Article V. Extraordinary Graces that Sometimes Accompany Infused Contemplation

The doctrine we have expounded receives additional con firmation from the comparison of infused contemplation with the extraordinary graces that sometimes accompany it, and yet are distinct from it. These extraordinary graces generally belong to the charisms, or graces freely bestowed (gratis datae), enumerated by St. Paul: “Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit. . . . And the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit. To one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom; and to another, the word of knowledge; according to the same Spirit; to another, faith in the same Spirit;¹ to another, the grace of healing in one Spirit: to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discerning of spirits; to another, diverse kinds of tongues; to another, interpreta tion of speeches. But all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to everyone according as He will.”² St. Paul places charity far above these gifts: “And if I . . . have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” 8

As St. Thomas shows, sanctifying grace and charity are much more excellent than these charisms; the former unite us immediately to God, our last end, whereas the charisms are ordained chiefly for the benefit of our neighbor and s See I Cor. 13: 3.

only prepare him to be converted, without giving him divine life. 4 As a rule, they are not essentially supernatural like sanctifying grace, but only preternatural like a miracle and prophecy. 5

St. Thomas shows clearly the nature of these charisms by his division of them. 6 This classification is set forth in the following table:

Graces gratuitously given to instruct one's neighbor concerning divine things

±Summa, la Ilae, q.m, a.5: “Now the end is always greater than the means. But sanctifying grace ordains a man immediately to a union with his last end, whereas gratuitous grace ordains a man to what is preparatory to the end; i. e., by prophecy and miracles, etc., men are induced to unite themselves to their last end. And hence sanctifying grace is nobler than gratuitous grace.’* Ia Ilae, q.111, a. 1 ad 3um: “Sanctifying grace adds to the notion of gratuitous grace something pertaining to the nature of grace, since it makes man pleasing to God. And hence gratuitous grace which does not do this keeps the common name, as happens in many other cases.” As the animal devoid of reason is simply called “animal,” so these graces of inferior order, which in themselves do not render man agreeable to God, are called “graces gratuitously given.”

5 See supra, p. 59, for the distinction between the supernatural quoad sub - stantiam and the supernatural quoad modum .

6 See Ia Ilae, q. 111, a.4.

1. Graces that give full knowledge of divine things

Graces that confirm divine revelation

Graces that aid in preaching - the word of God faith or special certitude as to principles.

word of wisdom, on the principal conclusions known through the first cause.

word of knoiu ledge, on the examples and effects which manifest the causes.

[ by works °{ ^ lea ^ n S- 1 g l ft of miracles .

by knowledge of spirits.

gift of tongues .

gift of interpretation of speeches .

To these charisms may generally be attached the extraordinary favors that sometimes accompany infused contemplation; that is, private revelations, visions, and supernatural words, which St. John of the Cross discusses at length in The Ascent of Mount Carmel. He takes great pains to distinguish them from infused contemplation, which is attached to the grace of the virtues and of the gifts, or sanctifying grace. This teaching of St. John of the Cross rests theologically on St. Thomas’ treatise on prophecy , 8 where six articles 9 are devoted to the rapture which sometimes accompanies prophetic revelation, as it may also accompany infused contemplation.

According to St. Thomas, prophetic revelation may be made in three ways: by a sensible vision; an imaginary vision; or an intellectual vision; and the prophet may be awake, asleep, or in ecstasy. Occasionally in fact, a sensible, outward sign appears to the eyes or an exterior voice is heard. At other times, to express His thought to us, God co-ordinates certain images that pre-exist in our imagination, or He imprints new ones on it. More rarely He acts directly on the intellect by co-ordinating our acquired ideas or by imprinting new ideas, called infused. There is always infused prophetic light, and indeed it alone suffices, for example, to interpret certain signs, as Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharao . 18

If the prophet is awake, the vision is more perfect than if given to him during sleep, because he has the full use of his faculties. Occasionally the so-called imaginary vision or the intellectual vision is accompanied by ecstasy, or aliena-

7 Bk. II, chaps. 10-31.

8 Siimma, Ila Ilae, q. 171 - 75 .

9 Ibid., q. 175.

10 Ibid., q. 174, a.i ad 311m.

11 Ibid., q. 173, a. 2 ad lum.

12 Ibid., ad 2um.

is Ibid., q. 173, a. 2.

a Ibid., q. 174, a. 3.

tion of the senses. 18 A partial or total ecstasy may be a natural effect of the absorption of the superior faculties in the object manifested; the soul may no longer be attentive to exterior things. 16 If, on the contrary, ecstasy, so to speak, precedes the vision or contemplation and prepares for it, it is extraordinary like rapture, properly so called, which carries with it the idea of a certain violence, by lifting the soul above inferior things in order to fix it in God. 1T Christ and the Blessed Virgin had all these charisms in an eminent degree, but without losing the use of their senses; from the very beginning of their lives, they were superior to ecstasy and rapture. 18

Following these principles, St. John of the Cross draws a clear distinction between general and obscure infused contemplation 10 and different modes of particular and distinct supernatural knowledge: (1) visions, sensible, imaginary, or intellectual; 20 (2) revelations ; 21 (3) interior words. After enumerating these modes of knowledge, St. John of the Cross adds: “In regard to obscure and general knowledge, there is no division; it is contemplation received in faith. This contemplation is the end to which we should lead the soul; all other knowledge should be directed toward this, beginning with the first; and the soul should progress by detaching itself from all of them.” 28 is Ibid., a. l ad gum.

16 Cf. St. Thomas, De veritate, q.13, a.3: “Cum totaliter anima intendat ad actum unius potentiae, abstrahitur homo ab actu alterius potentiae.” Cf. Ha Ilae, q. 173, a. 3, on partial or total ecstasy. Neither is necessary to prophecy or contemplation. Cf. ibid.

