The Interior Castle or The Mansions
S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila
Mansion 6 Chapter 5
|
Mansion 6 Chapter 5
Chapter Contents
Treats
• Of The Same Subject
As The Last Chapter
And
• Describes The Flight Of The Spirit,
Which Is Another Way
By Which God Elevates The Soul:
This Requires Great Courage
In One Experiencing It.
This Favour,
By Which God Greatly Delights The Soul
Is Explained.
This Chapter Is Very Profitable.
░░░░░░░░
1. The flight of the spirit.
2. Self-control completely lost.
3. Symbol of the two cisterns.
4. Obligations following these favours.
5. Humility produced by them.
6. How our crucified Lord comforted
such a soul.
7. A humble soul fears these favours.
8. Mysteries learnt
during the flight of the spirit.
9. Imaginary visions sometimes
accompany intellectual ones.
10. How the flight of the spirit takes place.
11. The soul fortified by it.
12. Three great graces left in the soul.
13. The third grace.
14. Fear caused by this favour.
|
Mansion 6 Chapter 5
CHAPTER V.
1. The flight of the spirit.
1.
THERE is another form of rapture,
which, though essentially the same
as the last,
yet produces very different feelings
in the soul.
I call it 'the flight of the spirit', [288]
for the soul suddenly feels
so rapid a sense of motion
that the spirit appears
to hurry it away with a speed
which is very alarming,
especially at first.
Therefore I said
that the soul
on whom God bestows this favour
requires strong courage,
besides great faith, trust, and resignation,
so that God may do
what He chooses with it.
2. Self-control completely lost.
2.
Do you suppose a person
in perfect possession of her senses
feels but little dismay
at her soul's being drawn above her,
while sometimes, as we read,
even the body rises with it? [289]
She does not know
where the spirit is going,
who is raising her,
nor
how it happens;
for at the first instant
of this sudden movement
one does not feel sure
it is caused by God.
Can it possibly be resisted?
No;
Resistance only accelerates the motion,
as some one told me.
God now appears to be teaching the soul,
which has so often
placed itself absolutely in His hands
and
offered itself entirely to Him,
that it no longer belongs to itself;
thus it is snatched away more vehemently
in consequence of its opposition.
Therefore,
this person resolved to resist no more
than does a straw when attracted by amber
(a thing you may have seen);
she yielded herself into the hands of Him
Who is Almighty,
seeing it is best
to make a virtue of necessity.
Speaking of straw,
doubtless it is as easy
for a stalwart, strapping fellow
to lift a straw
as for our mighty and powerful Giant
to elevate our spirit. [290]
3. Symbol of the two cisterns.
3.
It seems that the cistern of water
of which I spoke
(but I cannot quite remember where)
in the fourth mansion, [291]
was formerly filled gently and quietly,
without any movement;
But now this great God
Who
restrains the springs and the waters
and
will not permit the ocean
to transgress its bounds, [292]
lets loose the streams,
which with a powerful rush flow
into the cistern
and
a mighty wave rises,
strong enough to uplift on high
the little vessel of our soul.
Neither the ship herself
nor her pilot and sailors
can, at their choice,
control the fury of the sea
and
stop its carrying the boat
where it will:
Far less can the interior of the soul now
stay where it chooses
or
force its senses or faculties
to act more than He
Who holds them in His dominion
decrees;
As for the exterior powers,
they are here quite useless.
4. Obligations following these favours.
4.
Indeed I am amazed, sisters,
merely writing of this manifestation
of the immense power
of this great King and Monarch.
Then what must be felt by those
who actually experience it?
I am convinced that
if His Majesty were to reveal Himself thus
to the greatest sinners on earth,
they would never dare to offend Him again
-- if not through love
at least through fear of Him.
What obligations bind those taught
in so sublime a manner
to strive with all their might
not to displease such a Master!
In His Name I beg of you, sisters,
who have received these or the like favours,
not to rest content
with merely receiving them
but to remember
that she who owes much
has much to pay. [293]
5. Humility produced by them.
5.
