ACCORDING TO FATHER THOMAS DUBAY:

"Carmelite spirituality is not something that is "take it or leave it". It's the gospel about deep prayer life. Everybody is called to a deep prayer life. John and Teresa are universal Doctors of the Church, so that I wouldn't say that John or Teresa's spirituality is any more Carmelite than Thomas' theology is Dominican. What I object to is people dealing with John and Teresa as though they are optional, thatyou can have some other spirituality. That is erroneous and contrary to the mind of the Church."(Fr. Thomas Dubay, Interview with John Leidy)

Sacred Congregation for Religious:

"The contemplative dimension is the real secret of renewal for every religious life. It vitally renews the following of Christ because it leads to an experiential knowledge of him. This knowledge is needed for the authentic witness to him by those who have heard him, have seen him with their own eyes, have contemplated him, and have touched him with their own hands." (cf. 1 Jn 1:1; Philip 3:8). (The Contemplative Dimensison of the Religious Life, Sacred Congregation for Religious, March, 1980, Vatican)

...

As we have already seen, the "Contemplation of God," as defined and practiced by the Catholic Church, is a supernatural gift, or passive participation, through the Person of the Word, Jesus Christ, in sanctifying grace and the life of the Holy Trinity. According to the mystical theologian, Father Jordan Aumann, "Contemplation is the grade of prayer in which the loving knowledge of God, by the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit,i.e., wisdom and understanding, in a supernatural mode, is intuitively "experienced." It is a passive experience of obscure, generalized loving knowledge within oneself coming from outside oneself.

Human beings are drawn to the religious dimension and the practice of prayer because, among other things, we find no real satisfaction in a life without God. We are constantly searching for that "something" that is missing in our lives and which will satisfy our hunger and make us happy. In contemplative prayer, we find the Peace of God which brings to an end to our unrequited seeking and searching for the love, satisfaction, and delight we know should be there for us somewhere in our lives. For since we were made for the ongoing loving delight of "union with the One, Infinite God," we remain empty, and cannot find peace in life until we participate in that union, no matter how many lesser trinkets and delights we acquire in order to assuage our hunger

St Thomas tells us:

"Contemplation is delightful on the part of its object, in so far as one contemplates that which one loves; even as bodily vision gives pleasure, not only because to see is pleasurable in itself, but because one sees a person whom one loves. Since, then, the contemplative life consists chiefly in the contemplation of God, of which charity is the motive, as stated above, it follows that there is delight in the contemplative life, not only by reason of the contemplation itself, but also by reason of the Divine love.

"In both respects the delight thereof surpasses all human delight, both because spiritual delight is greater than carnal pleasure, as stated above (I-II, 31, 5), when we were treating of the passions, and because the love whereby God is loved out of charity surpasses all love. Hence it is written (Ps. 33:9): "O taste and see that the Lord is sweet." (St Thomas, Summa Theologica, "Contemplation")

THE CHURCH HAS PRESERVED CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER THROUGH THE AGES IN SPITE OF DISAGREEMENTS AS TO ITS NATURE AND FOR WHOM IT WAS INTENDED

It is the common experience of retreat masters in our day, that contemplative prayer, and even advanced contemplative prayer, is alive and well within the Church, in spite of those who think they have re-discovered it. It has always been alive in the Church during all periods, even periods of less fervor, because it is the never-ending story of Almighty God working within the souls of His children to produce saints. And it has gone on in every age, as it is going on in our own. It is found among those priests, religious, sisters, brothers, and laymen who have implemented the full doctrine of the Church in their lives, and have been generous in exercising the virtues(spirit of chastity, humility, and love of neighbor) and following the Gospel. On the other hand, it is not common, today, to find contemplative prayer among those clergy, religious, and laity who have compromised with Church doctrine and the Gospel, or who have slipped into an amalgamation of Eastern and Christian meditative practices.

