The 2nd Mansion
~ Mental Prayer ~
Early Communication
(5) “God here speaks to souls through the words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways. Sometimes He call souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some Truth He teaches them during prayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear.”
This faithful Lover…
(9) “The will inclines to love Our Lord and longs to make some return to Him Who is so amiable, and Who has given so many proofs of His love, especially by His constant presence with the soul, which this faithful Lover never quits, ever accompanying it and giving it life and being.”
Bad company
(11) “Indeed, the soul passes through severe trials at this time, especially when the devil perceives from a person’s character and behavior that she is likely to make very great progress, for then all Hell will league together to force her to turn back.”
(12) “The soul should firmly resolve never to submit to defeat, for if the devil sees it staunchly determined to lose life and comfort and all that he can offer, rather than return to the first mansion, he will the sooner leave it alone.”
(15) “Remember, it is of the greatest importance- the sole aim of one beginning to practice prayer should be to endure trials, and to resolve and strive to the utmost of her power to conform her own will to the Will of God.”
Losing sight of God
(18) “The only remedy for having given up a habit of recollection is to recommence it, otherwise the soul will continue to lose it more and more every day, and may God grant it may realize its danger.”
The 3rd Mansion
~ Where Sweetness in Prayer, or Devotional Sweetness is experienced. ~
Humility
(2) “God, wishing His elect to realize their own misery, often temporarily withdraws His favors: no more is needed to prove to us in a very short time what we really are.”
Earthly pleasures
(13) “In the third mansion the Lord never fails to repay our services, both as a just and even as a merciful God, Who always bestows on us far more than we deserve, giving us greater happiness than could be obtained from earthly pleasures and amusements. I think He grants few consolations here, except, perhaps, occasionally to entice us to prepare ourselves to enter the last mansions by showing us their contents. There may appear to you to be no difference except in name between sensible devotion, and consolations and you may ask why I distinguish them. I think there is a very great difference, but I may be mistaken.”
Temptation
(18) “However such determined persons may not offend Our Lord, they must not expose themselves to temptation: they are still near the first mansions to which they might easily return.”
The 4th Mansion
~ The Prayer of Quiet is experienced. Divine Consolations, or Divine Favors are given. ~
Chapter 1
Strengthening through sweetness
“Were it [the soul] not tempted, the devil might sometimes deceive it about Divine consolations, thus injuring it far more. Besides, the soul would benefit less, because all occasions of gaining merit would be withdrawn, were it left continually absorbed in God.”
Sweetness in devotion, or Sensible devotion
“This sweetness arises principally from the good work we perform, and appears to result from our labors. Spiritual consolations, on the contrary, arise from God, and our nature feels them and rejoices as keenly in them, and indeed far more keenly, than in the others.”
“Sensible devotion does not dilate the heart.”
“These feelings of devotion are most common with souls in the first three mansions, who are nearly always using their understanding and reason in meditations.”
Chapter 2
Divine consolations, or The Prayer of Quiet
“When His Majesty wills to bestow on us any supernatural favors, we experience the greatest peace, calm, and sweetness in the inmost depths of our being. This joy is not, like earthly happiness, at once felt by the heart. The delight overflows throughout all the faculties, until it at last reaches the body. It arises in God and ends with ourselves.”
“Thou hast dilated my heart”
“They [celestial waters] appear to dilate and enlarge us internally, and benefit us in an inexplicable manner, nor does even the soul itself understand what it receives.”
“It is not a thing we can fancy or gain by anything we do; clearly it does not arise from the base coin of human nature, but from the most pure gold of Divine Wisdom.”
“I believe that in this case the will must in some way be united with that of God. The after effects on the soul, and the subsequent behavior of the person, show whether this prayer was genuine or no: this is the best crucible by which to test it.”
“God alone gives it [consolations] to whom He chooses, and often when the soul is least thinking of it.”
