Divine Union

Contents

Divine Communication
The Fullness of Joy
A Heavenly Perspective
Trusting in God
Detachment
God Alone
Holy Indifference 
The Gift of Suffering
The Sleeper has Awaken

 The Fullness of Joy

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and He taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come.”  So is heaven available to us now on earth?  If yes – then how? 

Heaven is the place of God’s eternal presence, so when we experience God’s presence on earth, we experience heaven on earth.

God is always supremely present to us, with total attention and love.  So the more we become present to Him, the more we experience His holy presence, and the more fully we experience God’s presence, the more fully we enjoy heaven on earth.

We experience God’s presence in varying degrees, according to our desire for Him and the resulting efforts we make, coupled with the action of His grace.  The more we desire God, the more we strive to be like Him, and “The more like unto God we are, the more ‘in heaven’ we are.” (Peter Kreeft)

The more we try to be in God’s presence, the more we experience His presence in us.  God is always fully present to us, but we can’t always perceive His presence, usually because we are so pre-occupied with the things of this world.  But in God’s goodness, He allows us to experience His holy presence according to His divine wisdom; always as a gift to us, completely unmerited, yet enticed by our desire for Him.

We have established a name for this experience of God’s holy presence – contemplative prayer. In contemplative prayer we receive a ‘heightened awareness’ of God’s holy presence that is not restricted to any specific act of ours or any particular time of day, but available to us according to the designs of God.

As we make progress in our relationship with God, our contemplative prayer grows from specific moments of our life towards swaths of time in this divine encounter.  The living presence of God can become a more regular part of our daily experience so that instead of just praying at specific times in our life, our life becomes prayer, immersed in the loving presence of God. This more continuous experience of God’s holy presence occurs as we enter into a living union with Him.

How then do we grow into union with God?

When a person desires God with all his mind, heart, soul, and strength; he must act on that desire by searching for Him day and night.  “A man is truly pure of heart when he has no time for the things of this world, but is constantly searching for the things of God.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

Union with God is not found in pleasure, accomplishment, or personal satisfaction, even though He is certainly present in all of those things.  Union with God is not found in a busy schedule or the anxiety that it generates, even though He is present in those things too.  Then where can we find union with God?  Where can our thirst be satisfied?

In the absence of everything else! 

Union with God is found in the quiet, lonely, longing of our souls. “Oh God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63)

When we finally stop trying to acquire everything of this world, we become available to receive the true Everything that is not of this world.

But what about family and friends, prosperity, success, and pleasure?

In all of these good things, we set our sights too low!!!  

There is a higher purpose for our lives and it is the only thing that will satisfy our souls… union with God. “You have made me for yourself oh Lord; I shall not rest until I rest in thee.” (St. Augustine)  

Let us then set our sights on union with God. Let us set our goals and make our plans for this union (instead of everything else).  Let us decide on more of what we want without settling for less than what we need.  Let us choose our highest glory, the only thing worthy of our attention; heaven itself – God Himself… “Seek first the kingdom of heaven and it will be given you, and all else besides.” (Matthew 6:33)

So what does union with God entail?  How does one attain this union?

We attain union with God by the grace of God…  

First with Baptism, Reconciliation, Communion, and Confirmation, and then by frequently receiving the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion;

Second by the daily practice of solitude, prayer, and mortification in order to grow in the corresponding virtues of humility, trust, and surrender;

Third we must empty ourselves of all that is not God so that we may be filled with all that is. “…whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)

All the holy practices necessary to reach union with God must be performed in harmony with the grace of God, especially the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, “and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13). 

We exercise this love according to the wisdom of the holy Roman Catholic Church… through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, while living according to the spirit of the evangelical counsels… poverty, chastity, and obedience.

The fruit of these pious practices is the reduction of ambition, anxiety, and appetite; therefore developing a more complete humility, trust, and surrender in the soul.

The result of this deeper, selfless detachment is the soul’s new disposition of holy indifference.  And when the soul is truly indifferent, it remains free to rejoice in the Father’s will.  Then, with this union of wills, the soul may experience the disposition of God Himself… divine joy.

Divine joy embodies the fullness of God’s peace, contentment, and security.  

In God, joy is not an external passing fancy, but a permanent interior disposition that constantly expands... an everlasting joy, “welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

This true joy occurs within every divine experience as we become aware that we are fully known by God and fully loved by Him.  This joy is the peace, contentment, and security that we experience in God’s holy presence.  “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” (Psalm 16)

This real joy is both a feeling and an attitude – the fruit of faith, hope, and charity well lived.  This divine joy occurs in rightly ordered souls as an interior disposition, not contingent upon sense pleasure, worldly events, or personal relationships. This true joy is the state of being that accompanies union with God, so it exists even in the midst of suffering. In fact, divine joy is found mostly during the times of our greatest suffering, just as Jesus remained in the joy of the Father throughout his passion.  

From the faith, hope, and love that we receive from God, we learn to trust in Him.  As our trust in God grows, we mortify ourselves to become more and more detached from the things, events, and vanities of this world. We eventually surrender completely to the Divine Will; then coupled with God’s grace we experience His holy presence in which we are embraced in His divine love, peace, and joy. “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

Trusting God

We begin the process of trusting in God by believing in His promises, “That everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) We exercise our trust in God through our obedience to His “Natural Law,” the “Ten Commandments,” and the teachings of Jesus. We can then take the next step in trusting God by acknowledging the human leadership that Jesus has established on earth, so we accept the truths of His Church while remaining obedient to its counsel. As we continue our growth in trusting God, we begin to understand the immensity and power of His infinite mercy as He heals our wounds. And finally, upon experiencing His holy presence, God teaches us how to more fully trust in Him through the difficulties that we encounter.

In order to trust in God, we need faith, knowledge, understanding, and humility…

With a deep faith in God, we realize His goodness, truth, and beauty and therefore desire union with Him. With a full knowledge of God, we can appreciate how much He loves us, so we desire to please Him with our obedience. With a graced understanding of God, we realize that He would never hurt us.  And with a proper humility, we can accept our complete dependence on Him.

