GUIDE TO
CARMELITE LITERATURE ON
SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Joseph Kenny, O.P.

References

Teresa of Avila:

• Life (1565 or 6)
• Interior castle
• Way of perfection (1565 or 6)
• Conceptions of the love of God (1571-3)
• Foundations (1573-)
• Spiritual relations, n. 5 (1576)

John of the Cross:

• Ascent (1579-85)
• Spiritual Canticle
  - 1st version (1584)
  - 2nd version (1586-91)
• Living flame of love:
  - 1st version 1585-7)
  - 2nd version (1586-91)

Thérèse of Lisieux:

• Autobiography
• Letters
• Last words

A. BEGINNINGS

Before this — state of mortal sin

 

1st Mansion (Int. C., M. 1)

• Prayer rare
• barely in grace

 

2nd Mansion (Int. C., M. 2)

• much practice of vocal prayer and good works
• not avoiding occasions of sin

 

3rd Mansion (Int. C., M. 3)

• Prayer meditative
• acquired recollection (W. of Perf., c. 28 & 29 — but there not distinguished from infused recollection)
• avoiding any deliberate sin

B. ADVANCING

4th Mansion (Int. C., M. 4; Life, c. 14-15 "second water"; W. of Perf., c. 31; Sp. Rel., n. 5; Living flame, c. 3, v. 3, nos. 30 ff.)

• starting with night of senses:
  - "common and happens to many" (Dark night, c. 8, n. 1)
  - "begins not long after initial stages of spiritual life", "sooner to the recollected" (D.N., c. 8, n. 4; Living Flame 3:3, n. 32)
  - "lasts long time" (D.N., c. 14, n. 146)
• prayer of infused recollection (Spir. Rel., n. 5 "recollection"; Int. C., M. 4, c. 3)
• prayer of quiet, proper to this stage
  - "interior peace and quietude" some of long time (Sp. Rel., n. 5)
  "tranquil" (Conc. of love of God, 4)
  "all faculties stilled —but only will captive" (W. of Perf., 31)
  "faculties not in union, but absorbed" (Int. C., M. 4, c. 1 & 2)
  "is 'consolation', but not acquired 'sweetness' (contentos)" (ibid.)
  "will is bound; intellect alive, concentrating or not; memory and imagination free, often distracting (ibid.)
• quiet overflowing during work (W. of Perf., c. 31) —or really = union, as in Life, c. 17, "Martha and Mary"?)
• quiet mistakable for union (Int. C., M. 5, c. 3)

 

5th Mansion (Int. C., M. 5; Life, c. 16-17 "third water"; Conc. of love of God, c. 4,5,6; c. 6 mixes simple union with deeper ecstasy); Spir. rel., n. 5, 29)

• Prayer of union of will and understanding only (Life 17)
• Properly, union of will and understanding, together with imagination and memory = "sleep of faculties" (Sp. Rel. n. 5d; Life, c. 16; W. of Perf., 31)
• "decisive indication" — "soul doesn't hear or understand" (Int. C., M. 5, c. 1)
• "seems the same at beginning, middle and end" —as opposed to ecstasy (Life, c. 20) —"can be resisted" — as opposed to ecstasy (ibid.)
• is preliminary for betrothal (Int. C., M. 5, ch. 4)
• "experiences of this and 6th mansion almost identical, but in 6th effects are more powerful" (Int. C., M. 5, c. 2)
• overflow into action, "Mary and Martha together" —understanding free for work, but person not fully master of self (Life, c. 17; Sp. Rel., n. 5e "will only in union")
• Effect: great eagerness (Int. C., M. 5)
• Most (Carmelite nuns) get this far (Int. C., M. 5)

 

4th & 5th Mansions together

• "usually many years" (Dark Night, II, c. 1, n. 1)
• sometimes rapidly, e.g. 3 days or 3 mos. (Conc. of love of God, c. 6)
• infused prayer of these stages need for rough time to come in night of spirit

C. UNITIVE

6th Mansion (Int. C., M. 6; Life, c. 18-21 "fourth water"; Spiritual Cant., 13-21; Living flame, can. 3, v. 3-4; can 1, v. 4; Thomas Aquinas, Summa II-II, 175)