"Infused passivity" connected with contemplative prayer springs from inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The actuation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit gives us an inclination to "let go" of actions of the faculties, such as those connected with meditation, since, under the influence of this contemplative grace, they cause subtle pain and aridity. This should be distinguished from "acquired passivity" which one might undertake in order to thrust oneself into the mystical way before the proper time, and without the infused grace. Acquired passivity is obtained purely by the voluntary cessation of acts and activity.(gloss from Fr. Garrigou-Lagrance, "Three Ages of the Interior Life," p.22

St Teresa pointed out that we are always capable of a simple gaze on Our Lord, even though there may be times during the purification of the nights that we are not able to exercise our reason and imagination in complex meditative practices. Only God, Himself, has the right to remove all images and mental activity from our prayer, including the Sacred Humanity, when He personally suspends our faculties during the infused unknowing He initiates in the most pure apophatic contemplation. We merely surrender and cooperate with the divine infusion which inclines us to complete unknowing during such pure contemplative prayer. However, even during our time for apophatic contemplation, at the very beginning, and whenever the divine infusion is absent, we must gently return to our gaze on Jesus until we once again recognize the impulse calling us to complete apophatic surrender. And, moreover, we must stay with Jesus Christ during the rest of the day when we are not engaged in apophatic contemplative prayer. For He is the Rock, the Foundation, and the Way leading us to Eternal Life during all the many hours, days, and years of our pilgrimage on this earth.

Some, through significant error and superficial understanding, teach that St Teresa said one should never omit the thought of the Sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ, "including during the divinely infused passivity" connected with apophatic contemplation. Then they say, because she supposedly said this, she seems to be opposed to apophatic contemplation in its full purity and passivity, which goes beyond thought.

By this serious error, they oppose St Teresa to St John of the Cross, and they oppose the Via Positiva to the Via Negativa, which is conveniently in line with their practice of "No Jesus" spirituality and mantra-chanting as preparation for contemplative prayer. This is a monumental misunderstanding of what St Teresa and St John said, and of the central role of Jesus Christ from the beginning to the end, the Alpha and Omega, of the spiritual life. It is also a failure to see how the Via Positiva supports the Via Negativa throughout the spiritual life.

Teresa's vision of Carmelite spirituality is firmly established on the bedrock of apophatic contemplation in the same passive receptivity of pure faith emphasized by St John of the Cross. She, like St John, teaches that one is unable to engage in detailed or discursive meditation once contemplation begins. She also said that one should never "of set purpose" or "voluntarily," before contemplation begins, omit the thought of the Sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ, no matter how far progressed, until one is moved by Almighty God to do so by the "infused passivity" coming with the gift of apophatic contemplative prayer. This, of course, makes her unpopular with those contemporary groups who teach beginners to center their spiritual practice on a mantra, rather than meditation on the Life of Christ. Moreover, she taught that pre-contemplative spirituality of the first three mansions should concentrate on acquiring virtues and detachment, rather than practicing prayer techniqes. For she emphasizes, when that infused passivity is not present, one should engage the Sacred Humanity in a simple gaze of love until it returns, because Jesus has been given to us as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and "He who sees Me, sees the Father." St Teresa actually said in her Book of Foundations, and in her "Life":

"If while the soul is meditating the Lord should suspend it, well and good; for in that case He will make it cease meditation even against its own will. I consider it quite certain that this method of procedure is no hindrance to the soul but a great help to it in everything that is good; whereas, if it laboured hard at meditation in the way I have already described, this would indeed be a hindrance -- in fact, I believe such labour is impossible for a person who has attained greater heights. Moreover, she says, "I can assure them(contemplatives) that they will not attain the last two mansions, six and seven, if they set Him aside." She is speaking as one who is in the seventh manison, and who knows from personal experiece that souls never get beyond simple union if they abandon the Sacred Humanity, because they lose the Divine Guide Who must show them the Way. At all times, they should revert to this Humanity, at least with a simple gaze of love, until they experience the inclination to passivity coming from the divine infusion of apophatic contemplation.

THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND CONTEMPLATION

Contemplative prayer actuates the gifts of wisdom and understanding, during the actual prayer time of passive "unknowing," and the effects are normally experienced soon afterwards when the individual finishes the period of contemplation. Often, as an experienced contemplative, when one is quieting one's faculties, and placing them in a mode of "listening," or pure "receptivity," in order to receive the secret annointings of the Spirit in contemplation, one shortly becomes aware of the Spirit's presence in the manner described by St Teresa in the Fourth Mansions, as a movement within oneself, the center of one's soul, resulting in the sense of inner expansion, accompanied by a subtle Spirit or Presence of Bliss. The movement starts on its own initiative, when one is not thinking about it, and involves the body as one becomes aware of it. As one senses it, one simultaneously recalls the spirit from minor distractions, and reinstates a more pure level of "unknowing."

And it is not strange that this center of the soul, which often involves the sense of sweet presence working up from the seat to the chest, should include the region of the body just below the chest. For Jesus said, "If any man thirst let him come to me and drink. He that believeth in me... out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water! For lo, the kingdom of God is within you. 'It is there, hidden within you, like the grain of mustard seed, like the leaven which will cause the whole of the meal to rise, like the treasure hidden in a field, like the source from which gushes a river of water that will never fail." It is like pouring the golden liquid of divine life, into the clear water of the soul. And this divine liquid changes the quality of the soul, lending it its golden hue, and diffusing the bliss of "living water," which refreshes the soul and conveys eternal life.

Dom Belorgey, a Cistercian Abbot, speaks about the realization of God's Presence, and how its loving joy is really felt and "perceived" by the contemplative soul:

"For many souls receiving the gift of contemplative prayer, it is a normal occurance to realize the "Presence of God." After the period of the night of the senses, God begins to penetrate the soul with knowledge, love, and sweetness of Himself. The will is in union with God, even though the understanding, memory and imagination are free until they too are captured in the state of "full union." In passive contemplation, the soul really perceives its possession of God, its union with Him, it perceives it is, in a way, plunged and thoroughly absorbed into Him. Now when this impression is strong it is like a loving spiritual embrace; and then our soul is as sure of the presence of God as if He were beheld with eyes or touched by hands. (Dom Belorgey, O.C.S.O, "The Practice of Mental Prayer, p. 122.)

"This is a fact established by the experience of all mystics, and no author denies it. Father Poulain defends this expression by authority that is diverse and decisive. And although obscure and veiled while the mystical inflow is weak, God's presence is manifest, when it is strong. The sweet sight and presence of its Spouse leaves the soul speechless. This feeling of His presence is no product of imagination, according to Saint Alplhonsus Rodriguez, but is certitude received from on high; it is the spiritual experimental certitude that God is in the soul."(Ibid Dom Belorgey)

"The perception of God is calm, peace and happiness. It is born in that most hidden and sweet recess where God is present to the soul, in the words of Scaramelli. Mother Teresa Couderc tells of the taste of God: 'It is easier to experience than to describe. We may describe it as a sweet feeling of the love and presence of God; the soul realizes such goodness and is so totally recollected in HIm that it can scarcely turn away. I have often to do violence to myself to keep this hidden during recreation...Every other pleasure is insipid after the taste of God.'(Ibid)

"The new manner of knowing and loving Him is present, most likely through the gifts of wisdom and understanding. A mysterious fusion of light and love floods through the soul. And feeling God within, the soul's one desire is to possess Him ever the more, forever. Appeasement, sweetness in prayer and the presence of God are all felt to increase in one single movement. This union produces a joy that may even cause transfports and a kind of spiritual inebriation. In this delicious repose, this profound peace, the will is inebreated with love; it forgets its former pain, is strengthened for new trials, strides ahead in virtue, advances at a giant's pace toward where it will be transformed in God through love, which is perfection itself."(Dom Belorgey, O.C.S.O, "The Practice of Mental Prayer, p. 122.)

