ON SPIRITUAL JOY
We ask whether the soul in her affectus can, by aspiration, or yearning, be moved to God without any of the intellect’s cogitation leading the way or keeping her company.
...Now there are two ways of apprehending, corresponding to the twofold natural human faculty for reaching God. Every soul has a power of understanding, which is the faculty of the intellect, and a power of loving, which is called the affectus. ...The other path is in the affectus and is called the love’s ardor. It takes place in the fire of the Holy Spirit sent down from on high, as the soul aspires in flaming affections to God alone, yearning only to be more intimately united to him with tighter cords of love. This second path is called the “best part,” the one chosen by Mary, who ardently yearned, as the gospel of John says.
Hence, just as the New Testament stands out in comparison to the Old Testament, so too the way of love, or perfection, which is found in ardent love and is designated by Mary, is nobler than all meditation or intellectual contemplation, which is designated by Rachel.
—In Hugh of Balma, The Roads to Zion Mourn, in Carthusian Spirituality: The Writings of Hugh of Balma and Guigo de Ponte, translated and introduced by Dennis D. Martin, preface by John Van Engen (New York: Paulist Press, 1997), pages 155-162
https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2018/10/docta-ignorantia.html
Affection is spiritual consolation wherein the will is drawn toward God and delights in God.
“Affection” in the ordinary sense of the word describes emotional attraction and fulfillment. How then do we distinguish “affection” in the sense of spiritual consolation from emotions that are bodily in nature?
In the first place, our spiritual affections are not entirely separable from our bodily emotions because we are embodied spirits. Only when our body and soul are actually separated—as in death or in the very rare instance of spiritual ecstasy—are our spiritual experiences entirely disjunct from the parallel response of our body.
We experience consolation and emotion in our soul and body, respectively, together, so that if consolation begins in the soul it overflows into the emotions, and when our body experiences emotions, we also experience their effects on our soul.
https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2023/01/hearing-word-of-god.html
This joy is not, like earthly happiness, at once felt by the heart; after gradually filling it to the brim, the delight overflows throughout all the mansions and faculties, until at last it reaches the body. Therefore, I say it arises from God and ends in ourselves, for whoever experiences it will find that the whole physical part of our nature shares in this delight and sweetness. …This joy does not appear to me to originate in the heart, but in some more interior part and, as it were, in the depths of our being. (The Fourth Mansions, Chapter 2, 5)
https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/castle2/castle2.viii.ii.html
Ignatian spirituality defines “spiritual consolation” and distinguishes it from “feeling good.”
“Spiritual consolation is an experience of being so on fire with God’s love that we feel impelled to praise, love, and serve God and help others as best as we can. Spiritual consolation encourages and facilitates a deep sense of gratitude for God’s faithfulness, mercy, and companionship in our life. In consolation, we feel more alive and connected to others.”
—“Introduction to Discernment of Spirits,” IgnatianSpirituality.com
“It isn’t always obvious that there is a difference between experiencing spiritual consolation and simply feeling good…. The effects can be very similar, but in fact the source is quite different.
“…the difference seems to lie in the focus of the experience. Spiritual consolation is experienced when our hearts are drawn toward God, even if this happens in circumstances that the world would regard as negative. It is a signal that our hearts, at least for that moment, are beating in harmony with the heart of God. Consolation is the experience of this deep connectedness to God, and it fills our being with a sense of peace and joy. The epicenter of the experience lies in God and not in ourselves.”
—Margaret Silf, “The Difference Between Consolation and Feeling Good,” from Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality (1999), IgnatianSpirituality.com
https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2023/01/hearing-word-of-god.html
Genuine spiritual joy is
infused grace. It begins in the will and overflows from the soul into the body.
By definition, it is possible to experience deep spiritual joy while undergoing
extreme corporeal affliction. Those who experience spiritual joy while
suffering martyrdom is an extraordinary instance of this possibility.
Royalty-free photo:
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Gonzalinho
Canticle of Brother Sun (translation adapted from the website Custodia Terrae Sanctae: Franciscan Missionaries Serving in the Holy Land) by Saint Francis of Assisi
ReplyDeleteMost High, all-powerful, good Lord,
yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no human is worthy to mention Your name.
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially my lord Brother Sun,
who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor:
Of You, Most High One, he bears a likeness.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars:
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night:
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no one living can escape:
woe to those who die in mortal sin;
blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.
