ALL CATHOLICS ARE CALLED TO UNION WITH GOD

 

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The Ecstasy of St Paul – Nicolas Poussin

It was a hot summer's day; on a chaise under a taupata at the beach, a reader of this blog was enjoying Harpers and Queen when a chap who'd "been in the seminary" turned up and offered her a book. "It didn't do anything for me," he said. "You might like it." The book was Fire Within, by Thomas Dubay SM. The cover depicted St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross and Christ going to Calvary - which didn't do much for our reader, either.

But before she'd turned the first page she was hooked - by Father Dubay's encounter after Mass with someone who'd been blown away by his homily, which promised every Catholic the possibility of union with God, in this life. It was a revelation to his listener and a revelation to our reader also. Instantly, union with God here on earth was her goal.

Today we celebrate St John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, Carmelite priest and intimate of St Teresa of Jesus (Avila). It was on the feastday of the former several years ago that inspired by both saints, our reader made her final profession as a lay Carmelite. 

Below is Part II of a two-part series. Click here for Part I.

Eric Sammons of OnePeterFive offers the following article as the second in a two-part series. In the first part he lists the nine levels of prayer and describes the first four, journeying along what is called “the Purgative Way.” In this second part, he explores the second and third ways of prayer - the Illuminative and the Unitive - and within them the final five levels of prayer that are accessible for those ascending towards perfection in the spiritual life.

The Illuminative Way

The Dark Night of the Senses

Most people are familiar with the work of St. John of the Cross called “The Dark Night.” However, not many have actually read it or really understand what he means by “Dark Night.”

We've probably all heard someone say knowingly - of a third party, not themselves - "They went through a real Dark Night."  

First, there are actually two Dark Nights: the Dark Night of the Senses and the Dark Night of the Soul (or Spirit). The first forms the bridge between the Purgative and Illuminative Ways and the second is the bridge between the Illuminative and Unitive Ways of prayer.

Unfortunately, “Dark Night” has become a term used very loosely to designate any difficult or depressing time in life. But this is not the meaning St. John of the Cross gives to “Dark Night.” These two stages are not brought about by external events, such as the loss of a job or the death of a loved one. Instead, they are brought about by God alone, who uses the Dark Nights to purge the soul of attachments to the things of this world.

Let us look at the first Dark Night, that of the senses. As said previously, this stage of prayer forms the bridge between the fourth and fifth levels of prayer, or between the Purgative and Illuminative Ways. At this stage, God becomes the primary initiator of prayer, not man. Whereas in the Purgative Way man’s primary duty is actively to cooperate with grace, at this level man’s duty is to be passively receptive to grace.

But what does the Dark Night of the Senses consist of? Primarily it involves a prolonged series of aridities in which the soul experiences dryness in prayer. It is a painful state that tests the soul to see if it desires prayer for the consolations or because it desires God Himself. At this stage, the ability to meditate becomes difficult, even painful, as no fruit comes from it.

It's more like the practice of meditation becoming difficult. 

The Holy Spirit desires that the soul move from meditation to contemplation.

Why is this painful stage necessary? Why is it the bridge between the Purgative and Illuminative Ways? It is necessary so that the soul can be purged of defects that still exist within it, defects which prevent the soul from being passively receptive to God’s grace. At this stage the person is very spiritual and is basically living a life of virtue. But that does not mean that the soul does not still have defects that keep it from God. What are some of these defects? There are three primary ones:

(a) Spiritual Gluttony: The soul has an inordinate attachment to consolations and begins to see them as ends, not means to the end.

(b) Spiritual Sloth: A laziness which creeps into the soul which does not strive for perfection anymore but is content with mediocrity in the spiritual life.

(c) Spiritual Pride: Since at this stage one is truly advancing in virtue, it is easy to become spiritually proud and to look down on others. But of course pride is the worst of sins and keeps one away from God.

This stage too is a spiritually dangerous one, perhaps the most dangerous of  all. Until this Dark Night the soul has advanced in virtue, holiness and prayer. Yet at this stage it appears that one is backsliding: consolations disappear, temptations become greater and meditation dries up.

So a person might flee from the Dark Night and regress into lower levels of prayer. The proper response to this temptation to regress, however, is renewing one’s trust in God, continuing to utilize Acquired Recollection in prayer, abstaining from seeking consolation, and seeking counsel from a good spiritual director.

One could say "Good luck with that" (finding a good spiritual director or any spiritual director) only of course there's no such thing as luck, only Providence; so one must resign oneself to trudging along the Purgative Way with only the spiritual direction found in books. Which is dangerous, as there are so many unhelpful books on the subject which are to be AVOIDED. We need the assurance of saints to guide us, not enthusiastic tyros. Canonisation is a guarantee of good advice - that is, pre-Vat2 canonisations.  