In order to display our trust in God through our daily actions and reactions, we must employ the following understandings…

(a) “God works all things to the good of those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28)

(b) God always wills our highest good and interacts in our lives to help us achieve our highest good, which is Himself in Heaven, and

(c) God allows difficulties in our lives to help us grow in virtue and therefore grow in His love, which ultimately leads us into union with Himself.

Even though we understand that God allows all things to happen for our highest good, we still fall short of completely trusting in Him. That is to say that we sometimes lack that divine countenance that is detached, serene, and joyful (void of all anxiety). So what is missing? What is wrong? Well, we haven’t fully surrendered to God’s will, for we still retain some of our own preferences, which lead to certain expectations. And sometimes, we just don’t want to be inconvenienced, even when we know that God has a better plan than ours.  And of course, we still get annoyed with certain people and the situations they put us in. 

So here’s what we have to do in order to live in a more constant peace…

A) Make heaven (union with God) our only priority

B) Place all of our hope and joy only in union with God

C) Substantially reduce personal ambitions, worries, and appetites 

D) Practice an appropriate degree of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving

E) Employ the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience

F) Utilize opportunities to suffer well… without preference or complaint

It is somewhat of a paradox that the spiritual disciplines stated above lead us to a fuller humility, trust, and surrender, and yet these disciplines simultaneously require a certain degree of humility, trust, and surrender in order to practice them. In fact, the ultimate human expression of our love for God resides in our consistent disposition of humility, trust, and surrender (As most perfectly witnessed by our Blessed Mother). Yet, because these virtues are limitless, God challenges us to grow in them each and every day of our earthly lives – all the way to the end.

Consider the life of God’s chosen patriarch, Abraham, who lived in faithful obedience to God by exercising humility, trust, and surrender his entire life. He was constantly challenged to grow in these virtues throughout his early and middle years, and yet received his greatest trial near the end of his life when asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac (upon who’s life rested the essential part of God’s promise to Abraham). The story of Abraham represents the ultimate work of divine providence, which leads us into a greater degree of love for God when He creates situations for us that demand an increase in our humility, trust, and surrender.

We can therefore begin to understand the mysterious ways of God as He brings us into union with Himself. He initiates a relationship with us by providing the love that we need and then He creates (or allows) situations that require us to exercise that love. The virtues necessary for our emotional survival include humility, trust, and surrender.  And as we grow in these virtues, we begin to experience the peace and joy of God’s love. 

One note to consider in our efforts to trust more fully in God and thereby reduce the anxieties that are so pervasive in our lives – Trusting in God does not equate to never experiencing anxiety, but it does mean that we never lose hope. Abraham certainly experienced anxiety as he was being stretched to his utter limits of humility (obedience), trust (hope) and surrender (abandonment to divine providence). And even Jesus suffered the pangs of anxiety as shown through the intensity of His prayer in the garden that night, but He never lost hope… Not hope in His own desires, but hope from His acceptance of the Father’s plan, trusting that it was best.

Now certainly, we have all experienced much anxiety in our own normal course of life. But most of that anxiety has not been intended by God, rather endured by us as a result of our lack of faith, knowledge, and/or understanding. We must come to realize that difficulties are allowed by God, not for the purpose of any permanent harm, but as a prompting to change our physical situation while simultaneously growing in virtue. 

As opposed to experiencing anxiety (fear), we are called to utilize the virtues of fortitude and counsel in order to convert a worldly problem into a divine solution that benefits ourselves and others.  Most of the anxiety that we feel during our normal daily life can be used as a motivator to change our current situation. Our anxiety can become a catalyst that puts us to work, and with a firm trust in God (hope), leads us to discover new joys by experiencing Jesus in new places.

As our experience of God deepens our desire for Him increases. As this desire for our Highest Good increases, it begins to overshadow all other desires, and indeed it must in order to develop into a greater trust in God, for we “Cannot serve both God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)   Once we begin to desire only God, we begin to enjoy a fuller trust in Him, which substantially reduces worry, anger, disappointment, and sadness because with a complete trust in God we enjoy everything that happens, knowing that He is allowing it for our highest good.  So as we experience God more deeply, He becomes all we want – our highest good… to remain in Him. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23)

Once we desire the highest good for ourselves and remain focused on that goal (union with God), and we realize that God allows everything to happen to us as the surest means to that end (which is our eternal happiness) – then we can begin to trust Him more fully.  And then we can surrender  to Him more completely, which leads us into the “Peace that surpasses all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)

A further description of this divine peace includes the fruits of our trust in God: detachment (freedom), serenity (contentment), and joy (security). 

We trust that God’s main desire is that we dwell with Him in paradise forever and ever and ever. We trust that everything that happens to us is allowed by God in order to bring us into a deeper union with Himself, so that we can, one day, be fully and eternally united to Him. We trust that God will move all of heaven and earth (including everything and everyone) to help us get to heaven so that we may enjoy our highest good – union with Himself.

We do not trust that God will make us successful according to any of the physical standards of society, including financial security, social status, or competitive victory.  Actually, we can trust the opposite – that God will allow great suffering in these worldly ambitions in order to help us become more detached from them, so that we can become more attached to Him alone. 

We can trust in God that our projects, events, and relationships are not going to work out how we planned. With a heavenly perspective – they’re going to work out better!!! We can plan and act and anticipate with passion and joy and then, when things work out differently than we expected, we must trust that God has much better reasons than we do for everything that transpired.  We must remember that all of God’s ideas include much more love, peace, and joy than we could ever imagine, let alone have within our plans.  God’s plans are infinitely better than ours – we just have to be patient to receive the divine results with a peaceful surrender that comes from trusting in Him.

Value — Worth

Every thing is nothing.  Everything is nothing.

The only anything that is worth something is worth everything!

The only purpose, the only joy, the only anything… 

Is Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, in the Glory of God the Father!!!

Amen

Holy Indifference 
(Desire vs. Ambition)

To live with selfless desire is to live within the Divine Presence, fully alive in Christ.