It is also significant that the "sitting position" seems to be the most conducive to mental stability, producing that stable quality of mind which lends itself to spiritual prayer. In this position, the body is stilled from action, and the mind too is stilled from action. The mind must be brought into line with the stillness of the sitting body. Such discipline of the mind prepares it for contemplation, and prevents useless wandering with counterproductive distractions slipping into consciousness. Richard Rolle of Hampole, in the fourteenth century, said that of all bodily positions for contemplative prayer, the sitting position was best. And within that position, when God induces contemplative prayer, there is often a movement of tightening of the sphincter muscle at the base of the spine, accompanied by a straightening of the back. As the prayer becomes intense, the tightening and straightening become correspondingly intense. Then, the tightening gradually gives way to a subtle awareness of expanding spirit within the chest area, which is accompanied with relaxation of the muscles, and a feeling of gentle free-floating within. This process seems to repeat itself throughout such contemplative prayer. Occasionally, one may experience "energy" flowing up from the area of the lower spine. This latter seems more of a natural than a contemplative experience.

The single-mindedness, and purity of infused unknowing, through withdrawal from thoughts, images, and distractions, in itself, seems to control the intensity of the spiritual action within, once it starts, and the intensity of the physical contractions in the body. On the other hand, when one allows distractions to capture the faculties of the mind, once contemplation has begun, the spiritual and physical processes becomes much less intense. At its most intense, the muscles in the seat or base of the spine area, particularly the sphincter, seem to lock into position, followed by the above mentioned intensification of back-straightnening and inner dilation in the chest area. The freer one is from distractions, and the purer the unknowing, the more intense the inner activity of the spirit and the concommitant physical actions.

This inner movement of the muscles at the base of the spine, and the muscles straightening the back, along with the sense of spiritual dilation, and the physical expansion within the chest, seems to nearly always accompany the annointings of contemplation, but normally in a gentle, delightful manner, and becomes somewhat characteristic of the body's participation in it.

We should mention that the practice of such prayer may be accompanied by the resurfacing of memories carrying strong emotional content of a negative nature, during, or more likely, after, the practice. This is the opportunity for the practice of heroic virtue as one prays for the people who have caused the negative reaction. It takes a certain amount of heroism because strong emotions connected with memories must be overcome with the Love of Jesus Christ. However, it pays enormous spiritual dividends as all of one's life is seen in the context of God's bringing good out of evil, and bringing one to the privileged positon of intimacy with Almighty God. For this is the miracle of the Gift Jesus has purchased for us with His own Blood: Suffering when heroically accepted in His Name, becomes a continual source of Joy, rather than sorrow or misery. One can then full appreciate that there must be many souls who, perhaps lacking such experiences, have made peace witht the "spirit of the world," and in the process have, perhaps, sold their birthright to Eternal Joy. We, however, who follow the powerful forgiveness teachings of Jesus are in a position to "Carry the Cross" of all our negative memories, and to powerfully intervene for those who have hurt us, and for the whole world!

Later on, this same Spirit initiated physical process, described above, intensifies during ecstatic union, or, at times during the prayer of the sixth mansions, so that the physical components of this process receive a powerful impetus from within one's spirit. This includes the mentioned locking of the muscles of the seat of the body, which gives rise to the back straightening and the chest expansion. This sometimes includes the bones being stretched, perhaps those in the chest or legs, and one may suffer from the painful stress put on them, particularly after such prayer is over. On the other hand, this same physical process, in the sixth mansions, sometimes intensifies in such a way that the marrow of the bones, themselves, seem to be filled with an unbelievably penetrating experience of sweetness and delight. And, then, after the transforming union, the physical accompaniment to contemplation settles back into the same process of gentle, delightful dilation and sweetness during, or shortly after, prayer, as was part of the earlier experience.