If one does progress through the Dark Night of the Senses, then he can move into the Illuminative Way of prayer, in which God becomes the primary initiator.

This 'move' is famously difficult to recognise without the help most widely recommended, which is to be had from St Teresa of Jesus.

With the fifth level of prayer, a soul has moved through the Dark Night of the Senses and into the Illuminative Way of prayer. It has moved from prayer that is initiated by man to prayer initiated by God. It has moved from meditation to contemplation.

One of the most important things to note about this level of prayer is this: every Christian is called to Infused Contemplation.

 

And as Father Dubay emphasises in Fire Within, every Christian is called to union with God. Practically speaking one might as well say "every Catholic", as lacking the grace flowing from the Sacraments - let alone the wisdom of the saints - Protestants would have an extremely hard time of it. 

It is a common belief that only contemplative nuns or monks are called to Infused Contemplation; however, all followers of Christ can – and should – eventually be at this level of prayer.

Again, for the reasons cited above, how hard would it be for Protestant followers of Christ? 

What is Infused Contemplation? It is the experiential knowledge of God that is infused into the soul by God. In other words, it is the invasion of the soul by the supernatural. In this stage, the soul is permeated and penetrated by Someone else. Note that to reach this level, the soul must be in the state of sanctifying grace; someone in mortal sin is not a receptive vessel for the Holy Spirit. Also, the soul who reaches this level of prayer does not discontinue the practice of virtue or charity; in fact, it usually will intensify.

There are a number of characteristics of this level of prayer, including:

(a) The impossibility of producing this mystical experience by one’s own efforts. One cannot “turn on” Infused Contemplation or turn it off, for that matter.

(b) The soul is more passive than active. In the previous forms of prayer, the soul was actively reaching for God; in this stage, the soul reclines and waits to receive God.

(c) The knowledge gained through Infused Contemplation is indescribable. When reading the writings of a St Teresa or St John of the Cross, one often notes how these saints struggle to actually describe their mystical experiences. They use metaphors, but even these must fall far short of the mark.

(d) A dramatic new living of Christian virtue. At this stage, one can truly do what St. Paul so often writes about: live “in Christ.” It is truly “no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Level 6: Prayer of Quiet

In the next stage of prayer, the “Prayer of Quiet,” one is still practicing Infused Contemplation, but it now includes a special captivation of the will. It is “Infused Contemplation plus,” so to speak. This level of prayer brings great spiritual delight, as the soul is absorbed in contemplating the presence of God.

Whereas level five has a special emphasis on the intellect (knowledge of divine things), this stage has a special emphasis on the will (love of divine things). There is an analogy between levels five and six and levels two and three: levels two and five primarily work in the arena of the intellect, whereas levels three and six are involve the will.

One of the great benefits of this level of prayer is that often it can be experienced while the intellect is otherwise occupied. For example, the farmer tending his garden can experience the Prayer of Quiet during his gardening. St Teresa said that at this level, the person experiences such an interior peace and quiet that even speaking wearies it.

The Prayer of Quiet is the highest reaches of the Illuminative Way of prayer; the next stages are part of the Unitive Way. And just as there was a bridge to cross between the Purgative and Illuminative Ways, so also there is a bridge between the Illuminative and Unitive Ways, and it too is a Dark Night: the Dark Night of the Soul.

The Unitive Way

The Dark Night of the Soul

“The Dark Night of the Soul” is a commonly used phrase, but as was the case with the first Dark Night (that of the Senses), it is most often misunderstood and misused. The true Dark Night of the Soul is the bridge between the Illuminative and Unitive Ways, in which the soul is purged not of the lower elements of the soul (which have already been purged), but instead of the higher faculties of intellect and will.

At this stage, even Infused Contemplation is not possible; every faculty of the soul experiences dryness. In many ways, it is like a purgatory before death. But God reveals Himself in this darkness, leading to total union with Him.

It may not be a sustained experience, but sometimes occurs as interludes, alternating with the prayer of infused contemplation.   

But why is this necessary? Like the first Dark Night, it purges the soul of defects. One might be tempted to think that a soul at this advanced stage of prayer has no real defects, but this is not the case. A few of the defects the Dark Night of the Soul purges include:

(a) Involuntary distractions in prayer. At this stage one can still encounter the inability of the intellect and will to keep focus.

(b) Dullness in prayer. As one grows accustomed to Infused Contemplation, he can begin to lack full sensitivity to spiritual things. It is a type of spiritual sloth.