To live with personal ambition is to live with worry, frustration and disappointment.

When living and moving and having one’s being in Christ, one constantly accepts the occurrences of divine providence, thereby dwelling in the detached emotional peace of ‘Holy Indifference’. However, living and moving in personal ambition begets personal attachments to the outcome of one’s activities, thus giving rise to worries, frustrations, and disappointments throughout the process of striving to achieve one’s personal goals.

We shouldn’t blame our personal ambitions on the human quality of desire, for desire is a normal aspect of our motivation to act. Desire is a special gift from God, and the primary motivator of our free will. The difference between selfless desire and personal ambition is that selfless desire does not have preferences whereas personal ambition does. We can certainly harbor personal desires that lead to personal ambitions, but selfless desires are gifts from God. Selfless desires are movements within our soul (divine inspirations) toward some facet of God’s plan of salvation for the benefit of ourselves and others.

Ambition usually arises from one’s own personal wants, needs, fears, and/or appetites. These personal motivations sometimes begin from unconscious ideals born from childhood experiences or deprivations. And our secular culture fans the flames of these ambitions by attaching material rewards to the accomplishments of their material goals, so that one gets rewarded for the physical result of the effort as opposed to the love that went into the effort. Selfless desires however, place one’s focus on the relationships of persons involved in the goal and therefore recognize the love shared as the first priority of the effort. 

A holy person acts on desires that are born of God’s love, both in general and in particular. In general, a holy person desires “Peace on Earth and good will toward others,” because those are God’s desires. And more particularly, the holy person acts on selfless desires related to specific circumstances, like serving the poor of one’s community, giving alms where needed, or sharing a listening ear.

A holy person desires God’s will and can therefore peacefully accept the outcomes of divine providence (regardless of the material results) because the most important aspect of the desire is to serve others, and the most important result of the action is simply to remain faithful to God. When our actions are connected to God’s will, we can receive the outcomes peacefully, according to his will as opposed to a variety of emotional reactions that can occur from actions that stem from our personal ambitions. When we realize that everything that happens is according to God’s will and that He will bring about the most effective result (as He sees fit and according to His own timing) we are free to accept everything that happens with a clear conscience and the emotional detachment of Holy Indifference – even when we make a mistake. For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

So how does a person grow to the point of having divine, selfless desires as opposed to personal desires that lead to personal ambitions. Well, being human, we will never be totally rid of selfish desires or satanic temptations while we are still here on this earth. Even the holiest of people receive numerous temptations that on the surface seem to be holy desires. The first thing to do before acting on any desire is to discern where the desire is coming from, for it will come from one of three possible places: satan, oneself, or God. 

The easiest desires to identify are the ones from satan because they come as temptations with either anger, anxiety, fear, selfishness, physical cravings, or some degree of all the above. Additional aspects of satan’s temptations can include desires that are clearly not in harmony with the teachings of the Church, or desires that are not within a reasonable proximity to one’s state in life (like a married person who thinks that he or she is now being called to a religious life). Another tell-tale sign of satan’s work is that it will not stand the test of time. He usually gives up on smaller temptations right away, within minutes. And with larger temptations, he usually gives up within hours. Satan may sustain larger, life-changing temptations for much longer than that, but they will always unravel into much anxiety and frustration so that we can easily track their source.

Identifying desires that come from oneself are sometimes impossible to ascertain without the help of one’s spouse, or a qualified spiritual director because they can involve an unconscious reaction to many possible circumstances originating from any particular point in one’s earlier life. When discerning spirits, which is to say where desires are coming from, it is always necessary to seek counsel for any long-term, substantial desire. It is also possible that a substantial desire may come from both oneself and God, for grace builds on nature. 

God usually begins a desire in a person by giving that individual a heart-felt concern for the very idea that he or she is inspired to participate in. And that desire may have been initiated by God deep down in the person’s heart many years before it becomes time to act on it. This person may also have developed skills and experiences related to the fulfillment of that desire, in which case it is very difficult to discern how much of this desire is moved by God and how much of it is coming from self-interest.

The desires that come from God usually have a few signs that accompany them, which are necessary for us to understand before moving forward on any substantial activity. First, the desire will be in accordance with the teachings of the Church. Second, the desire will be relevant to our state of life. Third, the desire will penetrate deep in our core, and it will not go away even after years of its constant nudge. Forth, the desire will bring with it a deep divine peace along with an interior joy in the thought and execution of its fulfillment. And finally, the desire will be ratified by our spouse and/or spiritual director (maybe not right away).

Once we discern that a desire is coming from God, how can we carry it out without preferences? How do we remain emotionally detached? How can we participate in something so exciting as God’s plan of salvation while maintaining a state of holy indifference?  Well, only through a divine degree of humility, trust, and surrender that comes about through lots, and lots, and lots of prayer and self-denial… 

It’s all grace!

“Prayer must be first because only God can impart to our activities a supernatural character with a real usefulness. Activity without prayer is sick and barren and full of imperfections.” (Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard – The Soul of the Apostolate)

So we pray with recollection and peace, entering into the Divine Presence while receiving God’s love, which then overflows into our active life. Like the water that Jesus gives that becomes in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (paraphrased from John 4:14) 

In order to remain constantly in the peaceful state of holy indifference, we must first live in constant prayer. That means more than simply praying first at the beginning of our day. Living in prayer, which is living in the Divine Presence, means that we live in the constant state of being present to God as He is constantly present to us. When charity bids us, we break from the physical method of our prayer to perform active works as God calls us to them. Then, when finished with the action, we return immediately back to prayer, which is our instinctive habit, the norm of our behavior. We move from prayer into charitable works and back to prayer according to God’s Will, which He manifests in the circumstances that surround us.