This thought terrifies the soul exceedingly:
Unless the great courage needed
was given it by our Lord,
it would suffer great and constant grief;
For looking
first
at what His Majesty has done for it
and
then
upon itself,
it sees
- How little good it has performed
compared with what it was bound to do,
and
- that the paltry service it has rendered
was full of faults, failures and tepidity.
To efface the remembrance
of the many imperfections
of all its good deeds
(if indeed it has ever performed any),
it thinks best
to forget them altogether
and
to be ever mindful of its sins,
casting itself on the mercy of God
since it cannot repay its debt to Him
and
begging for the pity and compassion
He ever shows to sinners.
6. How our crucified Lord comforted
such a soul.
6.
Perhaps He will answer
as He did to some one
who was kneeling before a crucifix
in great affliction on this account,
for she felt she had
never had anything to offer God
nor to sacrifice for His sake.
The Crucified One consoled her
by saying
that He gave her for herself
all the pains and labours
He had borne in His passion,
that she might offer them as her own
to His Father. [294]
I learnt from her
that she at once felt
comforted and enriched by these words
which she never forgets
but recalls whenever she realizes
her own wretchedness
and
feels encouraged and consoled.
I could relate several other incidents
of the same kind
learnt in conversation with many holy people
much given to prayer,
but I will not recount them
lest you might imagine they relate to myself.
7. A humble soul fears these favours.
7.
I think this example is very instructive;
It shows that we please our Lord
by self-knowledge,
by the constant recollection
of our poverty and miseries,
and
by realizing that we possess nothing
but what we have received from Him.
[295]
Therefore, courage is needed, sisters,
in order to receive this
and many other favours
which come to a soul
elevated to this state by our Lord;
I think that if the soul is humble
it requires more valour than ever
for this last mercy.
May God grant us humility
for His Name's sake.
8. Mysteries learnt
during the flight of the spirit.
8.
To return to
this sudden rapture of the spirit.
The soul really appears
to have quitted the body,
which however is not lifeless,
and though,
on the other hand,
the person is certainly not dead,
yet she, herself, cannot,
for a few seconds,
tell whether her spirit remains
within her body or not. [296]
She feels
that she has been wholly transported
into another and a very different region
from that in which we live,
where a light so unearthly is shown
[297]
that, if during her whole lifetime
she had been trying
to picture it and the wonders seen,
she could not possibly have succeeded.
In an instant her mind learns
so many things at once
that if the imagination and intellect
spent years in striving to enumerate them,
it could not recall a thousandth part of them.
9. Imaginary visions sometimes
accompany intellectual ones.
9.
This vision is
not intellectual
but imaginary
and
is seen by the eyes of the soul
more clearly than earthly things
are seen by our bodily eyes.
Although no words are pronounced,
the spirit is taught many truths;
for instance,
if it beholds any of the saints,
it knows them at once
as well as if intimately acquainted
with them for years. [298]
Occasionally,
besides what the eyes of the soul perceive
in intellectual vision,
other things are shown it.
In an imaginary vision
it usually sees our Lord
accompanied by a host of angels;
yet
neither the bodily eyes
nor the eyes of the soul [299]
see anything,
for these visions and many other things
impossible to describe,
are revealed by some wonderful intuition
that I cannot explain.
Perhaps
those who have
experienced this favour
and
possess more ability than myself
may be able to describe it,
although it seems to me a most difficult task.
10. How the flight of the spirit takes place.
10.
I cannot tell
whether the soul dwells in the body
meanwhile
or not:
I would
neither affirm that it does
nor that the body is deprived of it.
I have often thought that as,
though the sun does not leave his place
in the heavens
yet his rays have power
to reach the earth instantaneously,
so the soul and the spirit,
which make one and the same thing
(like the sun and its rays)
may, while remaining in its own place,
through the strength of the ardour
coming to it from the true Sun of Justice,
send up some higher part of it above itself.
In fact, I do not understand
what I am talking about,
but the truth is
that,
with the swiftness of a bullet
fired from a gun,
an upward flight takes place
in the interior of the soul.
(I know no other name for it, but 'flight.')
Although noiseless,
it is too manifest a movement
to be any illusion [300]
and the soul is quite outside itself;
At least that is the impression made upon it.
