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From what has been said above it becomes clear to
some extent what we mean by union of the soul with
God; what we now say about it, therefore, will be the
better understood.
It is not my intention here to treat of the
divisions of this union, nor of its parts, for I
should never end if I were to begin now to explain
what is the nature of union of the understanding, and
what is that of union according to the will, and
likewise according to the memory; and likewise what
is transitory and what permanent in the union of the
said faculties; and then what is meant by total
union, transitory and permanent, with regard to the
said faculties all together. All this we shall treat
gradually in our discourse -- speaking first of one
and then of another. But here this is not to the
point in order to describe what we have to say
concerning them; it will be explained much more
fittingly in its place, when we shall again be
treating the same matter, and shall have a striking
illustration to add to the present explanation, so
that everything will then be considered and explained
and we shall judge of it better.
2. Here I treat only of this permanent and total
union according to the substance of the soul and its
faculties with respect to the obscure habit of union:
for with respect to the act, we shall explain later,
with the Divine favour, how there can be no permanent
union in the faculties, in this life, but a
transitory union only.
3. In order, then, to understand what is meant by
this union whereof we are treating, it must be known
that God dwells and is present substantially in every
soul, even in that of the greatest sinner in the
world. And this kind of union is ever wrought between
God and all the creatures, for in it He is preserving
their being: if union of this kind were to fail them,
they would at once become annihilated and would cease
to be. And so, when we speak of union of the soul
with God, we speak not of this substantial union
which is continually being wrought, but of the union
and transformation of the soul with God, which is not
being wrought continually, but only when there is
produced that likeness that comes from love; we shall
therefore term this the union of likeness, even as
that other union is called substantial or essential.
The former is natural, the latter supernatural.
And the latter comes to pass when the two wills --
namely that of the soul and that of God -- are
conformed together in one, and there is naught in the
one that repugnant to the other. And thus, when the
soul rids itself totally of that which is repugnant
to the Divine will and conforms not with it, it is
transformed in God through love.
4. This is to be understood of that which is
repugnant, not only in action, but likewise in habit,
so that not only must the voluntary acts of
imperfection cease, but the habits of any such
imperfections must be annihilated. And since no
creature whatsoever, and none of its actions or
abilities, can conform or can attain to that which is
God, therefore must the soul be stripped of all
things created, and of its own actions and abilities
-- namely, of its understanding, perception and
feeling -- so that, when all that is unlike God and
unconformed to Him is cast out, the soul may receive
the likeness of God; and nothing will then remain in
it that is not the will of God and it will thus be
transformed in God.
Wherefore, although it is true that, as we have
said, God is ever in the soul, giving it, and through
His presence conserving within it, its natural being,
yet He does not always communicate supernatural being
to it. For this is communicated only by love and
grace, which not all souls possess; and all those
that possess it have it not in the same degree; for
some have attained more degrees of love and others
fewer. Wherefore God communicates Himself most to
that soul that has progressed farthest in love;
namely, that has its will in closest conformity with
the will of God. And the soul that has attained
complete conformity and likeness of will is totally
united and transformed in God supernaturally.
Wherefore, as has already been explained, the more
completely a soul is wrapped up in[232] the creatures
and in its own abilities, by habit and affection, the
less preparation it has for such union; for it gives
not God a complete opportunity to transform it
supernaturally. The soul, then, needs only to strip
itself of these natural dissimilarities and
contrarieties, so that God, Who is communicating
Himself naturally to it, according to the course of
nature, may communicate Himself to it supernaturally,
by means of grace.
5. And it is this that Saint John desired to
explain when he said: Qui non ex sanguinibus, neque
ex voluntate carnis, neque ex voluntate viri, sed ex
Deo nati sunt.[233] As though he had said: He gave
power to be sons of God -- that is, to be transformed
in God -- only to those who are born, not of blood --
that is, not of natural constitution and temperament
-- neither of the will of the flesh -- that is, of
the free will of natural capacity and ability --
still less of the will of man -- wherein is included
every way and manner of judging and comprehending
with the understanding. He gave power to none of
these to become sons of God, but only to those that
are born of God -- that is, to those who, being born
again through grace, and dying first of all to
everything that is of the old man, are raised above
themselves to the supernatural, and receive from God
this rebirth and adoption, which transcends all that
can be imagined.
For, as Saint John himself says elsewhere: Nisi
quis renatus fuerit ex aqua, et Spiritu Sancto, non
potest videre regnum Dei.[234] This signifies: He
that is not born again in the Holy Spirit will not be
able to see this kingdom of God, which is the state
of perfection; and to be born again in the Holy
Spirit in this life is to have a soul most like to
God in purity, having in itself no admixture of
imperfection, so that pure transformation can be
wrought in it through participation of union, albeit
not essentially.
6. In order that both these things may be the
better understood, let us make a comparison. A ray of
sunlight is striking a window. If the window is in
any way stained or misty, the sun's ray will be
unable to illumine it and transform it into its own
light, totally, as it would if it were clean of all
these things, and pure; but it will illumine it to a
lesser degree, in proportion as it is less free from
those mists and stains; and will do so to a greater
degree, in proportion as it is cleaner from them, and
this will not be because of the sun's ray, but
because of itself; so much so that, if it be wholly
pure and clean, the ray of sunlight will transform it
and illumine it in such wise that it will itself seem
to be a ray and will give the same light as the ray.
Although in reality the window has a nature
distinct from that of the ray itself, however much it
may resemble it, yet we may say that that window is a
ray of the sun or is light by participation. And the
soul is like this window, whereupon is ever beating
(or, to express it better, wherein is ever dwelling)
this Divine light of the Being of God according to
nature, which we have described.