His calling of us
“In my opinion, His Majesty only bestows this favor on those who have renounced the world, in desire at least, if their state of life does not permit them doing so in fact. He thus specially calls them to devote themselves to spiritual things; if they allow Him to act freely He will bestow still greater graces on those whom He thus begins calling to a higher life. Those who enjoy this recollection should thank God fervently: it is of the highest importance for them to realize the value of this favor…”
Make no demands
“We should make our petitions like beggars before a powerful and rich Emperor: then, with downcast eyes, humbly wait. When He secretly shows us He hears our prayers, it is well to be silent, as He has drawn us into His presence; there would then be no harm in trying to keep our minds at rest.”
* Footnote page 76
… ” [if] this spiritual swoon should come upon us, when the intellect is laid to sleep, we should make this pause, and enjoy the blessing bestowed… as the gardener does when he waters his garden bed; who, after giving it a sufficiency of water, holds back the stream, and lets it soak and spread itself through the depths of the earth; and then when this hath somewhat dried up, he turns down upon it again the flow of water that it will receive still more, and be well irrigated.”
St. Peter of Alcantara
The 5th Mansion
The butterfly
“Oh, to see the restlessness of this charming little butterfly, although never in its life has it been more tranquil or at peace. It knows not where to stay nor take its rest; everything on earth disgusts it after what it has experienced…”
The 6th Mansion
~ Where Divine Union takes place. Also named The Flight of the Spirit. ~
Chapter 2
The dark night
(13) “Our Lord now usually sends severe bodily infirmity. This is a far heavier cross, especially if acute pain is felt: if this is violent, I think it is the hardest of earthly trials. I speak of exterior trials; but corporal pains if of the worst kind enter the interior of our being also, affecting both spirit and body, so the soul in its anguish knows not what to do with itself and would rather meet death at once by some quick martyrdom than suffer thus…”
Punishment
(16) “For one of the severe trials of these souls, especially if they have lived wicked lives, is their belief that God permits them to be deceived in punishment for their sins.”
No recollection
(17) “… but when he [the confessor] augments its fears they become almost unbearable. Especially is this the case when such spiritual dryness ensues that the mind feels as if it had never thought of God nor ever will be able to do so. When men speak of Him, they seem to be talking of some person heard long ago.”
Blankness
(19) “She lost all control over herself… for her mind was incapable of acting.”
Humility
(20) “In short, there is no other remedy in such a tempest than to wait for the mercy of God Who, unexpectedly, by some casual word or unseen circumstance, suddenly dispels all these sorrows; then every cloud of trouble disappears and the mind is left full of light and far happier that before.”
Confusion
(21) “… the sufferer believes that neither now, nor in the past, has she ever possessed the faintest spark of love for God. If at any time she has done good, or if His Majesty ever bestowed any favors on her, they seem to be but a dream or fancy, while her sins stand clearly before her.”
Chapter 3
Angels voices
(10) “The second sign is a great calm and a devout and peaceful recollection which dwell in the soul together with a desire to praise God. They say that communications, at any rate in this mansion are not uttered directly by God but are transmitted by an angel.”
Chapter 7
Human existence
(8) “… for to withdraw the thoughts from all corporal things, like the angelic spirits who are always inflamed by love, is not possible for us while in this mortal flesh.”
Resting in a state of bliss
(16) “There are souls who, having made a beginning, or advanced half way, when they begin to experience the prayer of quiet and to taste the sweetness and consolations God gives, think it is a great thing to enjoy these spiritual pleasures continually.”
(18) “I did not care so much about meditating… preferring to remain absorbed, awaiting spiritual consolations.”
Chapter 8
(3, 4, 5, 6) St. Theresa’s life experiences with visions and intellectual locutions.
“She was frightened by this vision which, unlike an imaginary one, does not pass away quickly but lasts for several days and even sometimes for more than a year.”
(7) “When Our Lord chooses to withdraw His presence, the soul in its loneliness makes every possible effort to induce Him to return.”
(8) “Those on whom these favors are bestowed should marvel at and praise God’s mercy for them. As these particular graces are not granted to everybody, anyone who receives them should esteem them highly and strive to serve God more zealously, since He has given such special aid.
(10) “I contend, as I always shall, that if the soul reaps the effects described from these divine graces, although God my withdraw these special favors, His Majesty will turn all things to its advantage; even should He permit the devil to deceive it at any time, the evil spirit will only reap his own confusion.”
The 7th Mansion
~ Divine Rapture. Ecstacy. ~