This is the Holy Spirit "water" that St Teresa described as flowing directly into the soul from God, without any effort on the part of the soul: "And its coming is normally accompanied by the greatest quietness, peace, and sweetness within ourselves. and then this water begins to overflow all the Mansions and faculties, until it reaches the body. It is for that reason that I said it has its source in God and ends in ourselves -- for it is certain, and anyone will know this who has experienced it, that the whole of the outer man enjoys this consolation and sweetness." (St Teresa of Avila, Fourth Mansions, Interior Castle). As part of this contemplative movement, the body, as well as the spirit, normally experiences a deep sense of "well-being" and strength, and sometimes bliss, as a result of the overflow of the spirit.

St Teresa continues:

"I was thinking just now, as I wrote this, that a verse which I have already quoted, "Dilatasti cor meum," speaks of the heart's being enlarged. I do not think that this happiness has its source in the heart at all. It arises in a much more interior part, like something of which the springs are very deep; I think this must be the centre of the soul,... Returning to this verse, what it says about the enlargement of the heart may, I think, be of some help to us. For apparently, as this heavenly water begins to flow from this source of which I am speaking -- that is, from our very depths -- it proceeds to spread within us and cause an interior dilation and produce ineffable blessings, so that the soul itself cannot understand all that it receives there. The fragrance it experiences, we might say, is as if in those interior depths there were a brazier on which were cast sweet perfumes; the light cannot be seen, nor the place where it dwells, but the fragrant smoke and the heat penetrate the entire soul, and very often, as I have said, the effects extend even to the body. Observe -- and understand me here -- that no heat is felt, nor is any fragrance perceived: it is a more delicate thing than that; (St Teresa of Avila, "Interior Castle," Fourth Mansion)

At times, after apophatic sessions, the fruit of such prayer continues in cataphatic contemplation enlightening one's discursive intellect with Love, Wisdom, and Understanding as one reviews truths already learned, with the prior assistance of grace, concerning Jesus Christ, the Incarnation, and the Faith. And with the supernatural aid of these Gifts of the Holy Spirit, one is able to penetrate transcendental truth, and see into the Scriptures, and the Truth of the Faith, through the Eyes of God, with a quality of "loving certainty" that wasn't possible before one received the supernatural gift of contemplative prayer. It is during this time of outside-of-prayer "illumination" of the intellect by the Gifts, in a cataphatic contemplative manner, whatever period of the day it might come, that the contemplative in the unitive state writes books, penetrates metaphysical truths, or writes poems like "The Living Flame of Love" of St John of the Cross. And while his intellect is aflame in the "transcendental world," the contemplative sometimes seems "lost" to the practicalities of the "natural world." We have one example below, presented by St John of the Cross, of a potential problem that occasionally arises with those who practice contemplative prayer:

"Now there sometimes comes to pass here a notable thing; for occasionally, when God brings about these touches of union in the memory, the brain (where memory has its seat) is so perceptibly upset that it seems as if it becomes quite inert, and its judgment and sense are lost. This is sometimes more perceptible and sometimes less so, according to the strength of this touch, and then, by reason of this union, the memory is voided and purged, as I say, of all kinds of knowledge. It remains in oblivion -- at times in complete oblivion -- so that it has to put forth a great effort and to labour greatly in order to remember anything.(St John of the Cross, "The Ascent of Mt Carmel, Bk III, Ch. l)

The laity, therefore, who raise families and work in the natural world, must confront the implications for their day-to-day lives of the "transcendental dimension" of contemplative prayer. They must properly integrate their contemplative life within the framework of a necessary level of attention for all their vocational duties and responsibilities "in this world." At times it may be difficult, and there may be tension between the "pull" of the supernatural and the natural duties of one's vocation. And this is true whether one is in a monastery or in the world. However, if one is doing one's best to faithfully perform the duties of one's vocation, one can "trust in the Lord" for the ultimate favorable resolution(in terms of one's ultimate good) of the spiritual warfare and the contemplative tension between the "Spirit of God," and the "spirit of the world."