Great mysteries are revealed to it
meanwhile,
and
when the person returns to consciousness,
she is so greatly benefited
that she holds all this world's goods as filth
compared with what she has seen.
Henceforth,
earthly life is grievous to her
and
what used to please her
now remains uncared for and unnoticed.
[301]
11. The soul fortified by it.
11.
Those children of Israel
who were sent on first
to the Land of Promise
brought back tokens from it; [302]
So here, our Lord seems to seek
- to show the soul something of the land
to which it is travelling,
- to give it courage to pass
through the trials of its painful journey,
now that it knows where it must go
to find rest.
You may fancy
that such profit could not thus
quickly be obtained,
yet only those who have experienced
what signal benefits this favour leaves
in the soul
can realize its value.
12. Three great graces left in the soul.
12.
This clearly shows it to be
no work of the devil;
Neither the imagination
nor the evil one
could represent what leaves
- such peace, calm, and good fruits
in the soul,
and particularly
- the following three graces
of a very high order. [303]
The first of these is
a perception of the greatness of God
which becomes clearer to us
as we witness more of it.
Secondly,
we gain self-knowledge and humility
from seeing how creatures
so base as ourselves
in comparison with the Creator
of such wonders
have dared to
offend Him in the past
or
venture to gaze on Him now.
13. The third grace.
13.
The third grace is
a contempt for all earthly things
unless they are consecrated to the service
of so great a God.
With such jewels the Bridegroom begins
to deck His Bride;
they are too valuable for her
to keep them carelessly. [304]
These visions are so deeply engraved
in her memory
that I believe she can never forget them
until she enjoys them for evermore,
for to do so
would be the greatest misfortune. [305]
But the Spouse Who gave her these gifts
has power to give her grace
not to lose them.
14. Fear caused by this favour.
14.
I told you that courage was required
by the soul,
for do you think it is a trifling matter
for the spirit to feel literally separated
from the body,
as it does when perceiving
that it is losing its senses
without understanding the reason?
There is need that He
Who gives all the rest
should include fortitude.
You will say this fright is well rewarded,
and so say I.
May He
Who can bestow such graces
be for ever praised
and
may His Majesty vouchsafe
that we may be worthy to serve Him.
Amen.
________________
Foot Notes:
[288]
Rel. viii. 10, 11.
Life, ch. xviii, 8;
xx. 3.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #1's
Footnote reference #288
"another form of rapture...
I call it 'the flight of the spirit', [288]"
Rel. viii. 10, 11.
"A transport
comes on by one sole act of His Majesty,
wrought in the innermost part of the soul
with such swiftness
that it is as if the higher part thereof
were carried away,
and the soul leaving the body.
Accordingly it requires courage at first
to throw itself into the arms of our Lord,
that He may take it
whithersoever He will;
... the admitting of it
to the knowledge of deep things--
...
The virtues, as it seems to me,
remain stronger after this,
for there is a growth in detachment,
and the power of God,
who is so mighty,
is the more known,
so that the soul loves and fears Him.
For so it is,
He carries away the soul...
...
This, I think, must be the source
of those very fervent desires
for the salvation of souls, and
for some share therein, and
for the due praising of God.
[ Relations 8: #10]
The flight of the spirit...
is a rising upwards
from the very depths of the soul.
...
but only as a fire,
if it is great and ready for burning...
the soul, in that preparation of itself
which is the work of God,
sends up a flame,
-- the flame ascends on high...
nor does the flame cease to be fire
because it ascends:
so here, in the soul,
something so subtile and so swift,
seems to issue from it,
that ascends to the higher part,
and goes thither
whither our Lord wills.
...
it seems a flight,
and I know of nothing else
wherewith to compare it:
[ Relations 8: #11]
This little bird of the spirit
seems to have escaped
out of this wretchedness of the flesh,
out of the prison of this body,
The flight of the spirit
is something so fine,
of such inestimable worth,
as the soul perceives it,
that all delusion therein
seems impossible..."
