This chapter gives a glimpse into the life of the Fourth Mansions, which is at the realm of Holy Wisdom. From now on, there will be a particular help which will reveal that presence of God in the soul of which St. Teresa speaks. In the inner parts of the center of the crystal globe, the Fountain ever springing up whose living waters flow into all the apartments, the Holy Trinity of whom the soul is the temple. Wisdom that is Love, reigns there and orders all things with light and with love.
A. What is the Wisdom of Love? Wisdom is as eternal as God because she is God. Wisdom is “the worker of all things”; (Wis. 7:22) she reaches therefore from end to end mightily and orders all things sweetly.” (Wis. 8:1) In her is the spirit of understanding; holy, one, manifold, eloquent, active, undefiled, sure, sweet, loving that which is good, quick, which nothing hinders, beneficent, gentle, kind, steadfast, assured, secure, having all power, overseeing all things, and containing all spirits, ineligible, pure, subtle. For wisdom is more active than all active things: and reaches everywhere by reason of her purity. She is a gift from God. Wisdom was given to Solomon, bringing him every good. He saw that she was always very near to him and that to obtain her, it was sufficient to desire her. Wisdom is glorious, and never fades away, and is easily seen by them that love her, and is found by them that seek her. In order to designate Wisdom as worker of love, we call her “Loving Wisdom”. Loving or Holy Wisdom unites the Old and the New Testaments. It is the divine name that expresses all that is worked by God in man and for man from the beginning of creation to the end of time. B. What does Holy Wisdom do?
In saying that Wisdom gives light while causing darkness, we seem to be involved in a contradiction. Yet every spiritual experience attests to the co-existence of both. The work to be done in the soul is of so high and delicate a nature, that Wisdom must apply herself to it and direct it with her own lights and movements. The regions to which the reign of Wisdom extends are dark regions because the brilliance of her light and action shines forth upon them. The transcendence of the divine light it is that creates the darkness, not as a passing accident, but as an effect that is normal for our weak spiritual sight. 2. She Orders All With Love This Wisdom is of love. She is at the service of God who is Love. Because she is entirely at the service of God, Wisdom uses all her resources to communicate love. If love ceases for one instant to communicate itself, it would be no longer love; for love that becomes static degenerates into egoism. God ceaselessly engenders His Son; from the Father and the Son, the Holy Ghost constantly proceeds; that is why God is eternal Love. The love which has been poured out on us cannot remain static in our souls. The Wisdom of Love introduces us into the inner current of the divine life in the bosom of the Trinity, making us channels of grace and instruments of her action. To think only of intimate union with God is to be ignorant of the nature of love, to arrest its movement. For it would be the destruction or at least the diminution of love to confine it within any kind of selfishness no matter how spiritual this might seem. Holy Wisdom is concerned with souls less for themselves than for her own divine purpose. And this only purpose is the Church. We have to recall this frequently, so prompt is our egoism and our pride – encouraged by the feeling of our personal intimacy with God – to persuade us that we are an end in ourselves, the last end in the sanctifying work of divine Wisdom in our soul. An example of this divine purpose is found in the creation of the Blessed Virgin, with all her privileges, finds its justification in the divine maternity and the maternity of grace. Like Christ Jesus and His divine Mother, all the saints are for the Church. Holy Wisdom sanctifies them to bring them into unity with the Church and uses them for her works. This permanent union does not vow her to intimacy in solitude, but to action for Christ. The single end is the Church. The masterpiece of Divine Wisdom is incontestably the sacred humanity of Christ. And this humanity, united to the Word by the bonds of the hypostatic union, marvelously adorned with all the gifts, in possession of the beatific vision even here below – Holy Wisdom delivers it up to suffer the Agony of Gethsemane, to die the death of the cross, and to be the bread of life for those she has made her own. The Incarnation, Calvary, the Eucharist: these are the most beautiful triumphs of the Wisdom that is Love. Christ on the cross is a model that she lifts up before us as the perfect exemplar of all her works here. She wants to immolate us too, to make us beautiful that we may become purified and magnificent temples. She wants to prepare an altar in us, to offer us up to the glory of God and cause to spring from our wounds, floods of light and of life for souls. Wisdom built herself a dwelling and adorned it with seven pillars; there she has prepared an altar, she immolates her victims, and calls everyone to the feast that follows the sacrifice. This abode of Wisdom is Christ Jesus; it is the Virgin Mary… it is ourselves. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - Pray for us!