• together with night of spirit. Some, who go no further, get only a bit of this (D.N. II, c. 1, n. 1)
• lasts some years if it is to be truly efficacious (D.N., c. 7, n. 4)
• felt in all intensity only at intervals (D.N., c. 6, n. 6)
• occasional partial illumination and release (D.N., c. 7, nos. 4-6; c. 10, n. 6)
• other concomitants:
  - sometimes absent-mindedness (D.N., c. 8, n. 1)
  - being "out of it" to many customary things (D.N., c. 9, n. 5)
  - feeling blessings have ended (D.N., c. 9, n. 9 —and elsewhere before)
  - bodily pains, stomach trouble (D.N. II, c. 1-2)
• Prayer of "esteeming love" (D.N., c. 13, n. 5; Spir. Cant. 1-2) —because God not felt (I would call this "prayer of disquiet"), given before and after ever having ecstatic union
• Prayer of "burning love" — enkinding "not felt at beginning, but as time passes" (D.N., c. 12, n. 5; c. 13, n. 5)
  - sometimes includes illumination of intellect, but usually after stirring of will (D.N., c. 12, n. 6; c. 13, n. 2; Int. C., M. 6, c. 3)
  - with daring acts of love (D.N., c. 13, n. 5-7, "when advanced" n. 8)
  - is like a "wound or spark" (Int. C., M. 6, c. 2; Ascent II, 32; Sp. Rel. n. 5)
  - no absorption or suspension, but better than prayer of quiet. Difference between "wound", "sore", "sickness": Sp. Cant. c. 7; Living flame, 2)
• Ecstasy or rapture (same: Int. C. M. 6, c. 4)
  - "At first after long mental prayer" (Life, c. 18) — can go dry again because of negligence (ibid.)
  - confirms betrothal" (Int. C., M. 6, c. 4; Sp. Cant. 13-14)
  - sometimes with illumination "seeing things in a room" (Int. C., M. 6, c. 4)
  - no resistance possible (Life, 20), sometimes levitation (ibid.); "cannot possible talk" (Int. C. M. 6, c. 4) — This is minutes, not a half hour (Life, 18); ebb and flow longer (Life, 20); not as if dead (Life)
  - "afterwards will absorbed and understanding transported" (Int. C., M. 6, c. 4)
  - Virtues fast result (Life 21) — safe mixing with any company (ibid.)
  - Ecstasy sometimes painful to body (D.N. II, 1, n. 2)
• Flight of the spirit = rapture as distinct from ecstasy (Life 18, 29; Sp. Cant. 13 ff)
  - Quicker, sudden, for a few moments (Int. C., M. 6, c. 5)
  - then distress at fact of committing many venial sins (Int. C., M. 6y, c. 6)
  - desire to do or suffer great things, yet still fearful
  - Beware of depression and weeping in desiring to see God, but let it be if from God.
• Jubilation (Int. C., M. 6, c. 6) — the "Pentecostal" section
• Arrow of fire or distress (Life 20; Int. C., M. 6, c. 11)
  - brief — quarter of hour to 3 or 4 hours (Int. C.)
  - painful, but leaves body strong; isolation and suffering may be relieved by ecstasy (ibid.)
  - can be after deep aridity
  - detachment as result of flight of spirit (Life 20) = way of cross
• When advanced in betrothal, many visits and favours (Living Flame 3:3, n. 24-25) — then greater anxious desires (ibid., n. 26)
• Concomitant phenomena "to awaken the soul": visions, imaginary and intellectual, and locutions (Int. C. M. 6)
  - how to judge authenticity (ibid.)
  - value of, secondary, not to be sought (D.N. etc.)

 

7th Mansion (Int. C., M. 7; Spir. Cant. c. 22-40; Living Flame: all)

• Properly union, spiritual marriage
• difference from betrothal (Liv. Fl. 3:iii)
• 6th mansion has similar experiences, but passing (Int. C., M. 6)
• Flame can grow great for some in this state (e.g. founders of orders) (Living Fl. 2; Therese of L., ch. 40). "Transverberation" (Liv. F. 2)
• sinlessness (Sp. Cant., esp. 27:7; 39:8; 40:2-7; Living Flame, esp. 2:vi; 4:iii-iv) — as opposed to Thomas Aquinas who repeatedly says the "perfect" have venial sin.
• includes "lapses, imperfections, falls" (Marie of the Incarnation: "little clouds") (Th. of Lis., ch. 34; Josefa Menendez: throughout)
• Interpret this as:
  - sense of being sinner greater (lack of adequacy to God's grace); but sins disappear
  - material sins, omissions through ignorance
  - temptations
  - hesitancy or sense of inability of human nature unless moved by grace
  - or simply "first movements" (Thomas Aquinas), apart from deliberate sins.
• Treasure of Christ and soul are one (Living Fl; Th. of Lis., c. 40)
• Apostolic effectiveness of love in this state (Liv. Fl.; Th. of Lis., throughout, esp. c. 40; Josefa Menendez: throughout)\
• Suffering more rather than less (Int. C., M. 7; Th. of L., c. 24 etc.; J. Menendez: throughout)
• Hardly a thread between this state and heaven (Liv. Fl. 1:v-vi)
• Few reach this stage, not because of God, but because of resistance (Liv. F., 2:iv-v, n. 27 ff.)
• Note: Marie of the Incarnation has 13 steps, 7th of which is spiritual marriage. See Vie spirituelle, 1953.

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