[ Relations 8: #12]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life, ch. xviii, 8;
"The elevation of the spirit, or union,
comes together with heavenly love
but, as I understand it,
- union is a different thing
from elevation in union itself.
...
- the operations of our Lord therein
are different:
- there is a growth
of the soul's detachment
from creatures
more abundantly still
in the flight of the spirit.
... a great fire-
[ Life: Ch. 18: #8 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life, ch. xx. 3.
"A rapture is absolutely irresistible;
...
But rapture, for the most part,
- is irresistible.
- It comes, in general,
as a shock, quick and sharp,
- before you can collect your thoughts,
or help yourself in any way, and
- you see and feel it ...
rising upwards, and
carrying you away on its wings.
[ Life: Ch. 20: #3 ]
- you feel and see yourself carried away,
you know not whither.
- For though we feel how delicious it is,
- yet the weakness of our nature
makes us afraid at first, and
- we require a much more
resolute and courageous spirit
than in the previous states,
in order
-- to risk everything,
come what may, and
-- to abandon ourselves
into the hands of God,
-- and go willingly
whither we are carried,
...
my soul was carried away,
and almost always
my head with it,--
I had no power over it,--
and now and then
the whole body as well,
so that it was lifted up
from the ground.
[ Life: Ch. 20: #4 ]
It seemed to me,
when I tried to make some resistance,
as if a great force beneath my feet
lifted me up...
[ Life: Ch. 20: #7 ]
...humility is deeply imprinted in us.
...the spirit draws it upwards after itself,
and that with great sweetness...
The majesty of Him
Who can effect this
so manifests itself,
that the hairs of my head stand pright,
and a great fear comes upon me
of offending God, who is so mighty...
[ Life: Ch. 20: #9 ]
Rapture leaves behind
a certain strange detachment...
it seems that in this of rapture
our Lord would have the body itself
to be detached also:
and thus a certain singular estrangement
from the things of earth is wrought..."
[ Life: Ch. 20: #10 ]
_____________________
[289]
Life, ch. xx. 9.
St. John of the Cross,
Spiritual Canticle,
stanzas xiv.-xv. 23 sqq.
Philippus a SS. Trinit.
l.c. p. iii. tr. i. disc. iii. art. 3.
'This prayer of rapture
is superior
to the preceding grades of prayer,
as also
to the ordinary prayer of union,
and
leaves much more excellent effects
and operations in many other ways.'
St. Catherine of Siena
(Dialogue, ch. lxxix. 1)
says:
'Wherefore, oftentimes,
through the perfect union
which the soul has made with Me,
she is raised from the earth
almost as if the heavy body became light.
But this does not mean
that the heaviness of the body
is taken away,
but that the union of the soul with Me
is more perfect
than the union of the body with the soul;
wherefore the strength of the spirit,
united with Me,
raises the body from the earth.'
(Transl. by Algar Thorold.)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #2 's
Footnote reference #289
"feels but little dismay
at her soul's being drawn above her,
while sometimes, as we read,
even the body rises with it? [289]"
Life, ch. xx. 9.
"The effects of rapture are great:
- one is that the mighty power of our Lord
is manifested...
but, whether we like it or not,
we see
- that there is one mightier than we are,
- that these graces are His gifts, and
- that of ourselves
we can do nothing whatever; and
- humility is deeply imprinted in us.
And further, I confess
that it threw me into great fear,
very great indeed at first;
for when I saw
my body thus lifted up
from the earth,
how could I help it?
Though the spirit draws it upwards
after itself,
and that with great sweetness,
I was...able to see
that I was being lifted up.
The majesty of Him
who can effect this
so manifests itself,
that the hairs of my head stand pright,
and a great fear comes upon me
of offending God, who is so mighty.
This fear is bound up
in exceedingly great love,
which is acquired anew,
and directed to Him,
Who, we see, bears so great a love
to a worm so vile, and
Who seems not (only) to be satisfied
with attracting the soul to Himself
in so real a way,
but
Who will have the body also,
though it be
mortal and of earth so foul,
such as it is through our sins,
which are so great.
[ Life: Ch. 20: #9 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
St. John of the Cross,
Spiritual Canticle,
stanzas xiv.-xv. 23 sqq.