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Like the young man spoken of at the end of the last chapter, where he was hesitant to go and sell all he had to follow Jesus, many souls desire perfection but are hesitant also and go away. Teresa laments saying, “Truly, such misery is to be pitied”. Hence, we are at the stage of prayer where there is a parting of the ways for those who would really want perfection and those who become hesitant of what is asked of them. The saints of Carmel accept the words of Christ at their full meaning. “If you want to be perfect, sell all you have.” A soul is on the way to perfection only when it has made this first renouncement or detachment. A. Folly and Perfection It seems that with the words of Our Lord and the Carmelite saints, St. Teresa and St. John, we would be left with no other alternative but to give up all that we have. But, Blessed Fr. Marie Eugene states that this would seem to make perfection of the gospel impossible for all those whose position in life could not admit of such absolute poverty. He talks of this renouncement or detachment for laymen in this chapter. Complete detachment from possessions is imposed only on certain souls; but it is the sign of a more intimate and more general renouncement within the reach of all, adapted to each one, and crucifying all equally that he talks about.
2. He states that St. Paul clearly affirms this in the Epistle to the Corinthians – “Now when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We will hear thee again on this matter.” So Paul went forth from among them. Certain persons however joined him and became believers.” (Acts 17:32-3) Also is quoted, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject.” Also – “ And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not in loftiness of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of Christ. [2] For I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. [3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. [4] And my speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in shewing of the Spirit and power; [5] That your faith might not stand on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (I Cor. 2:1-5)In these quotations, a radical opposition is evident between the wisdom of the world in which St. Paul is living, and the wisdom of God who is guiding him in his apostolate and presiding over the development of Christianity. Like St. Teresa who admonishes a soul that bases everything on reason and wishes us to love to the point of folly, St. Paul underlines that the wisdom of Christ is folly to the eyes of the world. 3. Blessed Fr. Marie-Eugene uses examples of saints who, in the eyes of the world, loved God to folly. It is obvious that it is all the saints, but he uses the examples of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Lawrence, St. John of the Cross and the Cure of Ars. They are examples of a kind of sanctity which embraces the folly of the cross leading to supernatural fruits. He then goes further by posing questions about this folly such as: In what does this folly of the cross consist? Is sanctity really in opposition to human reason? In what measure must one be foolish in the eyes of men in order to be a saint? He answers by pointing out that there are several distinctions concerning the three wisdoms which are at the foundation of the moral and the spiritual order that will shed light on this problem. B. The Three Wisdoms First, Divine Wisdom directs all things sweetly to their final end by subjecting them to laws in conformity with their nature, and so establishes order in the universe. Divine Wisdom leads man to his supernatural perfection by manifestations of the divine will that appear in three different modes.
Blessed Fr. Marie Eugene uses an analogy of a nurse. A nurse without faith and God’s grace may do her duty with imperfections of impatience, unkindness or sloth. A nurse that does her job with the necessary graces cares for a sick person with a supernatural devotedness inspired by her sense of duty; then suddenly it comes to her in a concrete and living way that this patient is a member of the suffering Christ. From then on, she sees in him only her beloved Christ, and sweetly moved by a love that makes her forgetful of self, she continues her charitable mission with incomparable gentleness and delicacy. He quotes St. John of the Cross, “God alone moves the faculties of these souls…and thus the works and prayers of these souls are always effectual. Such were those of the most glorious Virgin Our Lady.” Ascent Bk III p. 230-1 C. The Different Wisdoms and Perfection
In Conclusion: Perfection according to St. Teresa is not the good exterior order and supernatural virtue that reason illumines and inspires. There must be that love that reduces reason to folly and submits it to the light and rapture of the Holy Ghost. God alone can make His saints. Before coming under His direct action, one has not entered into the way of perfection. This way opens after the third Mansions, and it is by engaging oneself upon it that one merits the name of beginner. The poverty or detachment that Blessed Fr. Marie Eugene points out for laymen is this surrender to God, to not trust in one’s reason or self. To give up on relying on self and turn to God in prayer – turn to God for all things. I will add that all perfection comes from the hands of Our Lady – turn to Her in prayer and ask for this humility of heart to depend solely on God and to surrender to His Will, His time and His grace for your soul. No two souls are alike but we are alike in that God wants us – He wants us to be united to Him. Let us go and not wait – we do not know if we have tomorrow. My God, my God, I love You above all things! Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us! Chapter IX – Regulated Life and Simplified Prayer
