afuera” (“this evening, Mother, the promise is sincere. But in case anything happens, do not forget to leave the key outside”) However he said this with love for the Virgin — people say “Our Lady” — constantly in mind. Yet when someone always leaves the key outside, for any eventuality…. It won’t do. We must learn to close the door from the inside!” (July 6th, 2013)

However there are also doors we should to open, the good doors: the conscious and committed prayer, the faithful meditation that is to say, the meditation of the mysteries of faith and realistic knowledge of ourselves. But charity which is also an essential opening in our spiritual life. This is love in all the forms that Saint Paul detailed in the thirteenth chapter of the First Letter to the Corinthians “Charity is patient, love is kind, it is not envious …” Indeed, he shows us charity as a way, the best way, so a passage, a door.

So there is a door par excellence: the DOOR always open, and always open to the Father: Jesus himself. “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10,9)  Jesus in his paschal mystery has opened the gate of heaven: “The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut;” (Revelation 3, 7-8)

St. Teresa unites these doors opened and closed in the fourth chapter of the six Mansions: “as being His very own and His bride, and shows her some small part of the kingdom she has thus won. However little this may be, all is great that is in this great God. He will allow of no obstacle from the powers or the senses but bids that the doors of all the mansions should be closed at once, only leaving open the one He is in, so that we may enter it.” (6M 4,9)