17 See Ha Ilae, q.175, a.i and a.a ad lum: “Rapture adds something to ecstasy ... a certain violence in addition.’' is Cf. Ilia, q.10, 11. v

19 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chaps. 1-9.

20 Ibid., chaps. 10-24.

21 Ibid., chaps. 25-27.

22 Ibid., chaps. 28-31. St. John of the Cross links with distinct supernatural knowledge (chaps. 10 and 32) the divine touches received in the will, which produce spiritual sentiments in it and “react on the intellect.” We will discuss them at the end of this article.

23 Ibid., Bk. II, chap. iq.

To bring out clearly what is explicit in the traditional teaching on this point, we will proceed from the general to the particular. Consequently, following the example of St. Thomas, 24 we will first discuss revelations, to see the special modes of their manifestation, that is, either by vision, or by words. But we should note that visions and locutions are particular modes of revelation only when they disclose hidden things of the future, the present, or the past.

We will also proceed from the lower to the higher by considering in each of these categories the sensible, imaginary, and intellectual manifestations, according as they progressively reveal the works of God and God Himself.

Finally, it is also fitting to go from the exterior to the interior by considering first among these favors those that are manifestly directed toward the benefit of our neighbor and are more directly connected with charisms or graces gratis datae, particularly with prophecy; this is the case especially with private revelations. Others among these favors approach the order of sanctifying grace, because they are directly ordained to the sanctification of the person who receives them. They prepare the soul for divine union according as they make God better known and lead the soul to love Him, often amid great trials. This is particularly the case with various interior words and also with divine touches received in the will, which St. John discusses last. 25

Divine revelations are the supernatural manifestation of a hidden truth by means of a vision, a word, or a prophetic instinct; they presuppose the gift of prophecy. They are called public if they have been made by the prophets, Christ, or the Apostles, and are proposed to all by the Church, which preserves them in Scripture and tradition. They are called

24 See Ila Ilae, q. 171, 173, 174.

25 The Ascent of Mount Carmel , Bk. II, chap. 32.

private when they are ordained only for the particular benefit of those who are favored with them. Private revelations, no matter what their importance, do not belong to the deposit of Catholic faith.

Those who receive divine revelations, recognized as such, should after prudent judgment most certainly incline respectfully before this supernatural manifestation. 26 According to some theologians, they ought even to believe in them with divine and theological faith, for, in their opinion, these revelations contain the formal motive of faith, the authority of God revealing. 27 According to other theologians, 28 anyone who receives a certain private revelation should adhere to it immediately, not through divine faith but by prophetic light; 29 and the supernatural certitude should last or, on the contrary, give way to a moral certitude if the prophetic illumination disappears.

In approving the revelations made to the saints, the Church declares simply that they contain nothing contrary to Scripture and to Catholic teaching, and that they may be proposed as probable to the pious belief of the faithful. 80 Private revelations may not be published without the appro-

26 Benedict XIV, De sew. Dei beat., Bk. Ill, last chap., no. 12. C. de Lugo, S.J., De fide, disp. I, sec. 11.

27 Card. Gotti, O.P., Theol. schol. dogm., Vol. I, tract. 9, q. 1, dub. 3, no. 2: “Verius existimo, revelationem privatam, etiam ex parte rei revelatae, esse credendam ab eo, cui fit, fide divina theologica. . . . Quia ubicumque est eadem ratio formalis objecti, ibi est idem specie habitus.” When attempts were made to obtain a denial of her divine mission from St. Joan of Arc, she answered that she had to believe in it as in the mystery of the redemption; and several times she appealed to the pope in this matter, as supreme judge of these things.

28 Salmanticenses, De fide, disp. I, dub. IV, 104 and 111: In favor of this opinion, they quote St. Thomas and his principal commentators. They observe in particular that a number of these revelations bearing on temporal things have not a sufficient bond with the first object of theological faith.

29 It may also proceed from faith, which is mentioned among the gratituous graces (I Cor. 12: 4-10). According to the Salmanticenses, loc. cit., no. 113, “Praedicta fides confertur ut in plurimum. doctoribus Ecclesiae circa articulos fidei catholicae.”

so Benedict XIV, op. cit., Bk. II, chap. 32, no. 11.

bation of ecclesiastical authority. 31 Even in those approved as probable by the Church, some error may slip in; for the saints themselves may attribute to the Spirit of God what proceeds from the depths of their own soul, or may falsely interpret the meaning of a truly divine revelation. This is explained by the fact that there are many degrees in prophetic light, from the simple, supernatural instinct to perfect revelation. When there is only a prophetic instinct, the meaning of things revealed and even the divine origin of the revelation 82 may remain unknown. It was in this way that Caiphas prophesied, without being aware of it, when he said, “that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.” 88

The soul receiving a truly divine revelation should with humility and simplicity communicate it in a few words to its spiritual director, but should not become attached to it and should perfectly obey the minister of Jesus Christ. 84 The gift of prophecy may, it is true, be found in those who do not possess these qualities, but such an exception is rare.

Before regula tin g its conduct by private revelation, a soul that is truly enlightened by God will always consult its director or some other learned and discreet person. St. Teresa insists particularly on this point. 88 This is especially necessary since the soul may easily go astray in the interpretation of revelations, either because it considers them too literally, or because they are sometimes conditional. 86 A learned, prudent, and virtuous confessor, however, has graces of state which make him avoid error, especially when he fervently prays for these graces.

St. John of the Cross, who so often invites us to desire si Cf. the decree o£ Urban VIH, March 13, 1625, confirmed by Clement IX, May 23, 1668.

82 St. Thomas, Ila Ilae, q. 173, a.4.

88 John 18: 14.

8* Cf. Bona, De discretione spirituum, chap. 20.