We live in communion with God, in constant communication with Him, acutely aware of His living presence within us and around us. We sometimes have to cease our conversation with Him in order to engage in personal human interactions, eating or sleeping, work of various kinds, or other activities given to us according to His loving will; which sometimes causes a certain sadness in us as we long for a more direct, attentive conversation with our God, who is our all. Oh God, you are my God and for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 62) 

Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard, in The Soul of the Apostolate, gives us some concrete advice on how to remain in a more constant state of holy indifference:

“From the very start we must offer our work to God, and during the course of our labors, we must often make use of holy thoughts and ardent prayers to stir up our resolution to act only for and by Him.”

“For the rest, no matter how much attention our work may require, we must keep ourselves always at peace, and always remain completely masters of ourselves.”

“We must leave the successful outcome of the work entirely in the hands of God, and desire to see ourselves delivered from all care only in order that we may be, once again, alone with Jesus Christ.”

In order to more constantly live in Holy Indifference we must…

Never undertake anything that is beyond our strength,

Habitually see the will of God in everything,

Don’t get mixed up in words that are not willed for us by God,

but only speak from charity and/or necessity,

From the very start, offer our work to God,

During our activity, frequently think of God,

Always allow enough time for each task, and

Remain at peace… Always!

To live without ambition, worry, and appetite is to live a recollected, peaceful life.

To live with selfless desire in the Divine Presence is to experience God’s infinite love, peace, and joy while sharing it with others.

The Sleeper Has Awaken

“A TREATISE ON THE INTERIOR LIFE”
Stages of Spiritual Growth

INTRODUCTION — 

God the Father calls us all to Himself to partake of His immense peace and joy.  He begins His supernatural life in us here on earth and remains in us forever.  “The water I shall give shall become in you a spring of water, welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)  

Each one of us is unique and precious to our Father.  Therefore, we each have a unique and precious relationship with Him, who communicates His love to each one of us in a special manner.  As we respond to His love, our relationship with Him grows into an ever-increasing intimate union.  “Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” (John 17:21)

The specific way that God relates to each one of us is special and unique, based on our individual needs and circumstances.  But the general method of the Goodness, Truth and Beauty that leads us into eternal life is quite similar for all of us.  Thus, God generally brings us into an intimate relationship with Himself according to a similar pattern of personal growth and development.  There are always exceptions to our human classifications, and we certainly cannot place any limitations on the ways of God.  But we can rely on the following basic path to heaven in a generic sense, to then discover the specific implications to ourselves through the grace of God in the Holy Spirit.  “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  (John 14:26)

FIRST STAGE — 

A wake-up call or a deep-inner prompting moves the soul to desire God – to experience His love, peace, and joy.  The soul recognizes that it exists in a state of sin and desires to change.  It begins to pray on a regular basis and works to change its behavior by reducing a certain amount of its sins and bad habits.

The soul is now more attentive to the liturgical readings of the Mass and the preacher’s message, and becomes more interested in holy conversation.  Questions that used to be discarded are now provocative and inspiring.  The soul’s conscience has now come alive and feels regret upon recognizing its previous sins and consequential distance from God.

The soul has begun to understand itself in relation to God and desires to reconcile itself and begin a more honest relationship with Him.  The soul now concerns itself with avoiding mortal sin, but cannot loosen itself from regular venial sins or its stronger bad habits.

The soul begins to see God’s actions in everyday events of the world that previously may have been considered mere circumstance or chance.  The soul has been initiated in the first personal benefits of faith and enjoys the positive strokes it gives itself in the knowledge of doing what is right.  It is thus motivated to continue.

SECOND STAGE —

A gentle interior tug (from a desire to know more about God) leads the soul to investigate the Truths of God, which miraculously manifest themselves in everyday life.  The soul discovers and sees more and more God’s active involvement in all events and motion, both in nature and social interactions.

Progress is made in prayer so that the soul can now meditate for longer periods, and it enjoys a beginning sense of the presence of God in the silence.  More attention is now devoted to the gospel, and even the ordinary liturgical prayers of the Mass.  Spiritual reading becomes more poignant and now stimulates the intellect and provokes the will. The soul has now become a garden for God, and through its activity in prayer, it receives life-giving water by drawing it up from God’s wellspring of love.

The soul becomes more aware of the vileness of sin while growing in its attraction to the goodness and beauty of God.  Thus it continues to change its behavior, now minimizing venial sins, but still falling under the weight of the appetites of the flesh, which have become, “Like a great load of earth.”  (St. Theresa of Avila – Interior Castle)  

A tug-o-war now occurs between the things of God and the things of the world.  God continues to nudge the soul towards Himself through sanctifying and actual grace, but the enemy causes the soul to think that it cannot live without this or that trivial earthly morsel. In order to continue moving along its journey towards God, the soul must persevere in doing what is right, in spite of the disordered cravings of its flesh.  It becomes very important for this trying soul to spend more time with people who are moving forward on the path to holiness, while minimizing and even eliminating time with those who are not.

THIRD STAGE —

Prayer is now prolonged and the soul experiences a craving for solitude and quiet.  The soul begins to enjoy the sweetness of God, being allowed some spiritual favors more accustomed to those further along in their journey.  The pleasures of the world that it once enjoyed are slowly losing their grip on the soul, so liberated it is by the internal joys and consolations of these fresh graces from God.  Interior movements of love for God produce in the soul a desire for penance and reparation for its own sins and those of others. 

The soul’s conscience is now repaired and active, thus leading it to consider and improve its physical appearance, manner of speech, and the government of its house.  The soul now strives for good behavior, now vigilant in avoiding and fighting venial sins that only seldom occur, and rarely deliberate.  When the soul slips and falls, it experiences great sorrow for its sins, and does not delay its reconciliation with God.

The soul is now attacked spiritually by the same capital sins that it has physically reduced.  Grave temptations now occur toward spiritual pride and spiritual gluttony.  The soul’s acute conscience now sees fault in everyone else, and can’t help itself in judging others while considering itself an expert in the ways of God.  The solitude it has come to relish has become its greatest joy, so the enemy tempts the soul to remain alone at the expense of its other duties and/or necessary human relationships.  

The soul also experiences fierce temptations of the flesh and impatience, which the enemy holds out as necessary.  And sometimes scruples over light matters (and/or spiritual gluttony) impede its judgment of a true charity toward its neighbors.