This chapter is about those who have reached the third Mansions. St. Teresa indicates that this is an important stage to be reached and is very precious. She does mention its temptations and pitfalls as well. She gives a vivid description of these souls: “They are most desirous not to offend His Majesty; they avoid committing even venial sins; they love doing penance; they spend hours in recollection; they use their time well; they practice works of charity toward their neighbors; and they are very careful in their speech and dress and in the government of their household if they have one. This is certainly a desirable state.” III Mansions I; Peers, II, p. 221 A. Regulated Life As one can see, the soul that has reached this state breathes order and correct appearance. They do not let their works or their devotions interfere with their duties of family life or of society. Their religion is of good quality. When compared to the soul in the first Mansions with its temptations of being saturated with the maxims of the world and given up to its evil tendencies so that it thought of God very little; this soul in the third Mansions seems more on the road to perfection. We can assume the tenacity of effort it required and the length of the struggle against self and others to avoid occasions of sin, to mortify evil tendencies, to put order into one’s life, to introduce into its life some regular exercises of piety, to accomplish with care all the duties of one’s state, to give to works of charity the time that pleasures or distractions formerly took, to avoid sin in every way, to acquire the virtues; in short – to regulate one’s whole exterior, ones words and actions, so that in them there might shine a discreet reflection of good interior dispositions. Good habits have been acquired and are practiced in daily life. For the soul that has entered into the third Mansion, this is a triumph that is due to the persevering energy of the will enlightened by reason. B. Simplified Prayer These souls have their hours of recollection in the third Mansions but they also have their periods of aridities. The efforts that have been exercised so perseveringly have created a certain facility for recollection. In the first and second Mansions, vocal prayers were necessary in order to remain near the Master, now there is a simplicity of activity that aids in the exchange of friendship with God. The simple gaze of the soul and to peacefully rest near the Master, replaces the noisy activity of words. This silence and rest are attitudes expressive of love; they favor excellently exchanges of friendship: “The fire of Divine love is the more readily enkindled in them (these souls); for they are so near that fire that, however little the blaze has been fanned with the understanding, any small spark that flies out at them will cause them to burst into flame.” Way of Perfection, Ch. 28 P. 117 Therefore, the prayer of simplicity can be defined as a gaze of the soul upon God in silence. This gaze of the soul on a distinct truth or a living form of Christ, is active; the attractiveness of the object renders it peaceful and silent. Consequently, there is a double element of this prayer of simplicity --- the gaze fixed on its object and the calm or silence that this produces. One must have regard for the activity and for the silence (calm). This calm is more beneficial and nourishing than all the chains of reasoning, and so it must be respected and maintained. The necessary activity must not trouble the fruitful silence that pervades certain regions of the soul. St. Teresa states that the faculties of the soul must do what they must in the way of activity in this Mansion until God gives the soul a better way (in the next mansions). In this kind of prayer, made up of successive pausing at certain scenes rather than of reasoned thought, the work of the soul consists in moving from scene to scene, delaying before each in an admiring comprehensive gaze, and then passing to the next peacefully when interest in the previous one fails. But it is not the distance covered nor the multiplicity of ideas that matter; it is uniquely the strength that is left in the soul by reason of its contact with the realities that the ideas represent. The peace that results seems to indicate that such a contact is established and that the soul is drawing fruit from it. Hence, it can be said that this prayer is incomparably richer than all the more active forms even should they be more ardent and more luminous. The prayer of simplicity is the fruit of higher and finer forms of the activity of the intellect. The soul enters upon the way of perfection by putting to the service of its ideal all its intellectual and moral energies. The third Mansions show us the triumph of human effort in the search for God yet the third Mansions are still far from the summit. C. Deficiencies and Difficulties “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord.” There is joy in his heart; and yet, too many dangers threaten him, for him not to be armed with fear. The progress of the soul is not yet stabilized. The soul is barely mortified in its most exterior manifestations. The well-regulated exterior might deceive us, as unfortunately it deceives the soul itself. St. Teresa says that a lack of humility prevents us from making progress. It is certainly normal that, as the soul makes progress towards sanctity, there continue to exist within it side by side evil tendencies and sublime virtue. St. Therese of the Child Jesus avows that she finds herself more and more imperfect in the measure that she advances; but she finds her joy in this, because misery draws down mercy. Many souls in the third Mansions lack the view of little St. Therese. They brood over these difficulties and woes and make up their minds that they are suffering for God’s sake and thus never really understand that it is all due to their imperfection. And in persons who have made so much progress this is a further mistake. St. Teresa adds that these persons become restless if they are despised in any way or lose some of their reputation – although they do meditate on what a good thing it is to suffer as our Lord did. St. Teresa goes further to explain that it is difficult to reach these people. Words are not enough, any more than they were for the young man who approached Jesus about what to do after he was living the