Gonzalinho
As he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He said in reply, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:37, 39-40)
DeleteGonzalinho
Saint John of the Cross tells us in the Ascent of Mount Carmel, a lofty treatise of the spiritual life, of how he was granted a mystical vision of creation in praise to God, in which all creatures give honor, glory, and praise to the Creator, each according to its nature. It is a vision of the praise of creation akin to musical harmony:
Delete“In that nocturnal tranquility and silence and in knowledge of the divine light the soul becomes aware of Wisdom’s wonderful harmony and sequence in the variety of her creatures and works. Each of them is endowed with a certain likeness of God and in its own way gives voice to what God is in it. So creatures will be for the soul a harmonious symphony of sublime music surpassing all concerts and melodies of the world. She calls this music ‘silent’ because it is tranquil and quiet knowledge, without the sound of voices. And thus there is in it the sweetness of music and the quietude of silence. Accordingly, she says that her Beloved is silent music because in him she knows and enjoys this symphony of spiritual music.”
—Saint John of the Cross, “The Spiritual Canticle” in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D. (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1991), pages 535-36
Gonzalinho
Saint Francis of Assisi exclaims in spiritual joy a song of praise to the Creator, God the Father, in his now famous “Canticle of Brother Sun,” composed in the form of a Biblical psalm of praise.
DeleteGonzalinho
THE DARK NIGHT AND SPIRITUAL JOY
ReplyDeleteSaint John of the Cross’ most famous poem is “Noche Oscura,” “The Dark Night.” It is a lyric masterpiece of Spanish literature.
The poem’s title—or to be precise, the title of the book that expounds the poem—is familiar worldwide, and “dark night of the soul” has entered the lexicon of popular culture. Whenever the phrase “dark night of the soul” is popularly used, it usually means a prolonged experience of spiritual or psychological desolation, or both. Misconceptions to the contrary, Saint John of the Cross never wrote down this phrase, although he originated the expressions “dark night of the senses” and “dark night of the spirit.”
What is remarkable about this poem is its ecstatic tone. When we consider that it was composed over a period of nine months under conditions of major spiritual and physical affliction at Toledo, Spain, inside a closet converted into a place of solitary confinement, the rapturous poetry is astonishing. Paradoxically, Saint John’s dire circumstances give credence to his account of mystical union.
STANZAS OF THE SOUL
One dark night,
fired with love’s urgent longings
—ah, the sheer grace!—
I went out unseen,
my house being now all stilled.
In darkness, and secure,
by the secret ladder, disguised,
—ah, the sheer grace!—
in darkness and concealment,
my house being now all stilled.
On that glad night,
in secret, for no one saw me,
nor did I look at anything,
with no other light or guide
than the one that burned in my heart.
This guided me
more surely than the light of noon
to where he was awaiting me
—him I knew so well—
there in a place where no one appeared.
O guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
the Lover with his beloved,
transforming the beloved in her Lover.
Upon my flowering breast
which I kept wholly for him alone,
there he lay sleeping,
and I caressing him
there in a breeze from the fanning cedars.
When the breeze blew from the turret,
as I parted his hair,
it wounded my neck
with its gentle hand,
suspending all my senses.
I abandoned and forgot myself,
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased; I went out from myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.
“The Dark Night” offers us a rarefied account of mystical union. Delicately intimate metaphors move us deeply—“upon my flowering breast…he lay sleeping,” “the breeze…wounded my neck with its gentle hand.” The poem intrigues.
https://poetryofgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2018/12/saint-john-of-cross.html
Gonzalinho
THE MARTYRDOM OF SAN LORENZO RUIZ
ReplyDelete[Lorenzo Ruiz (1594-1637)] was arrested by Japanese officials for the crime of being a Christian and ordered to recant his faith. When he refused, he was imprisoned for two years. On September 27, 1637, Lorenzo and his companions were taken to Nagasaki to be tortured and killed if they would not recant their faith.
Lorenzo and his companions were tortured by water, which was forced into their mouths and down their throats and out their noses and ears. Despite the painful torture, the men refused to do so.
Following this, Lorenzo was hanged upside down, with a rope around his ankles. This method of torture was known as tsurushi, or “gallows and pit.” The torture forces a person to be hanged upside down with a gash cut in their forehead to prevent too much blood from gathering in the head. The gash also causes the victim to bleed to death over an extended period of time.
Those who have survived the torture have said it is unbearable.
One hand is left free so the victim can offer an agreed symbol that will represent their desire to recant their faith. Those few who recant are spared and allowed to live. But few people ever recanted, choosing instead to die for their faith.
Lorenzo refused to recant. According to the record of his death, his last words were, “I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God. HAD I A THOUSAND LIVES, ALL THESE TO HIM I SHALL OFFER. Do with me as you please.” [all caps mine]
His traveling companions were all killed, steadfast until the end.
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=231
“St. Lorenzo Ruiz,” Catholic Online
Gonzalinho
ReplyDeleteTHE MAGNIFICAT—CANTICLE OF CONTRADICTION, CANTICLE OF JOY
A masterpiece of Jewish and Christian prayer, the Magnificat is an outstanding work of theology. A great deal can be said about it as a result. My personal commentary, on the other hand, is short.
