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These successive words always come when the spirit is
recollected and absorbed very attentively in some
meditation; and, in its reflections upon that same
matter whereon it is thinking, it proceeds from one
stage to another, forming words and arguments which
are very much to the point, with great facility and
distinctiveness, and by means of its reasoning
discovers things which it knew not with respect to
the subject of its reflections, so that it seems not
to be doing this itself, but rather it seems that
another person is supplying the reasoning within its
mind or answering its questions or teaching it.And
in truth it has good cause for thinking this, for the
soul itself is reasoning with itself and answering
itself as though it were two persons convening
together; and in some ways this is really so; for,
although it is the spirit itself that works as an
instrument, the Holy Spirit oftentimes aids it to
produce and form those true reasonings, words and
conceptions. And thus it utters them to itself as
though to a third person.
For, as at that time the understanding is
recollected and united with the truth of that whereon
it is thinking, and the Divine Spirit is likewise
united with it in that truth, as it is always united
in all truth, it follows that, when the understanding
communicates in this way with the Divine Spirit by
means of this truth, it begins to form within itself,
successively, those other truths which are connected
with that whereon it is thinking, the door being
opened to it and illumination being given to it
continually by the Holy Spirit Who teaches it. For
this is one of the ways wherein the Holy Spirit
teaches.
2. And when the understanding is illumined and
taught in this way by this master, and comprehends
these truths, it begins of its own accord to form the
words which relate to the truths that are
communicated to it from elsewhere. So that we may say
that the voice is the voice of Jacob and the hands
are the hand of Esau.[457] And one that is in this
condition will be unable to believe that this is so,
but will think that the sayings and the words come
from a third person. For such a one knows not the
facility with which the understanding can form words
inwardly, as though they came from a third person,
and having reference to conceptions and truths which
have in fact been communicated to it by a third
person.
3. And although it is true that, in this
communication and enlightenment of the understanding,
no deception is produced in the soul itself,
nevertheless, deception may, and does, frequently
occur in the formal words and reasonings which the
understanding bases upon it. For, inasmuch as this
illumination which it receives is at times very
subtle and spiritual, so that the understanding
cannot attain to a clear apprehension of it, and it
is the understanding that, as we say, forms the
reasonings of its own accord, it follows that those
which it forms are frequently false, and on other
occasions are only apparently true, or are imperfect.
For since at the outset the soul began to seize the
truth, and then brought into play the skilfulness or
the clumsiness of its own weak understanding, its
perception of the truth may easily be modified by the
instability of its own faculties of comprehension,
and act all the time exactly as though a third person
were speaking.
4. I knew a person who had these successive
locutions: among them were some very true and
substantial ones concerning the most holy Sacrament
of the Eucharist, but others were sheer heresy. And I
am appalled at what happens in these days -- namely,
when some soul with the very smallest experience[458]
of meditation, if it be conscious of certain
locutions of this kind in some state of recollection,
at once christens them all as coming from God, and
assumes that this is the case, saying: 'God said to
me . . .'; 'God answered me . . .'; whereas it is not
so at all, but, as we have said, it is for the most
part they who are saying these things to themselves.
5. And, over and above this, the desire which
people have for locutions, and the pleasure which
comes to their spirits from them, lead them to make
answer to themselves and then to think that it is God
Who is answering them and speaking to them. They
therefore commit great blunders unless they impose a
strict restraint upon themselves, and unless their
director obliges them to abstain from these kinds of
reflection.
For they are apt to gain from them mere
nonsensical talk and impurity of soul rather than
humility and mortification of spirit, if they think,
'This was indeed a great thing' and 'God was
speaking'; whereas it will have been little more than
nothing, or nothing at all, or less than nothing.
For, if humility and charity be not engendered by
such experiences, and mortification and holy
simplicity and silence, etc., what can be the value
of them?
I say, then, that these things may hinder the soul
greatly in its progress to Divine union because, if
it pay heed to them, it is led far astray from the
abyss of faith, where the understanding must remain
in darkness, and must journey in darkness, by love
and in faith, and not by much reasoning.
6. And if you ask me why the understanding must be
deprived of these truths, since through them it is
illumined by the Spirit of God, and thus they[459]
cannot be evil, I reply that the Holy Spirit
illumines the understanding which is recollected, and
illumines it according to the manner of its
recollection,[460] and that the understanding cannot
find any other and greater recollection than in
faith; and thus the Holy Spirit will illumine it in
naught more than in faith.
For the purer and the more refined in faith is the
soul, the more it has of the infused charity of God;
and the more charity it has, the more is it illumined
and the more gifts of the Holy Spirit are
communicated to it, for charity is the cause and the
means whereby they are communicated to it. And
although it is true that, in this illumination of
truths, the Holy Spirit communicates a certain light
to the soul, this is nevertheless as different in
quality from that which is in faith, wherein is no
clear understanding, as is the most precious gold
from the basest metal; and, with regard to its
quantity, the one is as much greater than the other
as the sea is greater than a drop of water. For in
the one manner there is communicated to the soul
wisdom concerning one or two or three truths, etc.,
but in the other there is communicated to it all the
wisdom of God in general, which is the Son of God,
Who communicates Himself to the soul in faith.
7. And if you tell me that this is all good, and
that the one impedes not the other, I reply that it
impedes it greatly if the soul sets store by it; for
to do this is to occupy itself with things which are
clear and of little importance, yet which are
sufficient to hinder the communication of the abyss
of faith, wherein God supernaturally and secretly
instructs the soul, and exalts it in virtues and
gifts in a way that it knows not.