Because of its recent supernatural experiences of the goodness and generosity of God, the soul is careful not to offend Him in even the slightest way.  The imperfections of charity that it maintains are scarcely even perceived by itself, until later when it receives the grace to understand the inner-workings of a soul destined for sanctity.  

The soul is being transformed from a predominately carnal, self-centered being into a spiritual, God-centered delight.  It now keeps its focus on God and strives to become like unto Him.  It has made great progress in the art of loving God, but doesn’t quite know how to love its neighbor due to the exorbitant self-love that it still maintains.  The soul continues to rely on sense pleasure, but instead of physical-worldly sense pleasures, it now enjoys the sensible consolations of God.

The soul desires penance, but according to its own terms for it does not yet understand the benefits of the problems that are allowed by God for its sanctification.  It runs from any true suffering, not yet realizing the trust necessary to be a committed disciple of Christ.

The sweetness of God’s presence in prayer that God has allowed the soul to feel has produced much good in the soul, but now needs to be withdrawn by God in order for the soul to continue its growth.  Otherwise the soul will progress in spiritual pride and love of self, as opposed to love of God, for God makes the soul feel so good that its attraction to Him is still from a selfish nature rather than from a true charity (born of appreciation and gratitude – loving God because He so deserves to be loved).

To purify the soul of its self-love (which is the soul’s greatest limitation) God removes the soul’s awareness of His presence.  Thus God causes the soul to alternate between consolation and aridity (sweetness and dryness), the latter endured with considerable hardship.  This action humbles the soul while ordering it to a self-giving love, rather than the self-seeking love that it has been accustomed to in all its prior experience.

Whereas before the soul enjoyed human awards and honors as affirmations of a job well done, its pride is now detached from such base strokes.  Yet, even though it has vastly improved, its pride is merely re-directed for the time being, for the soul now enjoys the affirmations of others when they see it kneel for a long time in prayer, or when they marvel over a few simple words of wisdom that have not come from itself but from God.

Prayer has become much easier for the soul with meditation not forced but free flowing, like the water that comes from a spring as opposed to the water that must be drawn up from a well.  God now grants many lights to the soul – illuminations to the intellect regarding all types of spiritual truths.  Gospel teachings now penetrate the understanding as they correlate perfectly to the soul’s experiences, both past and present.  Also, the prayer of quiet may be felt in its early forms.  A subtle suspension of the will occurs so that God can now pray for the soul through its own faculties, which are held quiet by God in order for it to listen to its Creator and Lord.  Thus the soul’s meditation or spiritual reading becomes a true contemplation where God, Himself now speaks to it using its own heart to do so. 

Yet some short while later, not a single loving thought can flow out of this soul, so dry it is of all that is good.  Left to itself, it now realizes that all its good attitudes and intentions have come only from God, and that of itself, it is capable of no good thing.  Thus the soul may be purged of its recent pride that caused it to pose as a spiritual master, to silently judge others, and to offer little charity to others while it remained alone in prayer with the primary intention of securing as much delight from God as possible.

Through the trials of these alternating consolations and aridities, the soul is left in a quasi no-man’s land, for it has left its former disordered occupations to experience the radiant joys of God.  It has changed its behavior, leaving the previous trifling pleasures of the world and its bad habits in exchange for the wonders of prayerful solitude.  But now, devoid of God’s sensible consolations, the soul is left with an apparent nothing.  This is a completely false notion of course, because it remains in God’s grace and is in the process of gaining everything in Christ.  However, having grown accustomed to God’s glorious presence, it was quite easy to leave the world.  But still predominantly a sensual being (constantly accommodated with sensual delights) it finds life extremely difficult to live without any sensual activity, be it worldly or spiritual.  So the soul is left in a void – its second significant trial of faith.  

It is now gravely tempted to return to worldly pursuits and pleasures.  And this is a particularly dangerous place to be, for the enemy catches many souls looking back at this critical time when it is most important for the soul to persevere in its previous resolutions.  At this juncture many souls return to their former way of life.  “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 9:62)  Some souls dangle in between heaven and earth.  “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) Yet a few souls vigilantly continue on the path to holiness.  “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, and enter into the joy of eternal life.”  (Matthew 25:34) 

God carefully advances the generous soul through this “Dark Night of the Senses,” but it is left to its own decision to what degree it will follow the Lord, so it receives the opportunity to make another substantial act of selflessness.  Each soul is given the choice to obey God for its self-preservation only, or to sincerely love God because He so deserves to be honored and glorified.  Unfortunately, most souls limit themselves at this juncture and thereby become stunted, never fully transforming into the image of love that God calls them to be, thus never enjoying the fullness of His peace and joy. 

FOURTH STAGE —

Upon persevering through the trials of aridity of sense encountered in the previous step toward heaven, God now elevates the soul to new heights in prayer.  At the sole discretion of God, having not merited such an exceptional grace of its own accord, the soul is lead to experience God in a peaceful, deep illumination.  In this quiet moment of prayer the soul’s physical senses are somewhat suspended (recollected) liberating it to become more fully absorbed in the presence of God.  The soul’s will is now captivated by the penetrating love of God, enjoying His complete dominion over it.  Now God speaks directly to the soul, illuminating its mind with profound truth and insight, while infusing its heart with an ever-new height of reverence and love for its Creator. 

Wonderful, silent tears may come to the soul without its quite knowing how or why, but they are accompanied by so much peace that it does not want them to stop, nor does it ever want to leave this moment of sweet consolation.  These tears are usually borne from a profound humility that God causes by contrasting an infused knowledge of His immense goodness and beauty against the soul’s pettiness and past vile behavior.  Many generous aspirations to the love of God now warm its heart, with songs of praise and thanksgiving to the Almighty Healer of all previous regret, insecurity, and loneliness.

