Chapter VIII

Counsels in regard to revelations and visions.

It seems to frighten some people only to hear the word vision or revelation. I do not know why they reckon it so dangerous a road when God leads a soul by this way, nor whence has arisen this terror. I do not now intend to treat of the difference between good and evil visions, nor of the marks which very learned men have given me to know them by; but of what anyone who finds herself in such circumstances had better do: because there are few confessors she can go to who will not frighten her. For it is a fact that they are not so shocked to hear that the devil has been setting before us all sorts of temptations, of the spirit of blasphemy, of foolish and ugly things, as they are scandalized to hear that some angel has appeared or spoken to us or that we have seen in a vision Jesus Christ our Lord on the cross.

No more do I mean now to treat of the great blessings brought to the soul by revelations which come from God, for this is well known: but of images produced by the devil to deceive us, making use of the likeness of Christ our Lord or His saints. For my part, I hold that His Majesty will not permit this, nor give him power to deceive anyone by such images, unless it is by the person's own fault; but that it is the devil himself who will be mistaken. I mean that no one will be deceived if he is humble: so there is nothing to be terrified about, but we should trust in the Lord, and pay little attention to such things, except by turning them to His greater praise.

I know of some one¹ whose confessors caused her sore distress over such things, when afterwards, they were seen to have come from God, because of the great fruit and good works which resulted from them. It was hard for her when in some vision she beheld His likeness, to cross herself and treat it with contempt; for so she had been told to do. Afterwards, when she spoke of it to a very learned Dominican, Master Fray Domingo Banez, he told her that it was wrong for anyone to do so; because it is right to reverence the likeness of our Lord wherever we may see it, even if the devil had depicted it — for he is a great artist; and that, intending to do us harm, he would, on the contrary, have done us good service if he depicted a crucifix or some other likeness of our Lord so life-like that it remained engraved in our heart.

This reasoning greatly commended itself to me: because when we see a very good picture, we should not fail to think highly of it, even if we knew that it was painted by a bad man; nor should we so make account of the painter as to lose our edification. For the good or evil is not in the vision, but in whoever beholds it and does not humbly profit by it: for if he is humble, it can do him no harm even if it is from the devil; and if he is not, it can do him no good even if it is from God. Because if he is puffed up by that which is meant to make him abase himself, seeing that he is unworthy of that favour, it is like the spider, who turns all that he eats into poison, and not like the bee, who turns it all into honey.

I must explain myself more fully. If our Lord of His goodness is pleased, in order that some soul may know and love Him better, to appear to it, or to reveal to it some secret of His, or to bestow on it any special consolations or graces; and if, as I have said, that soul, because of what ought to humble it and make it feel how unworthy of this favour is its abjectness, should consider itself straightway as a saint, and should suppose that this favour has been done it on account of some service it has rendered, then it is plain that, like the spider, it turns to evil the great good which it might thence have derived.

Then say that the devil, in order to stir up pride, produces these apparitions. If then the soul, thinking they come from God, humbles itself and acknowledges itself to be unworthy of so great a favour, and strives earnestly to serve God better: because it sees itself enriched while it is unworthy to eat the crumbs which fall from the table of those people to whom, as it has heard, God has granted such favours — unworthy, I mean, to be the servant of any of them — if it humbles itself and begins in earnest to do penance and to be more in prayer, and to be more careful not to offend our Lord, because it thinks this favour comes from Him, and to obey Him more perfectly: then I can answer for it that the devil will not do it again, but will go away ashamed, leaving no harm done to the soul.

"When a Sister is told to do something or told the future, in that case she must tell it to a sensible and learned confessor, and not do or believe anything but what he tells her. She should tell the Prioress of it, that she may appoint her such a confessor. And she may rest assured that if she does not do what the confessor tells her and allow herself to be guided by him, her experiences come from an evil spirit or a terrible melancholia. For, supposing that the confessor were mistaken, she would not be mistaken in keeping to what he said, even if it had been an angel of God that had spoken to her: for His Majesty will" give light to the confessor or will otherwise provide for the accomplishment of His word. And there is no danger in acting thus; but in acting otherwise there may be great danger and great harm.

Let it be considered that the weakness of nature is very weak, especially in women, and shews more in this way of prayer; so we must be careful not at once to suppose every little fancy to be a vision: for, believe me, when it really is so, there can be no question about it. Where there is any touch of melancholia, much greater caution is necessary: for I have known of things about such fancies which have made me wonder and wonder how people can possibly believe in such good faith that they have seen what they have not seen.

Once there came to me a highly esteemed confessor, who heard the confessions of a certain person; and she had told him that our Lady often came and sat on her bed, and stayed more than an hour talking to her, and telling her things to come and much besides. Out of such a number of follies one came true; and so all the rest were firmly believed. I saw at once what it was, but I dared not say so; for we live in a world where we have to consider what people may think of us, for our words to have any effect. So I said to the confessor that he should wait to see whether those prophecies came true, and ask about other effects of the visits, and find out what sort of life that person lived. In the end, when he came to find out, it was all folly.

I could tell so many things of this kind as would be ample proof of my point: that a soul should not readily give credence, but should keep its judgement in suspense, and know its own mind very well before it speaks, lest, without intending it, it should deceive the confessor: for, however learned he may be, that does not suffice for understanding these things, if he has no experience in them. Not many years ago, but quite lately, a man made fools of some very learned and spiritually minded people with things of this kind, until he came to speak with someone who had experience in such favours of the Lord, and who saw clearly that it was madness, together with delusions, although at that time it was not acknowledged, but carefully concealed. Shortly afterwards, the Lord made it plainly manifest; but the person who had perceived it had much to suffer first, from not being believed.

For these and similar reasons, it is important that each Sister should clearly describe to the Prioress her manner of prayer. And the Prioress should carefully consider her disposition and spiritual attainments, in order to inform the confessor, so that he may understand better: and she should choose her a suitable confessor, if the ordinary one is not capable of dealing with such things. She must take great care that matters of this kind do not get abroad (not though they may really come from God and be confessedly miraculous) nor be made known to confessors who have not the sense to keep silence about them: for this is most important, more so than they know. Nor must Sisters talk among themselves about these things. But the Prioress must always be ready to listen to them discreetly, inclining rather to commend those who are distinguished for humility and mortification and obedience than those whom God is leading by this very supernatural way of prayer, even though they also may have all these virtues. For if it is the spirit of the Lord, it will bring with it the humility to relish being thought little of; so it will do them no harm, and it will be good for the others. Because as these cannot attain to that way of prayer — for God grants it to whom He will — they may feel discouraged about having only those virtues: and although these too are the gift of God, yet more can be done towards the attainment of them, and they are of great value in the Religious life. May His Majesty bestow them upon us! He will not deny them to anyone who, with perseverance and carefulness and prayer, seeks for them with trust in His mercy.

Footnotes

1. Herself. Life, ch. xxix. Not only Banez condemned this, but also the venerable Juan de Avila, as he has recorded. ↩