88 The Interior Castle, sixth mansion, chap. 3.

88 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chaps. 19, 20.

ardently and humbly the infused contemplation of the mysteries of faith and also divine union, reproves the desire for revelations in terms even more forcible than those employed by the other saints. On this point he is in complete accord with St. Vincent Ferrer, 87 and shows that by this curiosity the soul desiring revelations gives the devil an opportunity to lead it astray; 88 that this inclination takes away the purity of faith; 89 produces a hindrance for the spirit; 40 certainly denotes a lack of humility; 41 and exposes it to many errors. 42 To ask for revelations shows also a lack of respect toward Christ, because the fulness of revelation has been given in the Gospel. 48 God sometimes grants these extraordinary favors to weak souls; 44 but to desire them is at least a venial sin, even when the soul has a good end in view. 45 They are of value only because of the humility and love of God which they awaken in the soul. 46 This statement in regard to revelations shows clearly the error of imprudent directors who, impelled by curiosity, are excessively concerned with souls favored by visions and revelations. 47 This attention is likely to cast the soul into trouble and illusion, and turn it away from the road of humility through a vain complacency in extraordinary ways.

Furthermore, the desire for revelations turns the soul from infused contemplation. St. John of the Cross makes this clear when he says: “The soul imagines that something great has taken place, that God Himself has spoken, when in reality

87 St. Vincent Ferrer, Traitd de la vie spirituelle, chap. 13.

88 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 11.

39 ibid.

40 Ibid., chap. 16.

41 Ibid., chaps. 16, 17.

42 ibid., chaps. 21, 27.

43 Ibid., chaps. 19, 22. Under the Old Law it was licit to ask for revelations; it is not so under the law of the Gospel, for all revelation is found in Christ.

44 Ibid., chap. 21.

45 Ibid.

46 Ibid., Bk. Ill, chaps. 9, 12.

47 Ibid., Bk. II, chap. 22.

there is very little, or nothing, or less than nothing. In truth, of what use is that which is void of humility, charity, mortification, holy simplicity, silence, etc.? This is why I affirm that these illusions offer a great obstacle to divine union, for if the soul makes much of them, this fact alone drives it very far from the abyss of faith. . . . The Holy Ghost enlightens the recollected intellect according to the measure of its recollection. The most perfect recollection is that which takes place in faith. . . . Infused charity is in proportion to the purity of the soul in a perfect faith: the more intense such charity is, the more the Holy Ghost enlightens the soul and communicates His gifts to it.” 48 No words could more strongly condemn the longing for revelations and make the soul desire that perfect spirit of faith, which is found in infused contemplation and which leads to divine union.

Therefore it is a serious and frequent error to confound the desire for revelations with a desire for infused contemplation; the former is blameworthy and also turns the soul away from infused contemplation, which is highly desirable. St. John of the Cross thus gives us the best commentary on St. Thomas’ words: ‘‘Sanctifying grace is nobler than gratuitous grace.” 49 In other words, sanctifying grace (with charity and the gifts connected with it) is far superior to the charisms, and even to prophecy, the hightest of all. We thus return to the teaching of St. Paul on the eminence of charity. 50

We must distinguish two kinds of private revelations: (1) revelations properly so called, disclosing secrets about God or His works; (2) revelations improperly so called, giving a greater understanding of supernatural truths already known by faith. 51

1. Revelations manifesting secrets to us are much more subject to illusions. God sometimes reveals to the living the

48 Ibid., Bk. II, chap. 29.

49 See la Ilae, q. 111, a.4.

so See I Cor., chap. 13.

6i The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 25.

time which remains to them on this earth, the trials which they will undergo, what will happen to a nation, to a certain person. 52 The devil is clever in counterfeiting these things and, to gain credit for his lies, he begins by nourishing the spirit with truths and likely things. 58 St. John of the Cross says: “It is almost impossible to escape his wiles if the soul does not immediately get rid of them, because the spirit of evil knows well how to assume the appearance of truth and give this appearance credit.” 54 “In order to be perfect there is, therefore, no reason to desire these extraordinary supernatural things. . . . The soul must prudently guard itself against all these communications if it wishes, in purity and without illusions, to reach divine union by the night of faith.” 55 No words could make a clearer distinction between these extraordinary supernatural things and infused contemplation, and more effectively show that infused contemplation is normal in the perfect.

2. Revelations improperly so called, which give us a greater understanding of revealed truths, are associated with infused contemplation, especially if they concern God Himself and do not stop at particular things, but profoundly penetrate His omnipotence, wisdom, or infinite goodness. “This profound loving knowledge is, moreover, accessible only to a soul in union with God; they are this union itself, for they have their origin precisely in a certain contact of the soul with the Divinity. Consequently it is God Himself who is felt and tasted, though He is not perceived manifestly in full light, as He is in glory; but the touch is so strong and so profound, by reason of the knowledge and attraction, that it penetrates the substance of the soul. It is impossible for the devil to interfere in this and to deceive by imitation, for nothing is comparable to it, or approaches it in enjoyment

62 ibid., chap. 27.

63 Ibid.

64 ibid .

66 Ibid.

and delights. These touches savor the divine essence, eternal life, and the devil cannot counterfeit such lofty things.” 56 We will treat this subject again at the end of this article when we speak of divine touches. ‘In regard to the other perceptions,” St. John of the Cross adds, “we said that the soul should abstract itself from them, but this duty ceases before these, since they are the manifestations of that union to which we are trying to conduct the soul. All that we have taught previously on the subject of despoliation and of complete detachment was directed toward this union; and the divine favors which result from it are the fruit of humility, of the desire to suffer for the love of God, with resignation and disinterestedness as to all reward.” 57

Visions are revelations when they disclose hidden things; otherwise, they are distinguished from revelations. They are, as we have said, either sensible, imaginary, or intellectual.