“When His majesty wishes the working of the understanding to cease, He employs it in another manner and illumines the soul’s knowledge to so much higher a degree than we can obtain ourselves that He leads it into a state of absorption in which, without knowing how, it is much better instructed than it could ever be as a result of its own efforts, which would only spoil everything.” (St. Theresa of Avila – Interior Castle)

“Saint Theresa cautions us that during this state, ‘The soul should try, without forcing itself or causing any turmoil, to put a stop to all discursive reasoning, yet not to suspend the understanding nor to cease from all thought, though it is well for it to remember that it is in God’s presence.   The will then, should be left to enjoy it, and should not labor except for uttering a few loving words.’ ”  (Thomas Dubay – Fire Within)

This “Prayer of Quiet,” so termed because of the quiet, or virtually absorbed (recollected) state of the will, is much more fluid in the stream of thought, which is now given to it by God Himself.  It is no longer a forced or contrived meditation, but a true contemplation where God gives to the soul what He desires for it to receive, and the soul quietly receives what God is giving it.  The soul does its best to not get in the way of this grace because of its own active will, which still wants to control everything.  The inspirations and communications of God now flow freely to the soul as rain waters a garden, completely independent of the farmer’s own efforts.

God graces the soul with new wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that illuminate its mind and enflame its heart. This truly contemplative prayer causes the soul to realize its unworthiness to receive such incredible favors from God.  It is therefore elevated to new heights of piety, thanksgiving, and praise, arising from a true appreciation and gratitude for the goodness of God.  The soul now begins to appreciate God because of His magnanimous goodness and beauty – not just because He “feels so good." 

Additional effects in the soul include a rapidly diminishing fear of hardship and suffering. The soul may even want a degree of suffering, for it now maintains a great desire to do something for God.  The soul has become fortified in its faith and elated in the love of God.

Also, now that the soul is beginning to understand the incredible power and majesty of God, as translated to it in compelling truth, goodness, and beauty – it becomes aware of its own miserable condition.  “Having now tasted the consolations of God, it sees that earthly things are mere refuse; so little by little it withdraws from them and in this way becomes more and more its own master.” (St. Theresa of Avila – Interior Castle)  “For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

All the virtues of this soul are now greatly strengthened. “One finds in oneself greater humility, patience, love and detachment.”  (Thomas Dubay – Fire Within)   Now the soul’s only concerns are maintaining prayer and being careful not to offend God in any way.  These proficients show their love for God by not only avoiding mortal sin and deliberate venial sin, but by imitating the virtues of our Lord; especially His humility, gentleness, and patience.  And they not only observe the Ten Commandments, but also the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience (or at least the spirit of these), and they strive to avoid imperfections.

In this period, the soul experiences intense desires for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, while enjoying great facility in doing works for God such as teaching, directing, and organizing various corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  The soul receives from God not only a greater abundance of light in contemplation, but effective insights and favors in the work of its apostolate as well.  This advanced soul now loves God with its whole heart and the whole of its activities, but not yet with its whole strength, because God has not yet achieved complete dominion over it.

The soul, once again, must allow God to continue His work, for several defects still exist and require a deeper cleansing.  This good soul is now hindered by hidden ambitions and/or hidden emotional needs.

“The proficient begins to take complacency (by reason of an unconscious pride) in this great facility in prayer, working, teaching, or preaching.  He tends to forget that these are God’s gifts, and he rejoices in them with a proprietary air which ill-beseems one who adores in spirit and in truth.  It is true that he is working for God, he is working for souls, but he has not yet sufficiently forgotten himself.  An unconscious self-seeking (hidden ambition) and self-importance cause him to dissipate himself and to lose the sense of the presence of God… Purity of intention, true recollection, and perfect straightforwardness are often lacking – there is something of a lie in his life.  ‘The depth of the soul,’ as Tauler puts it, ‘does not belong entirely to God.’  God is given an intention that is really only half given to Him.”  (Garrigou-Lagrange – The Three Ways of the Spiritual Life)

Much advancement has occurred, but ‘stains of the old man’ still remain on the spirit, as old rust can remain on a refurbished sword, which can only be removed by intense fire – the passive purification of God – The dark night of the spirit. 

 “Rust remains deep down in the spiritual faculties of the soul, in the intelligence and the will; and it consists of an attachment to self which prevents the soul from being completely united to God.  Hence it is that we are often distracted in prayer, that we are subject to sluggishness, to a failure to understand the things of God, to the dissipation of the spirit, and to natural affections that are hardly, if at all, inspired by the motive of charity.  Movements of roughness and impatience are not rare at this stage.  Moreover, many souls, even those that are advanced in the way of God, remain too much attached to their own point of view in the spiritual life; they imagine that they have received special inspirations from God, whereas they are in reality the victims of their own imagination or of the enemy of all good.  They thus become puffed up with presumption, spiritual pride and vanity.  They depart from the true path and lead other souls astray.”  (St. John of the Cross – Dark Night, Book II)

“These defects in proficients become manifest especially in the obstacles which they are called upon to meet... It then becomes evident that the presence of God is not sufficiently borne in mind, and that in the search for God it is the self that is really being sought – hence the need of a third purgation; hence the need of that strong lye of the purgation of the spirit in order to cleanse the very depth of the spiritual faculties.  Without this third conversion, there is no entrance into the life of union, which is the adult age, the manhood of the spiritual life.”  (Garrigou-Lagrange – The Three Ways of the Spiritual Life)

The soul will now be deprived of not only its sensible consolations, as in the previous purification, but of its supernatural lights on the mysteries of salvation, of its ardent desires for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, and its facility in action in its teaching, preaching, and other apostolic works.  Temptations frequently occur during this stage, not precisely against chastity or patience now, but against the virtues that reside in the higher part of the soul: faith, hope, and charity.  And strangely, temptations against charity also appear towards God, whom the soul is tempted to regard as cruel for trying it in such a great crucible of torment.  Generally, during this period significant difficulties occur in connection with the apostolate: detraction, failures, and checks.  The soul will also suffer calumnies and ingratitude from several others, even from those persons to whom it has done much good (so that it may be brought to love them more exclusively in God and for God’s sake alone).