(c) Temptation to over-zealousness instead of charity. One naturally desires the same joys he is experiencing for his brothers and sisters in Christ, but in his zeal, instead of relying on God to move them forward, he tries to force them along.

On the other hand, we are not to rely on God completely. When we see our brothers and sisters making a bad call we shouldn't entirely rely on God to enlighten them, but - of course - pray for them and sometimes take up the gospel injunction of brotherly correction, which if it misses its mark may mean rejection, but as Teresa remarks somewhere, "humiliation is good for the soul". 

During this Dark Night of the Soul, the person experiences the final purification of the will. Any egotism, either conscious or unconscious, is replaced by a complete acceptance of the will of God. And that is the point of this stage: to unite one’s will completely with God’s will, so that the soul wants nothing other than what God wants.

Someone tells you, "Do what you like": that's a challenge! Do you explain that you don't want to do what you like, but only what God likes, or do you keep quiet for fear of sounding like Goody Two-Shoes?  

After passing through the Dark Night of the Soul, one moves onto the last stages of prayer, the Unitive Way. This is the way of the “perfect,” those who have totally abandoned themselves to God and His holy will. At these stages, the soul does not experience distractions and has a complete certitude of intimate union with God.

There is no tedium or weariness in prayer, even though it is quite intense at this level. This is the highest level of purification and the saint can only make a naked act of faith. He is not dependent on any consolations, either of the senses or the higher facilities of intellect, will or memory; in other words, he does not believe in and love God because of what God does for him, but instead simply because He is God.

Level 7: Simple Union

During the prayer of Simple Union, all internal faculties, including the intellect and the will, are gradually captivated and occupied with God. What is not captivated? Only the external bodily senses. Otherwise, the soul is totally united to God.

Level 8: Conforming Union

This is also called “spiritual betrothal,” where both the internal and external senses are absorbed in the presence of the divine. At this stage, the person is in “ecstasy” – the body no longer responds to outside stimuli and is completely captivated by God.

Level 9: Transforming Union

If Level 8 is “spiritual betrothal,” then Level 9 is “spiritual marriage.” Conforming union involves the consent of the will to union, but Transforming Union is the union itself. This is the highest grade of perfection in prayer, and St. John of the Cross said it is “nothing less than a transformation into God.”

It is at this stage that deification occurs, and by grace a soul becomes more divine than human. One’s entire being is captivated by God and everything he does is completely united to God. The soul and God are so united at this stage that they cannot be separated. This is the goal toward which all Catholics should be striving.

The observant reader of these articles might notice that I spent much less space describing these last three levels than any of the other six. The reason for this is simple: they are so beyond human language, and they have been experienced by so few people, that detailed explanations are impossible. At these stages, one must simply follow the promptings of God as He leads the soul into complete union with Him.

Conclusion
If this series has whetted your appetite for learning more about Christian prayer, then I would recommend the following books to help you in that process.

Of course, when studying a topic, it is always best to read the primary sources, and these books are the best to get started for understanding this tradition of prayer:

• “The Way of Perfection” by St Teresa of Avila (my personal favorite)
• “Interior Castle” by St Teresa of Avila

It would be a shame  to miss out on what's probably an easier read, St Teresa's Life - which Jewish intellectual Edith Stein is said to have read at one sitting, put it down and declared "This is the truth!" She converted to Catholicism, entered Carmel as Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and died a martyr in Auschwitz in 1942. 

Edith Stein

• “Ascent of Mount Carmel” by St John of the Cross
• “The Dark Night of the Soul” by St John of the Cross
• “The Dark Night of the Soul” by St John of the Cross

Sometimes it is difficult to dive right into the primary sources, however, so if you want to better understand the teachings behind these writings, I would recommend these books by Fr. Thomas Dubay. They give the “lie of the land” that may help you better understand the works of the Spanish saints:

• “Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel-On Prayer” by Fr. Thomas Dubay SM
• “Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer” by Fr. Thomas Dubay

But by far the best way to learn about prayer is to actually pray yourself. Here is a classic resource to lead you in daily meditations:

• “Divine Intimacy” by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD.

The Carmelite bedside book. Indispensable. 

Whatever you do, be sure to make prayer an integral part of your daily life – our destination in life is union with God, and the only way to reach this destination is the Way of Prayer!

Eric Sammons

Eric Sammons is the Executive Director of Crisis Publications.




https://onepeterfive.com/the-ascending-way-of-prayer-part-ii/

 Also indispensable are "Determined determination" (St Teresa) and generosity towards God - Who will not be outdone in generosity. 

One more thing: St Teresa has a wonderful sense of humour. 

St John of the Cross, please pray for us