Sensible or corporal visions generally represent our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, or the saints. They are not signs of great virtue, for they are sometimes granted beginners to detach them from worldly things. They are subject to the illusions of the imagination and of the devil. If the vision is common to a great number of persons, it is a sign that the apparition is exterior, without its thereby being certain that it is of divine origin. 58 If it is individual, the dispositions of the witness who declares that he has had it must be attentively examined and great circumspection must be exercised.

Those who are favored with these apparitions of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and the saints should render to the persons represented the honors due them, even though the apparition should be the result of an illusion of the imagina-

58 The Ascent of Mount Carmel , Bk. II, chap. 26.

57 Ibid.

58 Cf. St. Thomas, la, q.51, a.2.

tion or of the devil, for as St. Teresa says: "Although a painter may be a wicked man, honor should none the less be paid to a portrait of Christ done by him.” 59 In this case also, the director should be consulted, for he will be able to recognize whether these apparitions are graces of God, by their conformity to the teaching of the Church and by the good dispositions toward the practice of virtue which they leave in the soul. The soul itself should be faithful in reaping the fruits of sanctity which God proposes by granting it these favors. 60 These apparitions must never be desired or asked of God. 61

Imaginary visions, so called because they are produced in the imagination by God or by the angels, are granted when a person is either awake or asleep. According to the Gospel, St. Joseph was on several occasions supematurally instructed in a dream; and the lives of the saints contain many similar instances. That a dream may be supernatural, it should not be explicable by the laws of memory and imagination; to be divine, it should not contain anything contrary to revealed doctrine or to good morals. 62 Although this divine origin may be hard to discern, ordinarily when the soul seeks God sincerely, He makes Himself felt either by a profound feeling of peace, or by events that confirm the vision; thus in a dream a sinner may be warned of the urgent necessity of conversion, or a just man may be advised of a grave decision to be made.

Imaginary visions are subject to the illusions of the imagination and of the devil. 63 We have three signs by which to discern whether they are of divine origin: (1) when they cannot be produced or dismissed at will, but come suddenly and

69 The Interior Castle, sixth mansion, chap. 9. Signs of respect should be given only conditionally if the soul thinks that perhaps the devil wished in this way to make himself adored under the figure of Christ. Cf. St. Thomas, Ilia, d.9, q.i, a.2; q.6 ad 3um.

60 Gf. Vallgornera, Theol. myst. D. Thomae, q.3, disp.5, a.i, no. 13.

61 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 11.

«2 St. Thomas, Ha Ilae, q.95, a.6; q. 173, a.2.

63 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 16.

last but a short time; (2) when they leave the soul in great peace; (3) when they produce fruits of virtue, a very great humility and perseverence in good. 64

A divine imaginary vision, granted while a person is awake, is almost always accompanied by at least partial ecstasy, so that the soul may distinguish the interior apparition from external impressions; 65 there is ecstasy also because a soul enraptured and united to its God loses contact with external things. 66 There is no perfect imaginary vision without an intellectual vision, which makes the soul see and penetrate its mystical meaning. 67 For example, the former may concern the sacred humanity of Christ; the second, His divinity. 68

Imaginary visions should not be desired or asked of God any more than sensible visions; they are in no way necessary to holiness. 69 The perfect spirit of faith and obscure contemplation are of superior order and prepare the soul more immediately for divine union. 70

An intellectual vision is the certain manifestation of an object to the intellect without any actual dependence on sensible images. It is brought about either by acquired ideas supernaturally co-ordinated or modified, or by infused ideas, which are sometimes of angelic order. 71 It requires an infused light, that of the gift of wisdom or of prophecy. It may refer to God, spirits, or material things, like the purely intellectual knowledge of the angels. The intellectual vision is at times obscure and indistinct, that is, it manifests with certitude the presence of the object without any detail as to its intimate nature. Thus St. Teresa often felt our Lord near her for

6 * Vallgornera, loc. cit., no. 11; St. Teresa, The Interior Castle, sixth mansion, chap. 9.

68 Summa, Ila Ilae, q. 173, a. 3.

«6 The Interior Castle, loc . cit .

«7 St. Thomas, De veritate, q. 12, a. 12.

68 St. Teresa, Life, chap. 29.

69 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chaps. 16, 17; The Interior Castle, loc. cit. Cf. supra, p. 256.

70 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 8.

71 Summa, Ila Ilae, q.173, a.2 ad 211m; De veritate, q.12, a. 12.

several days. 74 At other times the intellectual vision is clear and distinct; it is then more rapid and is a sort of intuition of divine truths or of created things in God. 78 It cannot be translated into human language. 74

Intellectual visions, especially those caused by infused ideas, are free from the illusions of the imagination and of the devil; but at times what is only an over-excitement of the imagination or a suggestion of the devil 75 may be taken for an intellectual vision. The divine origin of these favors may be recognized from the effects they produce: deep peace, holy joy, profound humility, unshakable attachment to virtue. 7 ® “By the very fact that this knowledge is communicated suddenly, independently of the will, it is useless for the soul to desire it . . . ; it ought simply to allow God to act when and how He wills. . . . These favors are not given to a soul which is attached to any good; they are the effect of a special love, which God bears toward the soul which strives for Him in detachment and disinterested love.” 77

The loftiest intellectual visions, since they are inferior to the beatific vision, cannot attain the divine essence sicuti est, but only by a certain manner of representation due to infused ideas, “por cierta manera de representacion.” 78 In the opinion of a number of authors, the intellectual visions which frequently accompany the transforming union 79 are the equivalent of a special revelation which gives the soul the certitude of being in the state of grace and of predestination. St. John of the Cross even says: “In my opinion, the soul can never be placed in possession of this state (the transforming

72 St. Teresa, Life, chap. 27.

72 The Interior Castle, sixth mansion, chap. 10; The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chaps. 22, 24.

74 The Interior Castle, loc. cit.

76 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 24.