"that this spiritual flight signifies
a certain high estate and union of love,
to which, after many spiritual exercises,
God is wont to elevate the soul:
it is called the spiritual betrothal
of the Word, the Son of God.
[ Spiritual Canticle: Stanzas xiv: #1
St. John of the Cross:
Translation: Benedictines of Stanbrook ]
"the soul, in its flight
to the divine ark of the bosom of God,
sees therein not only the many mansions...
but also...all the magnificence
in which the soul may rejoice"
[ Spiritual Canticle: Stanzas xiv: #3 ]
In this divine union the soul has
a vision and foretaste
of abundant and inestimable riches,
...it attains to the secrets of God, and
to a strange knowledge of Him,
...drinks deeply of the wisdom of God...
...rejoices consciously
in the inestimable banquet of love
[ Spiritual Canticle: Stanzas xiv: #4 ]
...the soul...feels itself to be so overwhelmed
with the torrent of the Spirit of God, and
so violently overpowered by it...
yet there is nothing painful in it,
for these rivers are rivers of peace...
[ Spiritual Canticle: Stanzas xiv: #12 ]
...a manifestation also of the truths
of the Divinity,
and a revelation of the secret mysteries..
[ Spiritual Canticle: Stanzas xiv: #20 ]
'When my spirit was made
to transcend the ways and limitations
of nature in ecstasies and raptures"
-- "the hair of my flesh stood upright' "
[ Spiritual Canticle: Stanzas xiv: #26 ]
_____________________
[290]
Life, ch. xxii. 20.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #3's
Footnote reference #290
Speaking of straw,
doubtless it is as easy
for a stalwart, strapping fellow
to lift a straw
as for our mighty and powerful Giant
to elevate our spirit. [290]"
Life, ch. xxii. 20.
"We may do what we like,
but He throws the spirit
into a trance
as easily as a giant takes up a straw;
no resistance is possible...
Well, it seems to me
still more difficult and hard
for our spirit to rise upwards,
if God does not raise it..."
[ Life: Ch. 22: #20 ]
_____________________
[291]
Castle, M. iv. ch. ii. 3.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #3's
Footnote reference #291
"It seems that the cistern of water
of which I spoke
(but I cannot quite remember where)
in the fourth mansion, [291]
was formerly filled gently and quietly,
without any movement;"
Castle, M. iv. ch. ii. 3
"To make the matter clearer,
let us imagine we see
two fountains
with basins which fill with water...
These two basins
are filled in different ways;
the one with water
- from a distance flowing into it
- through many pipes
and waterworks,
while the other basin
- is built near the source
of the spring itself
and
- fills quite noiselessly...
[ Interior Castle: Mansion 4: Ch. 2: #3 ]
Such is the difference
between the two kinds of prayer.
The water running through the aqueducts
resembles sensible devotion,
which is obtained by meditation.
....
The other fountain,
like divine consolations,
receives the water from the source itself,
which signifies God:
as usual,
when His Majesty wills to bestow on us
any supernatural favours,
we experience the greatest
peace, calm, and sweetness
in the inmost depths of our being;
[ Interior Castle: Mansion 4: Ch. 2: #4 ]
_____________________
[292]
Prov. viii. 29.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #3's
Footnote reference #292
"this great God
Who
restrains the springs and the waters
and
will not permit the ocean
to transgress its bounds [292"
Prov. viii. 29
27 When he prepared the heavens,
I was present:
when with a certain law and compass,
he enclosed the depths:
28 When he established the sky above,
and poised the fountains of waters
29 When he compassed the sea
with its bounds, and
set a law to the waters
that they should not pass their limits:
when be balanced the foundations
of the earth;
[ Proverbs: 8:29 ]
_____________________
[293]
St. Luke xii. 48:
Cui multum datum est,
multum quaeretur ab eo,
et cui commendaverunt multum,
plus petent ab eo.'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #4's
Footnote reference #293
"...I beg of you...
who have received these or the like favours,
not to rest content
with merely receiving them
but to remember that she who owes much
has much to pay. [293]"
St. Luke xii. 48:
And unto whomsoever much is given,
of him much shall be required:
and to whom they have committed much,
of him they will demand the more.
