|
DEAR
brother in
Christ, I
understand by
your own
speech, and
also by the
word of another
man, that you
yearn and long
to have more
knowledge and
understanding
than you have
of angel's song
and heavenly
sound--what it
is, how it is
perceived and
felt in the
soul, how to be
sure that it is
true and not
feigned, and
how it is made
by the presence
of the good
angel and not
by the
inputting of
the evil angel.
These things
you desire to
learn from me,
but,
truthfully, I
cannot tell you
with certainty
the truth of
this matter;
nevertheless I
will show you
something of my
opinion in a
short word.
Note
well that the
end and
pinnacle of
perfection is
true union of
God and the
soul by perfect
love. This
union is truly
made when the
powers of the
soul are
reformed by
grace to the
dignity and the
state of the
first
condition--that
is, when the
mind is firmly
established,
without
changing and
wandering, in
God and
spiritual
things, and
when the reason
is cleared from
all attention
to worldly and
fleshly things,
and from all
bodily images,
figures, and
fantasies of
created things,
and is
illumined by
grace to see
God and
spiritual
things, and
when the will
and the
affection are
purified and
cleansed from
all fleshly,
natural, and
worldly love
and inflamed
with burning
love of the
Holy Spirit.
This wonderful
union may not
be fulfilled
perfectly,
continuously,
and wholly in
this life,
because of the
corruption of
the flesh, but
only in the
bliss of
heaven.
Nevertheless,
the nearer that
a soul in this
present life
may come to
this union, the
more perfect it
is. For the
more that it is
reformed by
grace to the
image and the
likeness of its
Creator here,
in this way,
the more joy
and bliss shall
it have in
heaven.
Our
Lord God is an
endless being
without
changing,
almighty
without
failing,
supreme wisdom,
light, truth
without error
or darkness,
supreme
goodness, love,
peace, and
sweetness.
Therefore the
more that a
soul is united,
fastened,
conformed, and
joined to our
Lord, the more
stable and
strong it is,
the more wise
and clear, good
and peaceable,
loving and
virtuous it is,
and so it is
more perfect.
For a soul that
has by the
grace of Jesus
and long, hard
work of bodily
and spiritual
exercise,
overcome and
destroyed
lusts,
passions, and
unreasonable
impulses within
itself, and
without in the
sensuality, and
is clothed all
in virtues, as
in meekness and
mildness, in
patience and
softness, in
spiritual
strength and
righteousness,
in continence,
in wisdom, in
truth, hope and
charity--then
it is made as
perfect as it
may be in this
life. Much
comfort it
receives from
our Lord, not
only inwardly,
in its own
secret nature,
by virtue of
the union to
our Lord that
lies in knowing
and loving God,
in illumination
and spiritual
burning from
Him, in
transforming of
the soul into
the Godhead;
but also many
other comforts,
savors,
sweetnesses,
and wonderful
feelings in
various
manners,
because our
Lord graciously
visits His
creatures here
on earth, and
because the
soul profits
and grows in
charity.
Some
souls, by
virtue of the
love that God
gives them, are
so cleansed
that all
creatures and
everything they
hear, or see,
or feel by any
of the senses,
turns them to
comfort and
gladness; and
the sensuality
receives new
savor and
sweetness in
all creatures.
And just as
previously the
sensual
appetites were
carnal, vain,
and corrupt,
because of the
pain of
original sin,
so now they are
made spiritual
and clean,
without
bitterness and
biting of
conscience. And
this is the
goodness of our
Lord, that
since the soul
is punished in
the sensuality,
and the flesh
shares the
pain, that
afterward the
soul be
comforted in
the sensuality,
and the flesh
join in joy and
comfort with
the soul, not
carnal, but
spiritual, as
it was a fellow
in tribulation
and pain.
This
is the freedom
and the
lordship, the
dignity, and
the worth that
a man has over
all creatures,
which dignity
he may so
recover by
grace here,
that every
creature appear
to him as it
is. And that
occurs when by
grace he sees,
he hears, he
feels only God
in all
creatures. In
this way a soul
is made
spiritual in
the sensuality
by abundance of
love, that is,
in the nature
of the soul.