72 Ibid.

77 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, loc . cit.

72 The Interior Castle, seventh mansion, chap. 1.

7 ® Cf. supra, pp. 256-58.

union) without at the same time being confirmed in grace." 80

Supernatural words are manifestations of God’s thought which are heard either by the exterior senses or by the interior senses or directly by the intellect. Hence there is an analogy between them and visions, which they sometimes accompany.

An auricular supernatural word is a vibration formed in the air by the ministry of angels. For example, St. Luke tells us 81 that Zachary heard the angel Gabriel speak to him. The same angel Gabriel said to Mary: "Hail, full of grace." 82 Like corporal visions, these locutions are subject to illusions; the same rule should be applied to them for discerning those of divine origin.

Imaginary supernatural words are heard by the imagination, when the person is either awake or asleep. They sometimes seem to come from heaven; at other times from the depths of one’s heart. They are perfectly distinct, although not heard with bodily ears. 88 They are not easily forgotten; those especially which contain a prophecy remain graven on the memory. 84 They can be distinguished from those of our so The Spiritual Canticle, st. 22. Philip of the Blessed Trinity ( Theol . myst. Prooem., a. 8), Scaramelli (Dir. myst., tr. II, chap. 22 no. 258) and several other authors hold that so sublime a state demands that God reveal to the soul, His spouse, the indissoluble friendship that exists between them. On this point, see Meynard, O.P., La vie intirieure, Vol. II, no. 270. In this way certain passages from the writings of the great orthodox mystics are made to harmonize with the decree of the Council of Trent, namely, that without a special revelation no one on earth can have absolute certitude that he is in the state of grace, and with even greater reason that he will persevere in it until death. Cf. Concilium Tridentinum, Sess. VI, chaps. 9 and 13; canons 13, 14, 16.

Cf. Salmanticenses, De gratia, q. 110, disp. 3, dub. 11, no. 259, on the question of confirmation in grace and its difference from the gift of final perseverance. This gift of confirmation in grace is, they say, a certain participation in the impeccability of the blessed, and needs to be completed by a special protection on the part of God; for this reason it is superior to the gift of final perseverance, which all the predestined receive.

si Luke 1: 19.

82 Luke 1: 28.

88 St. Teresa, Life, chap. 25.

84 Ibid.

spirit by the fact that they are not heard at will, and that they are words and works at one and the same time. For example, when they reprove us for our faults, they suddenly change our interior dispositions and render us capable of undertaking everything for the service of God. 85 Consequently it is often easy to discern them. 86 When it is the devil who makes these imaginary words heard, they not only do not produce good effects, but, on the contrary, produce evil effects. The soul is disturbed troubled, frightened, disgusted; and if it experiences any sensible pleasure, it is very different from divine peace. 87

Intellectual words are heard directly by the intellect without the intermediary of the senses or imagination, in the way the angels communicate their thoughts to one another. They suppose a divine light and the co-ordination of pre-existent acquired ideas, and at times of infused ideas. 88 “It is a wordless language, which is the tongue of the fatherland.” 89 St. John of the Cross teaches that intellectual words may be either successive, formal, or substantial. 90 Successive intellectual words are produced only in the state of recollection; they come from our spirit which is enlightened by the Holy Ghost, and with such facility and new views that the understanding cannot imagine that they spring from its own depths. 91 These successive words are subject to illusion, for the spirit, which at the beginning followed only the truth, may deviate, go astray, and fall into a thousand extravagances, inasmuch as the devil often insinuates himself into these successive words, especially when people are attached to them. He acts with even greater reason in this way toward

85 Ibid.

86 Ibid.

87 Ibid. Cf. also St. Thomas, la, q.111, a. 1, 3; q. 114; la Ilae, q.8o, a. 1-3.

88 Cf. St. Thomas, la, q.107, a. 1; also Cajetan's commentary.

89 St. Teresa, Life, chap. 27.

90 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chaps. 28-31.

si Ibid., chap. 29.

those who are bound to him by a tacit or formal act, with heretics, and especially with heresiarchs. 92

Successive words come from God when they simultaneously produce in the soul an increase of charity and humility. But it is often difficult to discern clearly supernatural love from a certain natural love, and true humility from pusillanimity. Hence it is difficult to recognize the divine origin of successive words. 93 They should not be desired, for obscure faith is far superior to them. 94

Formal intellectual words are so called “because the soul knows formally that they are uttered by another, without any contribution on its part . . . and it can hear them when not recollected, and even when far from thinking of what is said.” 95 They are, therefore, very different from those we have discussed, and are at times very precise; for example, Daniel says that an angel spoke to him. 96 These locutions ordinarily explain some teaching, clear up some point; this effect is always produced, even though the soul may experience repugnance in fulfilling the divine order. 97 God allows this repugnance to subsist that He may preserve the soul from natural eagerness with regard to great things; if, on the contrary, the Lord inspires humiliating things, He gives greater facility to accomplish them. 98

These formal intellectual words are in themselves free from illusions, since the understanding cannot contribute anything to them, and the devil cannot act directly on the in-

92 Ibid.

93 Ibid., Bk. II, chap. 29. Likewise circumspection and reserve must be exercised in regard to what St. Thomas calls instinctus propheticus (Ha Ilae, q.171, a.5; q.173, a.4). This instinct or supernatural attraction is an interior illumination which does not give certitude as to its divine origin. These interior movements must not be scorned, but, before giving them too much attention and following them, they must be rightly discerned.

94 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 29.