[ Lk 12:48 ]
_____________________
[294]
Rel. ix. 8.
This happened at Seville in 1575 or 1576.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #6's
Footnote reference #294
"The Crucified One consoled her
by saying
that He gave her for herself
all the pains and labours
He had borne in His passion,
that she might offer them as her own
to His Father. [294]"
Rel. ix. 8.
8. Having one day conversed
with a person
who had given up much for God, and
calling to mind
that I
had given up nothing for Him, and
had never served Him in anything,
as I was bound to do, and
then considering the many graces
He had wrought in my soul,
I began to be exceedingly weary;
and our Lord said to me:
"Thou knowest of the betrothal
between thee and Myself, and
therefore all I have is thine; and
so I give thee
all the labours and sorrows I endured,
and thou canst therefore
ask of My Father
as if they were thine."
Though I have heard
that we are partakers therein,
now it was in a way so different
that it seemed
as if I had become possessed
of a great principality;
for the affection with which
He wrought this grace
cannot be described.
The Father seemed to ratify the gift;
and from that time forth
I look at our Lord's Passion
in a very different light,
as on something that belongs to me;
and that gives me great comfort.
[ Relation 9: #8 ]
Translation: David Lewis ]
_____________________
[295]
1 Cor. iv. 7:
Quid autem habes quod non accepisti?'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #7's
Footnote reference #295
" we please our Lord
by self-knowledge,
by the constant recollection
of our poverty and miseries,
and
by realizing that
we possess nothing
but what we have received from Him.
[295]"
1 Cor. iv. 7:
Quid autem habes quod non accepisti?'
"What hast thou
that thou hast not received ?
And if thou hast received,
why dost thou glory,
as if thou hadst not received it ?"
[ 1 Cor: 4:7 ]
_____________________
[296]
2 Cor. xii. 2:
Sive in corpore nescio,
sive extra corpus nescio,
Deus scit.'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #8's
Footnote reference #296
"...sudden rapture of the spirit.
The soul really appears
to have quitted the body,
...she, herself, cannot...
tell whether her spirit remains
within her body or not. [296]
She feels
that she has been wholly transported
into another and a very different region
from that in which we live"
2 Cor. xii. 2:
"I know a man in Christ...
(whether in the body,
I know not,
or out of the body,
I know not:
God knoweth),
such an one rapt
even to the third heaven.
And I know such a man
(whether
in the body
or
out of the body,
I know not: God knoweth):
that he was caught up into paradise,
and heard secret words,
which it is not granted to man to utter'
(2 Cor. xii. 2-4)."
_____________________
[297]
This is called lumen prophetiae'
and
is a transient form of the lumen gloriae.'
See
St. Thomas Aquinas,
Sum. theol. 2a 2ae, q. 175, art. 3 ad 2.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #8's
Footnote reference #297
"She feels
that she has been wholly transported
into another and a very different region
from that in which we live,
where a light so unearthly is shown
[297] "
This is called lumen prophetiae'
( the light of prophecy )
and
is a transient form of the lumen gloriae.'
( the light of glory )
St. Thomas Aquinas,
Sum. theol. 2a 2ae, q. 175, art. 3 ad 2.
"Reply to Objection 2:
The Divine essence cannot be seen
by a created intellect
save through the light of glory,
of which it is written (Ps. 35:10):
"In Thy light we shall see light."
But this light can be shared in two ways.
First by way of an abiding form,
and thus it beatifies the saints in heaven.
Secondly, by way of a transitory passion,
as stated above (Q[171] , A[2])
(Question 171: Article 2)
of the light of prophecy;
and in this way that light was in Paul
when he was in rapture.
Hence,
this vision did not beatify him simply,
so as to overflow into his body,
but only in a restricted sense.
Consequently this rapture
pertains somewhat to prophecy."
[ Summa Theologica
Second part of Part 2:
Treatise on the Gratuitous Graces:
Question 175 - Of rapture
Article 3 -
Whether Paul, when in rapture,
saw the essence of God ?
