Hearing the Word of God

 

 HEARING THE WORD OF GOD

“Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not listen, because you do not belong to God.” (John 8:47)

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

God speaks in many ways. Hearing is to recognize his voice and understand what he’s saying.

Doing isn’t the same as hearing. Doing doesn’t always involve outward action, calling only for an interior response.

Some believe they speak for God and expect others to follow them accordingly. That’s a different story altogether.

 

FIVE WAYS IN WHICH GOD SPEAKS

 

Understanding 

Penthos

Inspiration 

Affection 

Contemplation

The list is neither comprehensive nor complete. It is based on personal reflection proceeding from observation and personal experience.

Understanding

When we say “understanding,” we do not mean it in the sense of one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When we say “understanding,” we include the four gifts of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge—all rolled into one.

We mean “understanding” in the sense of an awareness and conviction on the part of the hearer that a communication has come from God and that it has a meaning intuitively manifest to them and about which they are confident concerning its origin and import.

Always it involves grace, because it directs the hearer in some way towards God and because all humanity, individually or collectively, is incapable of doing any moral or spiritual good without grace.

Always it involves grace—

Peter said to him in reply, “Explain the parable to us.” He said to them, “Are even you still without understanding?” (Matthew 15:15-16)

He opened their minds to understand the scriptures. (Luke 24:45)

When the heart hears with understanding, it is touched by the spiritual communication because understanding is not a purely intellectual event but rather a movement principally of the awakened heart.

It is the heart that hears, understands, and acts in response to the communication.

The occasion for the spiritual communication might be any internal or external event—for example, happening upon a verse in Scripture or being struck by an acquaintance voicing their insight. It could be our surprise when we are confronted by a beggar in the street—anything, really.

All the four additional ways—penthos, inspiration, affection, and contemplation—involve the grace of understanding because the heart does not act, it does not turn toward God, without this grace.

Penthos

Penthos is “sorrow for sin.”

All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Because all have sinned, with the exceptions of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, turning away from sin and toward God is required of all.

Monastics called it conversio mores—constant turning toward God consisting in the continual reform of one’s life.

Because we cannot see ourselves as God sees us, God sometimes illumines us with an understanding of our past sins so that we may repent and reform ourselves accordingly.

It sometimes happens that we are oblivious to even the most obvious transgressions—David, for example, did not repent of his grave sins of adultery and murder until the prophet Nathan confronted him about it.

Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Why have you despised the Lord and done what is evil in his sight? You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. His wife you took as your own, and you killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.’” (2 Samuel 12:7, 9)

Our incapacity to grasp our own sins and failings at other times involves more subtle lapses.

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Matthew 16:21-23)

In every instance, penthos or sorrow for sin involves the grace of illumination joined to God’s call to conversio mores.

Inspiration

Inspiration is the promptings of the Holy Spirit, animating the soul with love for God or for their neighbor in God and motivating them to express their love in virtuous activity.

Saint Paul in one of his memorable passages offers us a list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit that unmistakably springs from inspiration.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:12-16)

Virtuous activity can be wholly interior or it can be concomitantly interior and external.

Penthos or sorrow for sin in a type of inspiration.

Genuine prayer is always inspired inasmuch as we are incapable of doing anything good, including turning to God in prayer, without grace.

The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what the intention of the Spirit is, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will. (Romans 8:26-27)

Affection

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.

Saint Teresa of Avila in The Interior Castle attempted to distinguish between spiritual consolations and bodily emotions, but she was not entirely successful. She describes their inseparable dynamic.

[On religious emotions]

It appears to me that what we acquire for ourselves in meditation and petitions to our Lord may be termed “sweetness in devotion.” It is natural, although ultimately aided by the grace of God. …This sweetness arises principally from the good work we perform, and appears to result from our labours: well may we feel happy at having thus spent our time. We shall find, on consideration, that many temporal matters give us the same pleasure—such as unexpectedly coming into a large fortune, suddenly meeting with a dearly loved friend, or succeeding in any important or influential affair which makes a sensation in the world. …it would be felt by one who had been told her husband, brother, or son was dead, and who saw him return to her alive. …I consider both these joys and those we feel in religious matters to be natural ones. (The Fourth Mansions, Chapter 1, 4)

https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/castle2/castle2.viii.i.html  

[On spiritual consolations]

Let us imagine we see two fountains with basins which fill with water. I can find no simile more appropriate than water by which to explain spiritual things…. 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. If the fountain is plentiful, like the one we speak of, after the basin is full the water overflows in a great stream which flows continually.