95 Ibid., chap. 30.

96 Dan. 9: 22.

07 Ex. 3: 11.

98 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 30.

tellect." “The soul ought not, however,” says St. John of the Cross, 100 “to esteem formal words much more than successive words. If it pays attention to them, it swerves from faith, which is the proper and immediate means of divine union. This exposes it to easy deception by the devil, the more so as in many cases good communications are with difficulty distinguished from evil communications. 101 What they say should not be immediately translated into action, nor should they be held in esteem no matter what their origin. It is indispensable to make them known to an experienced confessor or to a discreet and learned person. ... If an experienced person is not to be found, the soul should keep whatever is substantial and sure in these words; disregard the rest; and speak of it to no one, lest a counselor be found who would do the soul more harm than good. The soul should not place itself at the mercy of anyone at all, for it is of prime importance whether one acts judiciously or is deceived in such matters.”

Substantial intellectual words are formal locutions which effect immediately what they announce. We read in The Ascent of Mount Carmel: “For example, God says formally to a soul: Be good! and instantly the soul becomes good. Or He says: Love Me!, and at once the soul possesses and experiences in itself true love of God. Or again He may say: Fear nothing, and at that very instant, strength and peace come upon that soul. . . . Thus, God said to Abraham: ‘Walk before Me, and be perfect/ (Gen. 17: 1), and instantly perfection was given to him, and thenceforth he walked reverently before God. . . . A single one of these words instantly operates more good than

Cf. St. Thomas, la, q.111, a.i, 3; q.114, a. 1-4; la Ilae, q.8o, a. 1-3; also Cajetan, Curiel, and Suarez; of. Cardinal Bona, De discretions spirituum, chap. 17; and Nicholas of Jesus Mary, C.D., Elucidatio phrasium myst, operum Jo - annis a Cruce, chap. 5, no. 4.

100 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, loc . cit,

101 Although the devil cannot act directly on man's intellect and will, his artifices may frequently be taken for words of God, by our confounding what immediately touches the intellect with what takes place in the imagination.

the efforts of a lifetime. When the soul receives such locutions, it has only to abandon itself; it is useless to desire or not to desire them, for there is nothing to repulse, nothing to fear. The soul ought not even to seek to effect what is said, for God never utters substantial words in order that we should translate them into acts; He Himself brings about their effect. This is what distinguishes them from successive and formal locutions. . . . Illusion is not to be feared here, for neither the understanding nor the devil can interfere in this matter . . . unless the soul has given itself to the devil by a voluntary pact; but then the effect is quite different. . . . Every word of his is as pure nothingness in the presence of God. . . . Substantial words are, therefore, a powerful means of union with God. . . . Happy the soul to which God addresses them.” 102 God’s words are living flames in purified souls. 103

There is a fourth kind of favor which frequently 104 accompanies infused contemplation, that is, divine touches, which are imprinted in the will and which “react on the intellect. . . . They give, thus, a very lofty and sweet intellectual penetration of God.” 105 These touches are thereby attached to “particular and distinct contemplation.” 106 They do not depend on the activity of the soul, or on its meditations, although these prepare the soul for them.

These divine touches are occasionally so profound and intense that they seem imprinted “in the very substance of the soul.” God, in fact, who preserves the very substance of the soul in existence by a virtual contact, which is creation continued, 147 produces, preserves, and increases sanctifying grace therein, whence the virtues infused into the faculties 108 spring. He also moves these faculties, either by proposing an

102 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 31.

103 The Living Flame of Love, st. 1, 1.

104 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 32.

105 ibid.

loo ibid .

107 Cf. St. Thomas, la, q. 8 , a. 1-3; q.43, a.3; q.104, a.i, 2; q.105, a.3, 4.

108 St. Thomas, la Ilae, q.110, a.3, 4.

object to them, or by applying them to the exercise of their acts, and that from within. 109 The divine touch of which we are speaking is a supernatural motion of this type, but one of the most profound. It is exercised on the very depths of the will and of the intellect, where these faculties take root in the substance of the soul whence they arise. 110 In truth, our will is, in a way, infinite in its profundity; for this reason created things cannot exercise an invincible attraction on it. It is free to love them or not to; only God seen face to face infallibly attracts it and captivates it, even to the very well-spring of its energies. 111 So-called substantial divine touches 112 affect this basis of the will and of the intellect. The very substance of the soul experiences things only through these faculties. 113 But God, who is closer to the soul than it is to itself, inasmuch as He preserves it in existence, can from within touch and move the very foundation of the faculty by a spiritual contact which reveals itself as divine. This depth is also

109 Ibid ., q.9, a.4; q. 10, a. 1, 2, 4.

no Ibid., q. 113, a.8, and De veritate, q.28, a.3: “Ipse Deus, qui justificat impium, tangit animam, gratiam in ea causando. . . . Mens autem humana aliquo modo tangit Deum, eum cognoscendo et amando.” At the moment of justification, there is a divine action causing the very essence of the soul to pass from spiritual death to life by producing in it sanctifying grace, which is eternal life begun. The mystical favor of which we are speaking makes us, in a way, take cognizance of this divine influx into the very depths of our being. It is often preceded by the passive purification of the spirit, which notably deepens the work done in us by God at the moment of our conversion (la Ilae, q.113, a.8, “De ordine eorum quae ad justificationem concurrunt”). It is as if the Author of grace deepened anew, but much more profoundly, the furrow in which the divine seed is to grow.

