Although they were united to one another – so much that she said that she was his bride and she was told to ask him anything for he could not refuse her – Jesus said to Saint Teresa,
Be patient, for as long as you live, a wandering mind cannot be avoided.
In Teresa’s own terminology, this means that, because we are human, our mind can wander from one room of the Interior Castle to another. But somewhere, the Lord still dwells in the innermost room, that seventh mansion and, though not dwelling elsewhere, his influence is more or less obvious in other rooms. All that is changed is that our mind has gone out, from whatever mansions we’ve been in, into a more active one, wherever that may be.
This idea that there is a mental or spiritual architecture is a pretty common one for the saints. And, through the various happenings of life, we’re not always in the same place in this vast architecture . But that doesn’t necessarily mean that contemplation “stops”.
Some related posts:
Contemplative in the Mud 