St. Thomas Aquinas ]
See the Summa Theologica at the
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.SS_Q175_A3.html
_____________________
[298]
The same thing is related
of some Saints
while on earth,
e.g.
St Paul the first hermit and
St. Anthony,
who greeted each other by name
though neither knew
nor had heard of the other.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #9's
Footnote reference #298
" This vision is
not intellectual
but imaginary
and
is seen by the eyes of the soul
more clearly than earthly things
are seen by our bodily eyes.
Although no words are pronounced,
the spirit is taught many truths;
for instance,
if it beholds any of the saints,
it knows them at once
as well as if intimately acquainted
with them for years. [298]"
_____________________
[299]
These words,
though necessary for the context,
were only begun,
but not completed by St. Teresa.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #9's
Footnote reference #299
"yet
neither the bodily eyes
nor the eyes of the soul [299]
see anything"
_____________________
[300]
Life, ch. xx. 32.
Castle, M. iv. ch. i. 10.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #10's
Footnote reference #300
" an upward flight takes place
in the interior of the soul.
(I know no other name for it, but 'flight.')
Although noiseless,
it is too manifest a movement
to be any illusion [300] "
Life, ch. xx. 32.
"...a soul which has reached this state
neither speaks nor acts of itself,
but rather that the supreme King takes care
of all it has to do.
...what good reason the Psalmist had,
and all the world will ever have,
to pray for the wings of a dove!
It is plain that
this is the flight of the spirit,
rising upwards
above all created things,
and chiefly above itself:
but it is a sweet flight, a delicious flight--
a flight without noise.
[ Life: Ch. 20: #32 ]
Translation: David Lewis ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Castle, M. iv. ch. i. 10.
"Whilst writing this
I am thinking
of the loud noise in my head
which I mentioned in the Introduction,
(Blog Note: See Prologue)
and
which has made it almost impossible
to obey the command given me
to write this.
It sounds as if there were a number
of rushing waterfalls within my brain,
while in other parts,
drowned by the sound of the waters,
are the voices of birds
singing and whistling.
This tumult is not in my ears,
but in the upper part of my head,
where, they say,
is placed the superior part of the soul.
I have long thought
that this must be so
because the flight of the spirit
seems to take place
from this part with great velocity.
Please God I may recollect
to explain the cause
when writing of the latter mansions,
this not being the proper place for it.
It may be
that God has sent this suffering in my head
to help me to understand the matter,
for all this tumult in my brain
does not interfere with my prayer,
nor with my speaking to you,
but the great calm and love and desires
in my soul remain undisturbed
and my mind is clear."
[ Interior Castle: Mansion 4: Ch. 1: # 10 ]
_____________________
[301]
Compare # 8-10
with Philippus a SS. Trinitate,
l.c. p. iii. tr. i. disc. iii. art. 3.
'Muchas veces he pensado,
si como el sol estandose en el cielo,
que sus rayos tienen tanta fuerza,
que no mudandose el de alli,
de presto llegan aca;
si el alma y el espiritu
(que son una misma cosa,
como le es el soly sus rayos)
puede, quedandose ella en su puesto,
con la fuerza de calor
que le viene del verdadero Sol de justicia,
alguna parte superior salir sobre si misma.
En fin, yo no se lo que digo,
lo que es verdad es,
que con la presteza
que sale la pelota de un arcabuz,
cuando le ponen el fuego,
se levanta en lo interior un vuelo
(que yo no se otro nombre que le poner)
que aunque no hace ruido,
hace movimento tan claro,
que no puede ser antojo
en ninguna manera;
y muy fuera de si misma,
a todo lo que puede entender,
se le muestran grandes cosas.'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #10's
Footnote reference #301
See Paragraph #10
I have often thought that as,
though the sun does not leave his place
in the heavens
yet his rays have power
to reach the earth instantaneously,
so the soul and the spirit,
(which make one and the same thing
like the sun and its rays)
may, while remaining in its own place,
through the strength of the ardour
coming to it from the true Sun of Justice,
send up some higher part of it
above itself.