111 See la Ilae, q. 10, a.2.

112 Cf. Vallgornera, Theol. myst. D. Thomae, q.3, disp.5, a.9, nos. 1, 3, 4.

ns In the opinion of St. Thomas, no created substance can operate, feel, perceive, or love of itself, but only through its faculties; it has received them for that purpose. Cf. Ia, q.54, a. 1: “Whether an angel’s act of understanding is his substance?” A.2: “Whether in the angel to understand is to exist?” A.3: “Whether an angel’s power of intelligence is his essence?” Q.77, a.i: “Whether the essence of the soul is its power?” A.2: “Whether there are several powers of the soul?” It is in the light of these articles that, to avoid all error, we should understand what Tauler, Louis de Blois, and St. John of the Cross say of the depths of the soul. Cf. Louis de Blois, Institutio spirituals, chap. 12, where it is said that the depth of the soul is the origin of the higher faculties, virium illarum est origo. Cf. infra, p. 4^8.

called the summit of the spirit in relation to sensible things, according as they are considered either as exterior or as inferior to it. With this in mind, we understand what St. John of the Cross says on this subject: “Nothing is more calculated to dissipate this delicate knowledge than the intervention of the natural spirit. Since it is a question of a sweet supernatural communication, it is useless to try to comprehend it accurately, for that is impossible; the understanding has only to accept it. If, on the contrary, the soul seeks to provoke it or desires it, it may happen that what it conceives comes from itself, and thereby gives the devil the opportunity of presenting counterfeit knowledge. . . . Passive acceptance in humility is, therefore, incumbent on the soul. God grants these favors according to His good pleasure, and it is the humble and thoroughly detached soul that receives God’s preference. By acting in this way, the progress of the soul suffers no interruption, and such knowledge serves efficaciously to advance it. These touches are touches of union serving to unite the soul passively to God.” 114

St. John of the Cross has described these favors at greater length in The Dark Night of the Soul 115 and in The Living Flame. 11 * In his opinion, they are obtained only by the practice of despoilment and detachment from all creatures. By one of these touches of love, the soul is rewarded for all its works and sufferings. The substance of God, which is identical with His creative, preserving, and sanctifying action, touches the substance of the soul and makes itself felt as divine and sovereign. This teaching clarifies the doctrine that the mystical state is the normal completion of Christian perfection, provided it is distinguished from certain accessory facts which sometimes accompany it. But, to establish the truth of this doctrine, we must guard against several confu-

The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 32. lie Bk. II, chap. 23. ne St. 2, v. 3.

sions which contemporary writers, in their desire to return to traditional teaching, apparently have not always sufficiently avoided.

II. CONFUSIONS TO BE AVOIDED IN EXPOUNDING THE TRADITIONAL DOCTRINE

1. In order to show that infused contemplation is not an extraordinary grace like revelations and visions and that it ought to be desired and asked for by generous interior souls, we need not lessen the mystical state or link it too closely with what it really is not. Affective prayer, or the acquired prayer of recollection, described by St. Teresa, 117 should not be confounded with the supernatural recollection which she speaks of. 118

2. A chasm should not be interposed between the initial mystical state (fourth mansion) and what essentially constitutes simple union, complete union, and the transforming union, described in the fifth, sixth, and seventh mansions. The summit of the normal development of the grace of the virtues and of the gifts is, in this life, found only in the transforming union, which is the normal termination of the initial mystical state. 118

3. The essence of these supernatural mystical states should not be confounded with the extraordinary facts which sometimes accompany them. These accessory facts, described by St. Teresa especially in the fifth and sixth mansions, often disappear in the seventh. 120 In fact, these phenomena accompany chiefly the influence of the Holy Ghost “on the faculties” rather than what “touches the substance of the soul,” as the mystics say. This wholly intimate action of God on the depths of the soul is found principally in the trans- n* The Way of Perfection, chap. 28.

ns The Interior Castle , fourth mansion, chap. 3.

ns Cf. supra, pp. 256 ff.

120 Cf. supra, pp. 251-58.

forming union, a state in which, as a rule, ecstasies have disappeared. 121

It is in the depths of the soul that everything ends, and in a sense it is there that everything began, without our having been aware of it. This influence of the Holy Ghost “on the depths of the soul” in fact precedes, without our knowing it, the influence which the Holy Ghost exercises more manifestly “on the faculties.” The completely purified soul experiences this action in its very depths, when it has at length entered the sanctuary where God dwells and operates from the moment of justification or of conversion. 122 In the opinion of Tauler, Louis de Blois, 128 St. John of the Cross, 124 and

121 Cf. supra, p. 258.

122 Cf. St. Thomas: “Illabi menti convenit soli Deo. M Ilia, q.8, a. 8 ad mm; q.64, a. 1; la Ilae, q.112, a.i; In Joan., 13, lect. 4; In I Cor., 2, lect. 2. In De veritate (q. 10, a. 1) we read: “Mens in anima nostra dicit illud quod est altissimum in virtute ipsius; unde cum secundum id quod est altissimum in nobis divina imago inveniatur in nobis, imago non pertinebit ad essentiam animae nisi secundum mentem prout nominat altissimam potentiam ejus; et sic mens, prout in ea est imago, nominat potentiam animae et non essentiam, vel si nominat essentiam, hoc non est nisi in quantum ab ea fluit talis potentia." The thirteen articles of this question De mente in the treatise De veritate should be read in connection with this point of doctrine.

wzinstitutio spiritualis, chap. 12, 2: “The soul becomes fit to contemplate with calm, simplicity, and delights, without gross images, and without any intellectual illusions, the abyss of the divinity. It is then that, turned entirely toward God by pure love, and an incomprehensible light illuminating, so to speak, the depths of its essence, the eye of the reason and the intellect is, as it were, dazzled by it. . . . The soul knows then by experience that God is infinitely superior to every image, . . . and to all that the intellect can comprehend. ... It loses itself in the solitary and obscure immensity of the divinity; but to lose itself in this way is to find itself again." All this admirable chapter is, as it were, a summary of the teaching of Tauler, which Louis de Blois de-. fended.

