Chapter 27 Summary and Analysis

Closing her discussion of the Seven Dwellings, St. Teresa assures curious readers that the things she has described do not necessarily all happen just the way she described them to every seeking soul, nor always in the same order. She says there will even be times when vile creatures who were not able to deter a soul from her course will come back to tempt and torment her again even when she is very close to her God. The difference she will always be able to observe, she assures them, is that she will have a mighty and faithful Companion by her side through every trial in her life. She explains God will continue to refine and humble His child through the very end of her life, and the process will continue to inspire praise.

The most important goal before the...