Thus this crisis, or passive purgation of the spirit, is a mystical death – the death of the old man according to the words of St. Paul, “Our old man is crucified with Jesus Christ, that the body of sin may be destroyed.”  (Romans 6:6)  “It is necessary to put off the old man who is corrupted according to the desire of error, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, putting on the new man who, according to God, is created in justice and holiness of truth.”  (Ephesians 4:22)

“This crisis, like the preceding, is not without its dangers.  It calls for great courage and vigilance; for a faith sometimes reaching to heroism, a hope against all hope, transforming itself into abandonment.  For the third time, God tills the ground of the soul, but this time much more deeply, so deeply indeed that the soul seems overwhelmed by these afflictions of the spirit, similar to those described by the prophets, in particular those by Jeremiah in the third chapter of the Lamentations.” (Garrigou-Lagrange – The Three Ways of the Spiritual Life)

Saint Theresa of Avila names three conditions that are necessary for continued growth during this stage.  The first is to never give up the habitual practice of prayer.

“Just as the baby who has just begun to suck at the breast is sure to die if it be taken from its mother, so for anyone who gives up prayer… unless he does so for some exceptional reason, or unless he returns to it quickly, he will go from bad to worse.”  (St. Theresa of Avila – The Interior Castle)

The second condition for continued growth is further detachment (from everything).  Active purification is not limited to the first three stages of spiritual growth, but a more constant striving for perfection through continual acts of mortification and self-denial must persist in the soul who is to achieve the heights of its ultimate goal: union with its Creator.  

“If there is no lessening of selfish clingings, there is no growth in prayer.  God brings one thus far as a pledge of great things He has in store, but if He sees the person ‘return to earth,’ He refrains from showing him the secrets of His kingdom.  ‘This is why,’ Theresa observes, ‘spiritual people are not much more numerous.’  Her analysis of the problem is identical with Jesus’ explanation for spiritual retardation: we do not mature, He said, because we are smothered with the cares and riches and pleasures of life. (Luke 8:14)  This is why St. Paul exhorts the Colossians to rise to a new life – to seek the things above, not the things on earth.  (Colossians 3:1-2)  There must be a complete renouncing of all self-centeredness, ‘all that we posses’ if we are to be total disciples.” 

“The third condition for continuing growth is the seeking of greater solitude – without, of course, neglecting work or community.  Theresa sees solitude as giving the Lord the opportunity to do His work in us as well as our being readied for communion with Him.  In this too, she is advocating nothing other than what Jesus Himself repeatedly did: going out to be alone with the Father for long stretches of time in the early morning or all through the night.”  (Thomas Dubay – Fire Within)

FIFTH STAGE — 

When the soul perseveres through this “Dark Night of the Spirit,” an entirely new dimension of the divine presence occurs.  The soul now begins to experience God not merely during times of prayer or special moments of consolation, but in a more constant fashion, even while occupied in external works or activities.  The soul begins to maintain (through God’s grace) a constant sense of His presence for it has progressed into a spiritual union with God, and may now enjoy the benefits of a more intimate relationship with Him.

The soul has just entered into the beginning stages of union with God. It has yet an infinite distance to travel before entering into full union with Him, nevertheless, the soul now enjoys a markedly new series of graces as it moves further away from self and into the new life of its Creator, for “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)

“Whereas at the beginning man had been selfish, thinking constantly of himself and, unconsciously directing all things to himself, the perfect soul thinks constantly of God, of His glory, of the salvation of souls and, as though instinctively, causes all things to converge upon that end.  The reason for this is that he no longer contemplates God merely in the mirror of the things of sense, no longer merely in parables, or even in the mirror of the mysteries of the life of Christ, for this cannot continue throughout the whole day; but he contemplates the divine goodness in itself…”  

“This simple contemplation removes those imperfections that arise from natural eagerness, from unconscious self-seeking, and from the lack of habitual recollection.  The perfect know themselves no longer merely in themselves, but in God, their source and their end… and they never cease to see the infinite distance that separates them from their Creator – hence their humility. This quasi-experimental contemplation of God proceeds from the gift of wisdom, and by reason of its simplicity, can be almost continuous.  It can persist in the midst of intellectual work, conversation, or external occupations; such continuity being impossible in the case of a knowledge of God which uses the mirror of parables or the mysteries of Christ.”

“Finally, whereas the egoist, thinking always of himself, wrongly loves himself in all things, the perfect, thinking nearly always of God, loves Him constantly, and loves Him not merely by avoiding sin and by imitating the virtues of our Lord, but by adhering to Him, enjoying Him, desiring (as St. Paul said) to be dissolved and to be with Christ.  It is the pure love of God and the love of souls in God.  It is apostolic zeal, zealous beyond measure; but humble, patient, and gentle… These souls preserve peace almost constantly amidst even the most distressful and unforeseen circumstances, and they communicate it to others who are troubled.” (Garrigou-Lagrange – The Three Ways of the Spiritual Life)

The peace and joy that God grants the soul in this stage of prayer is incomparably greater than anything else it has ever experienced throughout its entire life.  “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it even entered the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)  These miraculous favors of God not only occur in the continuous way of His divine presence as referred to above, but in small doses of ecstatic prayer, when God so ordains to grant this good soul a taste of His unfathomable love.  You fill me with joy in Your presence , with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)  

As God so desires, through His divine wisdom and prudence, He now brings the soul closer to Himself by touching its heart with the awesome power of His presence.  Periodically, and for short durations, God grants the soul a deep experience of His existence, goodness, truth, and beauty that has thus far been hidden to all except those fortunate souls that have worked for eternal delights. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33)

These moments of deep contemplation generally last for about ten to fifteen minutes, but the soul is so moved at its core that the memory endures for the rest of its life.  People who receive this absorption will remember years later the exact time and circumstances when it occurred.  “What this prayer lacks in duration, it makes up for not only in intensity, but also in the certainty of the divine presence.” (Thomas Dubay – Fire Within)

In this prayer of union, external distractions cease to be noticed while the will is taken up in God, but now the imagination, memory, and intellect are captured as well.  The whole of the soul’s exterior senses and interior faculties are captivated by the indwelling presence of the Supreme Being that created it.  The soul can only sense, perceive, and experience whatever God wishes to communicate to it at this time.  And God simultaneously blesses the soul with an immense peace and joy that penetrate its entire being so as to render it completely inebriated in His love.