Also,
our Lord
comforts a soul
by angel's
song. This song
cannot be
described by
any bodily
likeness, for
it is
spiritual, and
above all
imagination and
reason. It may
be felt and
perceived in a
soul, but it
may not be
showed.
Nevertheless, I
will speak of
it to you as I
think.
When
a soul is
purified by the
love of God,
illumined by
wisdom, and
stabilized by
the might of
God, then the
eye of the soul
is opened to
see spiritual
things, as
virtues and
angels and holy
souls, and
heavenly
things. Then,
because it is
clean, the soul
is able to feel
the touching,
the speaking of
good angels.
This touching
and speaking is
spiritual and
not bodily. For
when the soul
is lifted and
ravished out of
the sensuality,
and out of mind
of any earthly
things, then in
great fervour
of love and
light (if our
Lord deigns)
the soul may
hear and feel
heavenly sound,
made by the
presence of
angels in
loving God.
Not
that this song
of angels is
the supreme joy
of the soul;
but because of
the difference
between a
person's soul
in flesh and an
angel, due to
uncleanness, a
soul may not
hear it except
by ravishing in
love, and it
must be much
purified and
well cleaned,
and filled with
much love,
before it will
be able to hear
heavenly sound.
For the supreme
and essential
joy is in the
love of God by
Himself and for
Himself, and
the secondary
is in communing
with and
beholding
angels and
spiritual
creatures. For
just as a soul,
in
understanding
spiritual
things, is
often touched
and moved
through bodily
imagination by
the work of
angels, as when
Ezekiel the
prophet saw in
bodily
imagination the
truth of God's
hidden
mysteries, just
so, in the love
of God, a soul
by the presence
of angels is
ravished out of
mind of all
earthly and
fleshly things
and filled with
a heavenly joy,
to hear angel's
song and
heavenly sound,
according to
the measure of
its love.
I
think that no
soul may truly
feel the
angel's song or
heavenly sound,
unless it is in
perfect love,
though not all
that are in
perfect love
have felt it,
but only the
soul that is so
purified in the
fire of love
that all
earthly savor
is burned out
of it, and all
obstacles
between the
soul and the
cleanness of
angels are
broken and put
away from it.
Then truly may
he sing a new
song, and truly
may he hear a
blessed
heavenly sound,
and angel's
song, without
deceit or
feigning. Our
Lord knows the
soul that, for
abundance of
burning love,
is worthy to
hear angel's
song.
Whoever
would hear
angel's song,
and not be
deceived by
feigning of
himself, or by
imagination, or
by the illusion
of the enemy,
should have
perfect love.
That is when
all vain love
and fear, vain
joy and sorrow,
are cast out of
the heart, so
that it loves
nothing but
God, nor fears
anything but
God, nor joys,
nor sorrows in
anything but
God, or for
God. Whoever by
the grace of
God goes this
way will not
err.
Nevertheless,
some are
deceived by
their own
imagination or
by the illusion
of the enemy in
this matter.
Such a person,
who may have
worked long and
hard, bodily
and
spiritually, in
the destroying
of sins and
gaining of
virtues, and
perhaps
received by
grace a little
rest, and a
clarity in
conscience, may
soon leave
prayers,
readings of
holy
scriptures,
meditations on
the passion of
Christ, and
thoughts of his
wretchedness.
Before he is
called by God,
he tries, by
his own skill
and by
violence, to
seek and to see
heavenly
things, before
his eyes are
made spiritual
by grace. He
overcomes his
reason by
imagination,
and by
indiscreet
effort turns
the brains in
his head, and
overworks the
powers and the
wits of the
soul and of the
body. And then,
because of
weakness of the
brain, he
thinks that he
hears wonderful
sounds and
songs. But it
is nothing but
a fantasy,
caused by
troubling of
the brain, as a
person in a
frenzy thinks
that he hears
and sees what
no one else
does. It is all
vanity and a
fantasy of the
head, or else
it is by the
work of the
wicked enemy
that feigns
such sounds in
his hearing.