commandments. Jesus told him to go and sell everything. He would not listen. St. Teresa says that when giving advice to these souls – they remain stubborn and will not listen as well. Fr. Marie-Eugene does not make it clear about what it is that would remedy these problems. I can only see that humility and persistence in prayer are the remedies. Of course, at the end of each of these chapters, I must add some words on Our Lady. She is our Teacher, Our Guide and Our Mediatrix of all Graces. As stated in the last chapter, it is difficult to obtain a good spiritual director to guide our souls when we fall into a pit. We have Our Lady, we can, with tears, pray to Her for advice and guidance. She will guide us in prayer. She will never abandon us – She is the way to find Jesus. Let us turn to Her always and at all times so that we can remain humble in knowing who we truly are before God and let Our Good Queen and Mother guide us to “The Way of Perfection”. Finally - after taking the month of December off in reading this book. I am beginning the year with Spiritual Direction. The sad part is - Spiritual Direction today is scarce. We have so many church closings, seminary closings, monastery closings, convent closings. I ask - Where are our priests? Answer: busy trying to manage a parish by themselves or worse trying to manage two or three by themselves that have been consolidated. I will begin with a sad story of my own experience. Since I was named after St. Bernadette by my Mother (at the wish of my Grandmother), I have been graced with a love of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This was truly a grace that I will always thank God for. I had my grandmother's Catholic saint books to read as a child since she passed away when I was six years old and my grandfather passed these books on to us. I realized at a young age that reading saints lives was truly what we should do since we are to "die just like Grandma someday". Death became real to me - thanks be to God. To make a long story short - I desired to give my life to God as a religious. My father gave me a book he found in a garage sale on Convents in the United States. This was in the 1960's and some were already closing. I chose The Monastery of the Visitation and not the one in Toledo, OH (which was closer to me) - I had to go to Bethesda, MD so I could be near the US Capitol and pray for my country! I wrote to the monastery and Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart told me that I needed a letter of referral from my Pastor. I walked to my parish of about six blocks with the address in hand and was very nervous about what he may ask me - rehearsing my possible answers. I knocked on his rectory door and he did not invite me in (this was January) but stood at the door listening to what I was there for. He took the address written on a piece of paper that I had in hand and said that he would be glad to write that for me and closed the door. That is an example of typical Modern Day Spiritual Direction. Needless to say, I went on my retreat, came back - met my husband and married. Knowing what I know now about the Church's troubles - this was a blessing and God's Will was done. The Monastery in Bethesda, MD closed after I had been married for about 5 years and is now a government building. I cry each time I think of this sacrilege. Back to the subject of Spiritual Direction - good luck today! But read on - there is hope! With God all things are possible!! This chapter is very beautiful and St. Teresa had four spiritual directors that one day became canonized saints! Some were well known theologians. Therefore, she was blessed with good and holy men. If you remember in our previous writing and reading, she lived at a time during the Inquisition. Books were scarce and those they had - they had to burn. Our blessings are the books written by holy theologians and saints! We are living in a time when books are far from being scarce. I once detested the computer because of what it would do to society - my children will tell you - I refused to be on one. When I discovered that I could find out-of-print AMAZING Catholic books - this changed my mind! We can use this device for good - but we must be aware of its evils as my latest talk under "Talks" - presents. I do not want to keep anyone from reading this chapter but it truly belongs to those who can find a real Spiritual Director who not only is knowledgeable but is also experienced in a true life of prayer. I highly recommend the book by the late Father Thomas Dubay on Spiritual Direction call "Seeking Spiritual Direction" Here is a site that sells them: The reason I recommend this book over this chapter (although the chapter has a wealth of knowledge) is because it addresses Q & A for those who can not find a director and those who think they have found one. It will give you guidance on what to look for and ask for in a good director. It will help you to make practical decisions in your progress and growth in prayer.
If you are serious about prayer and serious about progress - this book is a must. In this Chapter VIII of "I Want to See God", the following: Characteristics are Needed in a Director: 1. Holiness 2. Prudence 3. Experience 4. Learning Characteristics needed in a Directee: 1. Spirit of Faith 2. Affectionate Confidence 3. Simplicity and Discretion 4.Obedience The director is someone that submission is due as he guides the spiritual progress of the soul. Again, St. Teresa had accessibility to true theologians and saints. If we are lacking in this today, we have the writings of the saints. It is even said of St. Alphonsus deLiguori when writing "The True Spouse of Jesus Christ" for religious sisters, that many sisters come to him with concerns that they can find answers for in a book. Use prudence and discretion when getting advice today. Truly read "Seeking Spiritual Direction" by Fr. Thomas Dubay and this book will answer your concerns and questions. May Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and all the Carmelite saints pray for us! |
Blessed Fr. Marie-Eugene
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