For due to the effects of Original Sin in our souls, God must battle with the deep worldliness, profound attachments, runaway desires and selfishness he finds already in control of our lives when he enters our spirits through our invitation implicit in prayer. And all persons, including the laity, are called to daily advance in the love of God, and to seek to fulfill the First Commandment, which requires that we give our whole heart to God, as well as Christ's directive which the Church is echoing to all souls today: "Be ye perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect."

As we stated, the supernatural actuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, operating on the faculties of the soul and the infused virtues in a divine mode, is the essence of contemplation or mysticism, whether the experience be a pleasant one, with a sense of "the presence of God," (which is that part of mysticism called Contemplation) or whether the experience be an unpleasant one, with a sense of "the absence of God."(which is mysticism involving other gifts than the Contemplative gifts)

The primary agent of action in the gift of Contemplation, determining when it begins and when it ends, is the Holy Spirit, with the concurrance of the believer. "The will consents by cooperating with the divine action in a free and voluntary manner. And thus liberty and merit are preserved under the activity of the gifts." (Fr Jordan Aumann, Spiritual Theology, Mystical Experience, Ch.6)

OUR "EXPERIENCE" OF GOD IS REALLY A "QUASI-EXPERIENCE."

As a psychological fact, mysticism is an awareness of the divine activity on the soul. According to St Thomas, this "awareness" of the Divine Presence in mysticism and contemplation is not an immediate intuition of the essence of God as He is in Himself. It is not a direct experience of grace. Rather it is a "quasi-experience" of Divine Presence, which means God is experienced in His Loving "Effects" in the soul, rather than directly, in Himself. He is experienced in His activity in the soul. In particular, the actuation of the gift of Wisdom gives us the "taste" of the Love of God. But even with this theological qualitification, make no mistake about it, it is the awesome, life-changing, supernatural action of Almighty God within one's spirit, leading to a complete union of spirits, that is personally encountered in contemplative prayer. At the same time:

"It is not a question of the immediate vision of God as He is, but, as St Thomas says, of a quasi-experimental knowledge of God in the infused love which He inspires in us for Himself."(Father Garrigou-Lagrange,O.P., "Three Ages of the Interior Life," p. 340, No.6)

"Mysticism is a passive and not an active experience because -- and here also there is a general agreement among theologians -- only the Holy Spirit can produce this experience in us by the actuation of his gifts. (Fr Jordan Aumann, "Spiritual Theology," Mysticism and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit)

St John of the Cross tells us:

"Some spiritual persons call this contemplation knowing by unknowing. For this knowledge is not produced by the intellect that the philosophers call the agent intellect, which works on the forms, phantasies, and apprehensions of the corporal faculties; rather it is produced in the possible or passive intellect. This possible intellect, without the reception of these forms, and so on, receives passively only substantial knowledge, which is divested of images and given without any work or active function of the intellect.5 (St John of the Cross, "Spiritual Canticle," Stanza 39, para. l2)

Fr. Aumann continues:

"Since the actuation of the gifts is the primary and essential element of mysticism, it is never lacking in any of the mystical states or mystical acts. The experience of the divine is one of the most frequent and ordinary manifestations in the activity of the gifts, but it is not absolutely essential. It can be lacking; and, as a matter of fact, it is lacking during the dark nights of the soul or passive purifications that are nevertheless truly mystical.(2) What can never be lacking is the supernatural manner in which the soul operates as a result of being moved by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and its "awareness" that it is being acted upon by a divine power."( Fr Jordan Aumann, "Spiritual Theology," Mysticism and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit)