For
if a person has
any presumption
in his
fantasies and
in his
workings, and
falls by them
into indiscreet
imagination, as
in a frenzy,
and is not
ordered or
ruled by grace,
or comforted by
spiritual
strength, the
devil enters
in, and by his
false
illuminations,
and by his
false sounds,
and by his
false
sweetnesses, he
deceives that
soul. And of
this false
ground spring
errors,
heresies, false
prophecies,
presumptions,
false
reasonings,
blasphemings,
slanderings,
and much other
mischief. And,
therefore, if
you see any
spiritually-occupied
person fall in
any of these
sins or
deceits, or
into frenzies,
know well that
he never heard
or felt angel's
song or
heavenly sound.
For, he who
truly hears
angel's song is
made so wise
that he will
never err by
fantasy, or by
indiscretion,
or by deceptive
working of the
devil.
Also,
some people
feel in their
hearts what
seem to be
spiritual
sounds and
sweet songs in
various
manners, and
this is often
good, but
sometimes it
may turn to
deceit. This
sound is felt
in this way. A
person sets the
thought of his
heart only in
the name of
Jesus, and
firmly holds it
there, and in a
short time he
thinks that
that name
brings him
great comfort
and sweetness,
and he thinks
that the name
sounds
delectably in
his heart, like
a song; and
this pleasure
is so strong
that it draws
all the powers
of the soul to
it. Whoever
feels this
sound and this
sweetness truly
in his heart,
knows that it
is of God, and,
as long as he
is humble, he
shall not be
deceived.
But
this is not
angel's song;
it is a song of
the soul by
virtue of the
name and by a
touching of the
good angel. For
when a soul
offers himself
to Jesus truly
and humbly,
putting all his
trust and his
desire in Him,
and busily
keeping Him in
mind, our Lord
Jesus, when He
will, purges
the affection
of the soul,
and fills it
and feeds it
with sweetness
of Himself, and
makes His name
feel in the
soul as honey,
and as song,
and as anything
that is
delectable; so
that the soul
evermore wants
to cry Jesus,
Jesus. And
he has comfort
not only in
this, but also
in psalms and
hymns, and
anthems of holy
Church; the
heart sings
them sweetly,
devoutly, and
freely, without
any effort of
the soul or
bitterness, in
the music that
the holy Church
uses.
This
is good, and a
gift of God,
for the
substance of
this feeling
lies in the
love of Jesus,
which is fed
and illuminated
by such songs.
Nevertheless,
in this manner
of feeling, a
soul may be
deceived by
pride--not
while the
affection sings
to Jesus, and
loves Jesus in
sweetness of
Him, but
afterward, when
it ceases and
the heart cools
down from the
love of Jesus.
Then pride may
enter in.
Also,
a man may be
deceived in
this way: he
hears it said
that it is good
to have Jesus
in his mind, or
any other good
word of God, so
he strains his
heart mightily
to that name,
and by habit he
has it nearly
always in his
mind.
Nevertheless,
he does not
feel by it
sweetness in
his affection
or light of
knowing in his
reason, but
only an
abstract
thought of God,
or of Jesus, or
of Mary, or of
any other good
word. Here may
be deceit, not
that it is evil
to have Jesus
in mind in this
way, but if he
holds this
feeling and
this thought
(which is only
by his own
effort and
habit) to be a
special
visitation of
our Lord, he
thinks it more
than it is.
For
note well that
an abstract
thought or
imagination of
Jesus, or of
any spiritual
thing, without
sweetness of
love in the
affection, and
without light
of knowing in
reason, is but
a blindness,
and a way to
deceit, if a
man hold it to
be more than it
is. Therefore I
think it safer
that he be
humble in his
own feeling,
and not esteem
this thought at
all, till he
may, by habit
and use of this
thought, feel
the fire of
love in his
affection, and
the light of
knowing in his
reason.
Now,
I have told you
in this matter
a little of
what I think,
not affirming
that this
suffices, or
that this is
the truth of
the matter. But
if you think
otherwise, or
if anyone else
savor by grace
the contrary, I
defer to him;
it suffices for
me to live in
truth
principally,
and not in
feeling.
|