…Such is the difference between the two kinds of prayer. The water running through the aqueducts resembles sensible devotion, which is obtained by meditation. We gain it by our thoughts, by meditating on created things, and by the labour of our minds; in short, it is the result of our endeavours….  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; I know neither where nor how. (The Fourth Mansions, Chapter 2, 3-4)

[On the overflow of spiritual consolations]

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.”

https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/discernment-of-spirits/introduction-to-discernment-of-spirits/

—“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.”

https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/discernment-of-spirits/the-difference-between-consolation-and-feeling-good/

—Margaret Silf, “The Difference Between Consolation and Feeling Good,” from Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality (1999), IgnatianSpirituality.com

Ignatian spirituality also distinguishes between the true consolation of God and the false consolation of the devil.

It is a subtle and in some ways complex distinction that requires extensive treatment.

“Later Ignatius had other occasions to discern ‘spirits’ and to note how the evil spirit cloaks himself as an angel of light for those who have advanced a bit in their journey into a deeper intimacy with God.

“…Ignatius had to act in faith on his discovery that God is not the only source of pious thoughts.”

https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/discernment-of-spirits/the-devil-comes-cloaked-as-an-angel-of-light/

—William A. Barry, SJ, “The Devil Comes Cloaked as an Angel of Light” in An Ignatian Spirituality Reader (2008), IgnatianSpirituality.com

Contemplation

“Contemplation” is a common term in expositions of Christian spirituality, but it is not always used with the same meaning.

By “contemplation” we mean here the mystical experience of God. It is a transcendental experience that comes from God and that reveals God in some way to the mystic.

The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary that have been approved by the Roman Catholic Church for pious belief are classic examples of contemplation in this sense of the word.

During the course of the apparitions, the visions are visual and often auditory as well. They sometimes involve the other senses.

Saint Bernadette’s account of Our Lady of Lourdes:

“According to Bernadette, the Lady of her visions was a girl of 16 or 17 who wore a white robe with a blue sash. Yellow roses covered her feet, a large rosary was on her right arm. In the vision on March 25 she told Bernadette, ‘I am the Immaculate Conception.’”

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-bernadette-soubirous/

—“Saint Bernadette Soubirous, April 16,” franciscanmedia.org

Saint Catherine Labouré’s vision is tactile in part.

“Catherine heard the rustle of fabric, and then saw Our Lady the Mother of God, who suddenly, walked in. Not only did she see her, but when Mary sat in the director’s chair, Catherine ran to her side, put her hands on Mary’s lap, and looked into her eyes. They spoke just like a tender mother would speak with her beloved child. As we can imagine, those moments were the sweetest of Catherine’s life. In their conversation, Our Lady told her to come to the foot of the altar, where graces would be spread to everyone who asked with confidence.”

https://miraculousmedal.org/the-message/apparitions/

—“The Amazement of the Visions,” The Miraculous Medal Shrine, 2022

Not all instances of contemplation involve one or more of the five senses.

Saint Teresa’s descriptions of contemplative prayer beginning in the Fourth Mansions of The Interior Castle are about mystical experiences that transcend the five senses.

[The prayer of quiet]

“In the prayer of quiet, when the water flows from the spring itself and not through conduits, the mind ceases to act; it is forced to do so, although it does not understand what is happening, and so wanders hither and thither in bewilderment, finding no place for rest. Meanwhile the will, entirely united to God, is much disturbed by the tumult of the thoughts: no notice, however, should be taken of them, or they would cause the loss of a great part of the favour the soul is enjoying. Let the spirit ignore these distractions and abandon itself in the arms of divine love: His Majesty will teach it how best to act, which chiefly consists in its recognizing its unworthiness of so great a good and occupying itself in thanking Him for it.” (The Fourth Mansions, Chapter 3, 7)

https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/castle2/castle2.viii.iii.html  

The following description by Saint Teresa of Avila is not exactly tactile.

 [The wound of love]

“I have been thinking that God might be likened to a burning furnace from which a small spark flies into the soul that feels the heat of this great fire, which, however, is insufficient to consume it. The sensation is so delightful that the spirit lingers in the pain produced by its contact. This seems to me the best comparison I can find, for the pain is delicious and is not really pain at all, nor does it always continue in the same degree; sometimes it lasts for a long time; on other occasions it passes quickly. This is as God chooses, for no human means can obtain it; and though felt at times for a long while, yet it is intermittent.” (The Sixth Mansions, Chapter 2, 6)

https://ccel.org/ccel/teresa/castle2/castle2.x.ii.html  

The five ways are not mutually exclusive. Mystical experiences (contemplation) are generally accompanied by spiritual consolations (affection), for example, while those who undertake virtuous activity (inspiration) are often motivated by consolation (affection).