124 Cf. The Living Flame of Love, st. 1, v. 3: The most profound center of the soul: “It is in the substance of the soul, inaccessible to the senses and the devil, that this joy of the Holy Ghost develops. He alone is capable, in the center of the soul and in its intimate depths, of making it act and operate without the intervention of the senses." The activity of the soul tends toward this center, as a stone toward the center of the earth; and it more closely approaches it in proportion as its charity is more intense.

Cf. The Spiritual Canticle, Part I, st. 1, v. 1; “The Word, the Son of God, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, is essentially hidden in the intimate being of the soul. Whence it must be concluded that if the soul wishes to find the Spouse, it must live detached by affection and will from all creatures.

St. Teresa, 128 who have spoken so frequently of this “depth of the soul,” at the end of the passive purifications of the spirit the soul experiences, without seeing it, this “substantial” action of God in which everything has its beginning, at which everything terminates, and beyond which it seems that there is nothing. This is why what is called the depths of the soul, in relation to sensible things considered as exterior, is called the summit of the spirit in relation to these same things considered as inferior. 12 *

4. The three traditional ways should, moreover, not be confused with what is only an imperfect form of them. From what precedes, it is clear why, according to the tradition preserved by St. John of the Cross, the perfect purgative way requires the passive purifications of mystical order; why he calls the illuminative way the way of infused contemplation; 127 and why the unitive way is normally completed only in the transforming union, the prelude to heaven. These three ways are often lessened because writers describe them merely from the outside. St. John of the Cross gazed upon them from above, and this is why he penetrated to their depths. He must have received the gift of wisdom in a very high degree in order to have discussed with so great mastery such deep supernatural things, for the light of life illumines all the pages of his work.

5. Divine touches must not be likened to revelations and visions, which are, properly speaking, extraordinary and, as it were, exterior facts. It is true that St. John of the Cross distinguishes general and obscure infused contemplation from distinct supernatural knowledge, 128 and that he links with the latter the divine touches impressed on the will, which enter into profound recollection, and act toward the world as if it did not exist.”

125 Cf. The Interior Castle, especially the seventh mansion, chap. 2.

126 Cf. supra, pp. 258, 455.

127 The Dark Night of the Soul, Bk. I, chap. 14.

128 The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Bk. II, chap. 10.

have their reaction on the intellect. But these divine touches, without being essential to infused contemplation, by their influence on the will help to constitute union with God 129 and are not to be feared. 130 Thereby they differ notably from events which are properly extraordinary and in a way exterior, like revelations and visions, which the saint declares are often dangerous. 131

It would also be a gross error to confound these divine touches, this contact which has been called substantial, with the emotions of the sensitive part; and likewise it would be a mistake to confuse “the tastes,” which St. Teresa mentions, 132 with the consolations acquired by meditation.

6 ) Since analysis is necessary because of our weakness, it has, especially in these matters, a drawback that must be corrected by synthesis. The desire to be too precise in this matter leads to division, and as a result to the materialization of what is a unit in the reality of the spiritual life. Therefore in these questions we can keep to the truth only by considering them in the light of higher principles, as did St. Thomas and great mystics like St. John of the Cross. Consequently a material and mechanical exactness, which they do not share, has been applied to these spiritual matters. Hence many commentaries on the spiritual works of the great doctors resemble these works in the same way as a polygon inscribed within a circle resembles the circle; the complexity of the former is in proportion to the simplicity of the latter. This brings about the loss of the strong security with which these great speculative and mystical teachers dealt with these lofty questions. By applying the highest principles to them, they gave in controversies over secondary points only due importance to them. This attitude alone, which is notably different from that of many modern writers, placed them on the way of iso ibid.

1 3³ Ibid., chaps. 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 25, 27.

132 The Interior Castle, fourth mansion, chap. 2.

truth and enabled them to formulate it with a perfection that has never since been attained. No one will be able truly to perfect their work, unless he has received the same grace as they received. We should, therefore, become their disciples without pretending to complete their work immediately. We would accomplish much if we could even succeed in understanding them clearly. In order even to comprehend them fully, it would be necessary to equal them.

Some recent critics have claimed that the mystical life properly so called cannot be explained by the principles formulated by St. Thomas. In their opinion, probably he did not have this special form of the interior life in view when he formulated them. To this we answer with Dom Louismet: “If such a universal writer as St. Thomas Aquinas does not speak of mystics as a peculiar class, is it not because for him, as for the Areopogite, all Christians are de jure mystics? . . . And if he never mentions a separate body of mystical doctrine, is it not because for him there is no mystical doctrine distinct from the common deposit of faith?” 133 As a matter of fact, it is faith fully lived in persevering generosity in the love of God. “By Catholic traditional mysticism I mean the mysticism with which the Epistles of St. Paul and St. John, and the other canonical epistles, and all the other Scriptures, are overflowing. It is the mysticism of the everlasting sacrifice of the Lamb on the cross and on our altars, and of the whole sacred liturgy around it: the mysticism of the Missal, of the Ritual, of the Pontifical, of the Ceremonial of Bishops, of the Breviary, and of the Martyrology.” 134 We do not believe that this assertion would be contradicted by true mystics who experience the higher life to which every Christian should aspire.

138 The Mystical Life, pp. xiii f.

134 Ibid., pp. xi f. We should like, however, to find in the writings of Dom Louismet a sharper distinction between the mystical life, properly so called, and fervent Christian life, and to see him accentuate and develop what he has said on this subject. Ibid., pp. 8, 23.

Footnotes

1. This does not mean the theological virtue of faith, since the latter is com mon to all Christians; rather St. Paul means a special certitude and security which God grants especially to theologians or to preachers so that they may transmit His divine word with a conviction which nothing can shake. Cf. infra , p. 441 note 29. ↩

2. See I Cor. 12: 4, 7-11; cf. Rom. 12: 6. ↩

3. 29 Ibid., chap. 30. ↩