And the profit which these successive
communications will bring us cannot come by our
deliberately applying the understanding to them, for
if we do this they will rather lead us astray, even
as Wisdom says to the soul in the Songs: 'Turn away
thine eyes from me, for they make me to fly
away.'[461] That is so say: They make me to fly far
away from thee and to set myself higher. We must
therefore not apply the understanding to that which
is being supernaturally communicated to it, but
simply and sincerely apply the will to God with love,
for it is through love that these good things are
communicated and through love they will be
communicated in greater abundance than before.
For if the ability of the natural understanding or
of other faculties be brought actively to bear upon
these things which are communicated supernaturally
and passively, its imperfect nature will not reach
them, and thus they will perforce be modified
according to the capacity of the understanding, and
consequently will perforce be changed; and thus the
understanding will necessarily go astray and begin to
form reasonings within itself, and there will no
longer be anything supernatural or any semblance
thereof, but all will be merely natural and most
erroneous and unworthy.
8. But there are certain types of understanding so
quick and subtle that, when they become recollected
during some meditation, they invent conceptions, and
begin naturally, and with great facility, to form
these conceptions into the most lifelike words and
arguments, which they think, without any doubt, come
from God. Yet all the time they come only from the
understanding, which, with its natural illumination,
being to some extent freed from the operation of the
senses, is able to effect all this, and more, without
any supernatural aid.
This happens very commonly, and many persons are
greatly deceived by it, thinking that they have
attained to a high degree of prayer and are receiving
communications from God, wherefore they either write
this down or cause it to be written. And it turns out
to be nothing, and to have the substance of no
virtue, and it serves only to encourage them in
vanity.
9. Let these persons learn to be intent upon
naught, save only upon grounding the will in humble
love, working diligently, suffering and thus
imitating the Son of God in His life and
mortifications, for it is by this road that a man
will come to all spiritual good, rather than by much
inward reasoning.
10. In this type of locution -- namely, in
successive interior words -- the devil frequently
intervenes, especially in the case of such as have
some inclination or affection for them. At times when
such persons begin to be recollected, the devil is
accustomed to offer them ample material for
distractions, forming conceptions or words by
suggestion in their understanding, and then
corrupting[462] and deceiving it most subtly with
things that have every appearance of being true.
And this is one of the manners wherein he
communicates with those who have made some implicit
or expressed compact with him; as with certain
heretics, especially with certain heresiarchs, whose
understanding he fills with most subtle, false and
erroneous conceptions and arguments.
11. From what has been said, it is evident that
these successive locutions may proceed in the
understanding from three causes, namely: from the
Divine Spirit, Who moves and illumines the
understanding; from the natural illumination of the
same understanding; and from the devil, who may speak
to the soul by suggestion.
To describe now the signs and indications by which
a man may know when they proceed from one cause and
when from another would be somewhat difficult, as
also to give examples and indications. It is quite
possible, however, to give some general signs, which
are these.
When in its words and conceptions the soul finds
itself loving God, and at the same time is conscious
not only of love but also of humility and reverence,
it is a sign that the Holy Spirit is working within
it, for, whensoever He grants favours, He grants them
with this accompaniment.[463]
When the locutions proceed solely from the
vivacity and brilliance of the understanding, it is
the understanding that accomplishes everything,
without the operation of the virtues (although the
will, in the knowledge and illumination of those
truths, may love naturally); and, when the meditation
is over, the will remains dry, albeit inclined
neither to vanity nor to evil, unless the devil
should tempt it afresh about this matter. This,
however, is not the case when the locutions have been
prompted by a good spirit; for then, as a rule, the
will is afterwards affectioned to God and inclined to
well-doing.
At certain times, nevertheless, it will happen
that, although the communication has been the work of
a good spirit, the will remains in aridity, since God
ordains it so for certain causes which are of
assistance to the soul. At other times the soul will
not be very conscious of the operations or motions of
those virtues, yet that which it has experienced will
be good. Wherefore I say that the difference between
these locutions is sometimes difficult to recognize,
by reason of the varied effects which they produce;
but these which have now been described are the most
common, although sometimes they occur in greater
abundance and sometimes in less.
But those that come from the devil are sometimes
difficult to understand and recognize, for, although
it is true that as a rule they leave the will in
aridity with respect to love of God, and the mind
inclined to vanity, self-esteem or complacency,
nevertheless they sometimes inspire the soul with a
false humility and a fervent affection of the will
rooted in self-love, so that at times a person must
be extremely spiritually-minded to recognize it. And
this the devil does in order the better to protect
himself; for he knows very well how sometimes to
produce tears by the feelings which he inspires in a
soul, in order that he may continue to implant in it
the affections that he desires. But he always strives
to move its will so that it may esteem those interior
communications, attach great importance to them, and,
as a result, give itself up to them and be occupied
in that which is not virtue, but is rather the
occasion of losing virtue as the soul may have.
12. Let us remember, then, this necessary caution,
both as to the one type of locution and as to the
other, so that we may not be deceived or hindered by
them. Let us treasure none of them, but think only of
learning to direct our will determinedly to God,
fulfilling His law and His holy counsels perfectly,
which is the wisdom of the Saints, and contenting
ourselves with knowing the mysteries and truths
with the simplicity and truth wherewith the Church
sets them before us.
For this is sufficient to enkindle the will
greatly, so that we need not pry into other deep and
curious things wherein it is a wonder if there is no
peril. For with respect to this Saint Paul says: It
is not fitting to know more than it behoves us[464]
to know.[465] And let this suffice with respect to
this matter of successive words. |