“A mist of Love descended upon me passing all the way through.  The mist on my right side flowed through to my left, while the mist on my left side flowed through to my right. An aura of great peace surrounded me, flowing in me and through me all at once.  Jesus Himself had penetrated my being and remained to embrace my soul.  My body was captivated, for its five senses were suspended and still.  I could not move, feel, see, hear, taste, or smell, nor did I want to.  But my interior was gripped in pure joy.  I was feeling the presence of God — seeing the beauty of His love, hearing the sound of His truth, tasting the flavor of His goodness, and smelling the scent of His mercy, while enjoying the warmth of His peace.”

“I was completely engulfed in the embrace of Jesus, overwhelmed by His majesty yet uplifted in His love.  Whatever the time, it seemed like an eternity of bliss contained in a moment.  To the world it was about ten minutes, but to me it was a lifetime of happiness.  The peace, contentment, and security of God’s love is far beyond what I can describe, but to communicate the glory that awaits us in heaven, I tell you this to give you hope by: I would gladly exchange a lifetime of worldly pleasure for just ten more minutes of that love…”  (PJZ – What’s Love Got to do With It?) 

These divine consolations of God now urge the soul toward Himself, not merely with divinely inspired aspirations of righteousness, intellectual pearls of truth, or pious moments of understanding as in the previous favors it was granted, for now God has moved the soul at its deepest level, and now the soul longs for a deeper union with its Ultimate Purpose.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power… Your love is better than life… earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1-3)  Furthermore, the soul cannot but sing praises to its heavenly Master, desiring that the whole world would be stung by this intoxicating serum of unsurpassed goodness and beauty.  I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of Your wonders. (Psalm 9:1)

“The consolation, the sweetness, and the delight are incomparably greater than that experienced in the previous prayer… This prayer is a glorious foolishness, a heavenly madness… Often I had been as though bewildered and inebriated in this love… The soul would desire to cry out praises, and it is beside itself… it cannot bear so much joy… it would want to be all tongues so as to praise the Lord.” (St. Theresa of Avila – Life)

“My King, I beseech You, that all to whom I speak become mad from your love… This soul would now want to see itself free – eating kills it; sleeping distresses it… nothing other than You can give it pleasure any longer… and I would desire to see no other persons than those who are sick with this sickness I now have.” (St. Theresa of Avila – Life)

The fruits of this new stage of the interior life (this new development of prayer in the soul) include a deeper yearning for all that is of God with a stronger repulsion of all that is not.

“In this profound absorption, one emerges with a consuming desire to praise God and to die a thousand deaths for His sake.  There are likewise vehement yearnings for penance and solitude together with keen longings that everyone would come to know this God of unspeakable bounty.  This person, having tasted so deeply of the very best, understandably is satisfied now with nothing the world has to offer, sets no store for what can be seen or touched, and finds no rest in anything finite.  He experiences what scripture talks about in saying that we are ‘strangers and nomads on earth’ and that we are to long for a better homeland, the heavenly dwelling.” (Thomas Dubay – Fire Within)  

Also, this soul is acutely saddened that it cannot serve God well enough, and it suffers from the vast indifference of most people to the incredible existence of our wonderful God, who should be our All.  The soul therefore desires penance and well receives the tribulations that our good Lord desires to give it – all for the highest good of itself and others.

GENERAL SUMMARY —

It should be clarified that each of these stages of spiritual growth (as described above) are not separate, distinct periods of our developing relationship with God, but a continuous, fluid, interior movement of growth.  The soul usually experiences characteristics that are common to more than one stage at the same time because it is moving in a circular-spiral path toward God, ultimately reaching its center, which is full union with Him.  The spiritual trials and consolations that we receive are intensifications and developments of each preceding stage.  And the soul does not always progress in direct, step by step fashion, for it usually moves forward with an imperfect completion of all the lessons and purgations that were required of it at the previous stage. And sometimes it requires many reoccurring lessons before it can proceed to the next stage.  So God continues working in the soul by repeating certain lessons and adding new ones until the soul progresses awkwardly along according to the designs of His providence, which He must continually adapt to the stubbornness of the soul’s damaged will. 

“Truly spiritual delights have their source in the cross, in the spirit of sacrifice which causes disordered inclinations to die in us and gives the first place to the love of God and the love of souls in God, which installs in the throne of our souls that charity which is the source of peace, the tranquility of order.  These deep joys cannot enter into the soul until the senses and the spirit have been purged and refined by tribulations and sufferings which detach us from things created.”  Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22) (Garrigou-Lagrange – The Three Ways of the Spiritual Life)

When we speak about union with God, we are speaking about an intimate relationship with Him that takes time, energy, and commitment.  When the soul generously responds to God’s loving invitation, it creates an opening for God to purge out its impurities, while conforming it to the perfect love that is God, Himself.  God alone knows the soul intimately for “Even the very hairs on our head are counted.” (Matthew 10:30) So He alone knows what to do and when to do it, exteriorly in the physical world and interiorly in the most private recesses of our souls.  God the Father is our primary formator and He takes it upon Himself to act in and around us in order to mold us into the image of love that we are each created to be.  “We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

God leads each soul to Himself in a unique way because each person is a unique being.  And every relationship has its own special characteristics, which develop according to the specific personalities and circumstances that create each independent familial bond.  So the above stages of spiritual growth are essentially a general pattern of formation that God utilizes to bring us all into Himself.  And each stage of this pattern is adjusted by God for each individual according to His divine wisdom.  Therefore, we cannot define God’s work with parameters and limitations, rather simply describe the norm of His ineffable ways while realizing that He will continue to adjust the special way that He guides each unique person, in order to bring all people into union with Himself.