In fact, I do not understand
what I am talking about,
but the truth is
that,
with the swiftness of a bullet
fired from a gun,
an upward flight takes place
in the interior of the soul.
(I know no other name for it, but 'flight.')
Although noiseless,
it is too manifest a movement
to be any illusion [300]
and the soul is quite outside itself;
At least that is the impression
made upon it.
Great mysteries are revealed to it
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Philippus a SS. Trinitate,
Probably refers to
"Summa Theologiae Mysticae"
of Philip of the Holy Trinity,
the French Carmelite Friar.
which includes: prayer, active and passive
purification, contemplation, etc
_____________________
[302]
Num. xiii. 24.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #11's
Footnote reference #302
"Those children of Israel
who were sent on first
to the Land of Promise
brought back tokens from it; [302]
So here, our Lord seems to seek
- to show the soul something of the land
to which it is travelling,
- to give it courage to pass
through the trials of its painful journey,
now that it knows where it must go
to find rest."
Num. xiii. 24.
17 And Moses sent them
to view the land of Chanaan...
18 'View the land,
of what sort it is:
and the people
that are the inhabitants thereof,
whether they be strong or weak:
few in number or many:
19 The land itself,
whether it be good or bad:
what manner of cities,
walled or without walls:
20 The ground,
fat or barren, woody or without trees.
Be of good courage, and
bring us of the fruits of the land. "
_____________________
[303]
Life, ch. xx. 31.
The same distinctions with respect
to divine and diabolical locutions
may be found
in Life, ch. xxv. 5.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #12's
Footnote reference #303
"This clearly shows it to be
no work of the devil;
Neither the imagination
nor the evil one
could represent what leaves
- such peace, calm, and good fruits
in the soul,
and particularly
- the following three graces
of a very high order. [303]"
Life, ch. xx. 31.
"if the raptures be true raptures,
- the fruits and advantages spoken of
abide in the soul;
but if they did not,
I should have great doubts
about their being from God...
...the soul in rapture
...sees distinctly
that all this does not belong to it...
- but it clearly perceives
the very great blessing
which every one of these raptures
always brings.
for it is not satisfied with serving our Lord
in the common way,--
it must do so forthwith
in the highest way it can.
[ Life: Ch. 20: #31 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life, ch. xxv. 5.
"There is another test more decisive still.
The words formed by the understanding
effect nothing;
but, when our Lord speaks,
- it is at once word and work...
they
- dispose a soul at once,
- strengthen it,
- make it tender,
- give it light,
- console and calm it;
and if it should be
in dryness, or
in trouble and uneasiness,
all is removed,
as if by the action of a hand,
and even better;
for it seems as if our Lord
would have the soul understand
- that He is all-powerful, and
- that His words are deeds.
[ Life: Ch. 25: #5 ]
_____________________
[304]
'Dexteram meam et collum meum cinxit
lapidibus pretiosis;
tradidit auribus meis
inestimabiles margaritas.'
From the Office of St. Agnes.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #13's
Footnote reference #304
"The third grace is
a contempt for all earthly things
unless they are consecrated to the service
of so great a God.
With such jewels
the Bridegroom begins to deck His Bride
they are too valuable for her
to keep them carelessly. [304]"
'Dexteram meam et collum meum cinxit
lapidibus pretiosis;
tradidit auribus meis
inestimabiles margaritas.'
From the Office of St. Agnes.
Blog's rough translation:
He girded my right hand and my neck
with the precious stones;
(and attached) to my ears
inestimable pearls
_____________________
[305]
This is undoubtedly the correct rendering
of this difficult and obscure passage.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Blog Addition:
Regarding Paragraph #13's
Footnote reference #305
These visions are so deeply engraved
in her memory
that I believe she can never forget them
until she enjoys them for evermore,
for to do so
would be the greatest misfortune. [305]"
|
End of
Mansion 6 Chapter 5
The Interior Castle
or
The Mansions
S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
St. Teresa of Avila
|
Note:
Attempt was made to display the quotes
of the other books being cited
by the editor's foot notes.
But, they may not be the actual intended passages
that were cited by the editor
since the editions/translations used by the editor
may have different paragraph numbering
than those available to this blog. |