Below is the New American Bible translation (Luke 1:46-55).
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked with favor on his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.
We might describe the Magnificat as a “canticle of contradiction.” The spirit of the world, which esteems power, wealth, all sorts of display, is contradicted by the Spirit of God, who exalts lowliness and stoops to fill the needs of humanity even to the point of overflowing (see 1 Corinthians 2:12).
The motif of contradiction is well put according to Saint Paul:
The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. …God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. (1 Corinthians 1:25, 27-29)
Isaiah declares the same message as Saint Paul’s, God’s wisdom rises beyond human understanding:
My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord.
As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Contradicting the spirit of the world is a motif that runs throughout the Bible. In Deuteronomy, for example, God declares that Israel is his chosen people precisely because of their smallness, their weakness.
You are a people holy to the Lord, your God; the Lord, your God, has chosen you from all the peoples on the face of the earth to be a people peculiarly his own. It was not because you are the largest of all nations that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the smallest of all nations. It was because the Lord loved you and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to your ancestors, that the Lord brought you out with his strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)
The motif of favoring the weak over the strong recalls Hannah’s canticle:
The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering girds on strength. (1 Samuel 2:4)
In Isaiah, the prophet invites the thirsty and the hungry to fill themselves with God’s largesse:
All you who are thirsty—come to the water!
You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat;
Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me heedfully—listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)
To be continued
Gonzalinho
THE MAGNIFICAT—CANTICLE OF CONTRADICTION, CANTICLE OF JOY
DeleteContinued
The same motif of God feeding the hungry occurs in Hannah’s canticle:
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil. (1 Samuel 2:5)
Exaltation of the lowly by God, God’s deliverance of the needy—both are Biblical motifs.
High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory.
Who is like the Lord our God, enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth?
He lifts up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he raises up the poor, to seat them with princes, the princes of his own people.
He gives the childless wife a home as the joyful mother of children. (Psalm 113:4-9)
The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he humbles, he also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust; from the ash heap lifts up the poor, to seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage. (1 Samuel 2:5, 7-8)
God favors the lowly, the weak, the needy, and the poor—it is a message consistent throughout the Bible that the Magnificat recapitulates.
Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J. offers us a perspective on the Magnificat—indeed, on Mary herself—that invokes liberation theology and feminism. It is an ideological, in the political sense of the word, perspective, inciting thoughtful reflection, unsettling the status quo. It is intentionally subversive and characteristically postmodern.
The following passage, for example, is written from the standpoint of liberation theology:
“The Magnificat gives us an image of Mary speaking with prophetic authority a liberating hymn of praise. Regarding this canticle, [Martin] Luther observed: ‘She sang it not for herself alone but for all of us, to sing it after her.’ Doing so places us in intense relationship to the God who regards suffering with utmost mercy and summons us into the struggle to build a just world.”
With respect to the excerpt below we take note of the feminist spin:
“Applied to women’s struggle for full participation in governance and ministry in the church, the reversals of the Magnificat become rife with significance. Mary’s prophetic speech characterizes as nothing less than mercy—God’s intervention into a patriarchal social order.”
(I revised the original punctuation.)
https://www.uscatholic.org/2011/01/mary-mary-quite-contrary
—“Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,” U.S. Catholic, Vol. 68, No. 12 (December 2003), page 12
A last attribute of the Magnificat that I would like to highlight is its prophetic character, meaning, it foretells the future. Among the most remarkable prophecies of the prayer is Mary’s exclamation, “From now on will all ages call me blessed.”
The first part of the Hail Mary, which calls Mary blessed, according to the greeting of the angel Gabriel, appears in Christian liturgy as early as the sixth century C.E. The second part originates at the beginning of the High Middle Ages, around 1,000 C.E.
The Hail Mary is an essential part of the Angelus and the Rosary, two commonly recited Roman Catholic prayers, which attained their present form during the High Middle Ages and the Late, respectively.
Popular legend says that the Blessed Virgin Mary bestowed the Rosary to Saint Dominic de Guzman in a vision.
The Angelus and the Rosary venerate Mary with the title, “blessed.” She has been so celebrated for many centuries. Yes, the prophecy has come true.
https://poetryofgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2019/03/saint-mary-mother-of-jesus_21.html
Gonzalinho
Mary rejoices in God’s predilection.
Delete“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked with favor on his handmaid’s lowliness.”
The Magnificat is a canticle of joy.
Gonzalinho
SPIRITUAL JOY IN THE RISEN CHRIST
ReplyDeleteThose who die in Christ will share in the joy of his resurrection.
It is the degree of their union with God, not the magnitude of their suffering, that will determine the extent of their joy.
Gonzalinho
REGINA CAELI
ReplyDeleteV. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
R. For he whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant, we beseech you, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gonzalinho