7. In thus allowing God to work in it, the soul
(having rid itself of every mist and stain of the
creatures, which consists in having its will
perfectly united with that of God, for to love is to
labour to detach and strip itself for God's sake of
all that is not God) is at once illumined and
transformed in God, and God communicates to it His
supernatural Being, in such wise that it appears to
be God Himself, and has all that God Himself has. And
this union comes to pass when God grants the soul
this supernatural favour, that all the things of God
and the soul are one in participant transformation;
and the soul seems to be God rather than a soul, and
is indeed God by participation; although it is true
that its natural being, though thus transformed, is
as distinct from the Being of God as it was before,
even as the window has likewise a nature distinct
from that of the ray, though the ray gives it
brightness.
8. This makes it clearer that the preparation of
the soul for this union, as we said, is not that it
should understand or perceive or feel or imagine
anything, concerning either God or aught else, but
that it should have purity and love -- that is,
perfect resignation and detachment from everything
for God's sake alone; and, as there can be no perfect
transformation if there be not perfect purity, and as
the enlightenment, illumination and union of the soul
with God will be according to the proportion of its
purity, in greater or in less degree; yet the soul
will not be perfect, as I say, if it be not wholly
and perfectly[235] bright and clean.
9. This will likewise be understood by the
following comparison. A picture is truly perfect,
with many and most sublime beauties and delicate and
subtle illuminations, and some of its beauties are so
fine and subtle that they cannot be completely
realized, because of their delicacy and excellence.
Fewer beauties and less delicacy will be seen in this
picture by one whose vision is less clear and
refined; and he whose vision is somewhat more refined
will be able to see in it more beauties and
perfections; and, if another person has a vision
still more refined, he will see still more
perfection; and, finally, he who has the clearest and
purest faculties will see the most beauties and
perfections of all; for there is so much to see in
the picture that, however far one may attain, there
will ever remain higher degrees of attainment.
10. After the same manner we may describe the
condition of the soul with relation to God in this
enlightenment or transformation. For, although it is
true that a soul, according to its greater or lesser
capacity, may have attained to union, yet not all do
so in an equal degree, for this depends upon what the
Lord is pleased to grant to each one. It is in this
way that souls see God in Heaven; some more, some
less; but all see Him, and all are content, for their
capacity is satisfied.
11. Wherefore, although in this life here below we
find certain souls enjoying equal peace and
tranquillity in the state of perfection, and each one
of them satisfied, yet some of them may be many
degrees higher than others. All, however, will be
equally satisfied, because the capacity of each one
is satisfied. But the soul that attains not to such a
measure of purity as is in conformity with its
capacity never attains true peace and satisfaction,
since it has not attained to the possession of that
detachment and emptiness in its faculties which is
required for simple union. |
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231. |
[231]As the Saint has explained above, this is a parenthetical
chapter necessary to an understanding of the following
chapters on the active purification of the three faculties of
the soul; for, in order to make an intelligent use of the
means to an end, it is important to know what that end is. St.
John of the Cross begins by setting aside the numerous
divisions under which the mystics speak of union with God and
deals only with that which most usually concerns the soul,
namely union which is active, and acquired by our own efforts,
together with the habitual aid of grace. This is the kind of
union which is most suitably described in this treatise, which
deals with the intense activity of the soul as regards the
purgation of the senses and faculties as a necessary means for
the loving transformation of the soul in God -- the end and
goal of all the Saint's writings. In order to forestall any
grossly erroneous pantheistic interpretations, we point out,
with the author of the M�dula M�stica (Trat. V, Chap. i, No.
2), that by union the Saint understands 'a linking and
conjoining of two things which, though united, are still
different, each, as St. Thomas teaches (Pt. III, q. 2, a. 1),
keeping its own nature, for otherwise there would not be union
but identity. Union of the soul with God, therefore, will be a
linking and conjoining of the soul with God and of God with
the soul, for the one cannot be united with the other if the
other be not united with the one, so that the soul is still
the soul and God is still God. But just as, when two things
are united, the one which has the most power, virtue and
activity communicates its properties to the other, just so,
since God has greater strength, virtue and activity than the
soul, He communicates His properties to it and makes it, as it
were, deific, and leaves it, as it were, divinized, to a
greater or a lesser degree, corresponding to the greater or
the lesser degree of union between the two.' This conception,
which is a basic one in Christian mysticism, is that of St.
John of the Cross. Had all his commentators understood that
fact, some of them would have been saved from making
ridiculous comparisons of him with Gnostics, Illuminists or
even the Eastern seekers after Nirvana. Actually, this Saint
and Doctor of the Church applies the tenets of Catholic
theology to the union of the soul with God, presenting them in
a condensed and vigorous form and keeping also to strict
psychological truth, as in general do the other Spanish
mystics. This is one of his greatest merits. In this chapter
he is speaking, not of essential union, which has nothing to
do with his subject, but (presupposing the union worked
through sanctifying grace received in the substance of the
soul, which is the source of the infused virtues, such as
faith, hope and charity, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit) of
active actual union, after which we can and should strive, so
that we may will what God wills and abhor what He abhors.
Though not the only kind of union, it is this which chiefly
concerns the soul; and, when once this is attained, God
readily grants all other mystical gifts. Cf. St. Teresa's
Interior Castle, V, iii [C.W.S.T.J., II, 259-60]. |
232. |
[Lit., 'is clothed with.'] |
233 |
St. John i, 13. |
234. |
St. John iii, 5. |
235. |
[Lit., 'wholly perfect and...'] |
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