"The theological reason for making a distinction between infused contemplative prayer and mystical activity is readily grasped when we recall the nature of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their division. Since the gifts operate in a supernatural mode and the soul is therefore passive or receptive under their movement, they constitute the essential element in mystical activity. Consequently, every operation of a gift is a mystical act, whether the gift operates in a cognitive faculty or in an appetitive faculty. But one of the affective gifts could be actuated and produce a mystical act without producing infused contemplative prayer, which is caused by the intellectual gifts of wisdom and understanding. Consequently, the mystical act and infused contemplative prayer are distinct and separable." (Ibid)

"The gifts are supernatural not only in their essence, but even in their manner or mode of operation. They are not subject to the movement and control of human reason as the infused virtues are, for the Holy Spirit himself directly and immediately moves the gifts to operation. In this respect they are superior to all the infused virtues." (Ibid, Fr Jordan Aumann, "Spiritual Theology," Mysticism and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit)

FATHER GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE COMMENTS ON THE INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER, WISDOM, CHARITY, AND THE PERFECTION OF THE VIRTUES

"(Actuated through contemplative prayer, Wisdom)gives to all the virtues their ultimate perfection and makes them truly divine. Charity is a supernatural habit infused by God into the will, by which we love God for himself above all things, and ourselves, and our neighbor for God. Perfected by the gift of wisdom, charity extends the divine influence to all the other virtues, because charity is the form of all the virtues. The whole supernatural organism experiences the divine influence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.(actuated during contemplation) All the Christian virtues acquire a godlike modality that admits of countless shades and manifestations...The gift of wisdom perfects charity by giving it the divine modality it lacks so long as charity is subject to the rule of human reason, even illumined by faith...(Wisdom)raises the virtue of charity to heroism. This is precisely the purpose of the gift of wisdom. Freed from human limitations, charity reaches tremendous proportions...Love of neighbor also reaches a sublime perfection through the gift of wisdom. Accustomed to see God in all things, even in the most minute details of daily life, the saints see him in a special way in their neighbor.(Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O. P, "Reality-A Synthesis of Thomistic Thought")

So infused Contemplation is a type of prayer in which the "supernatural" predominates as opposed to other forms of prayer where the "natural" predominates. In natural prayer, such as meditation, assisted by grace, we actively use our imagination and reasoning powers in order to relate to Jesus Christ and increase our love for Him. Our love grows primarily through "our natural efforts" and our powers. However, this natural effort may become "supernaturalized" if God chooses to actuate the Gifts of Wisdom and Understanding and raise one to infused, cataphatic contemplation(in the presence of an image) supernaturally enlightening imagination and active reason.

ACQUIRED CONTEMPLATION

"At the natural level, "acquired contemplation," as opposed to infused contemplation, is generally defined as a simple loving knowledge of God and of His works, which is the fruit of our "personal activity" aided by grace. In certain cases there is an acquired contemplation that proceeds from faith united to charity and from a more or less latent influence of the gifts of understanding, wisdom, and knowledge. (all part of the spiritual organism received at Baptism) It probably does not differ from simplified affective meditation. The theologian sometimes possesses acquired contemplation at the end of his research in the synthetic view which he reaches. A preacher or the faithful may be involved in acquired contemplation when the central thought of the message in a well organized and delivered sermon allows one to taste the great truth of faith which they see in its radiation. In similar manner, a great poet might possess acquired contemplation as he gazes on the wonder and beauty of nature. It is a variety of affective prayer in which the soul has not yet received the gift of infused contemplation.(Fr Garrigou-Lagrange, Three Ages of the Interior Life, pp. 308-3ll)

"Through the acquired contemplative gaze, assisted by grace, the soul might dwell with love and admiration of the merciful goodness of God, the interventions of Providence, the infinite value of Our Savior's merits during a period of meditative considerations and affections. Acquired contemplation comes as a result of our own efforts assisted by grace. It normally comes after a period of time and at the end of our efforts at meditation of a particular truth or spiritual reality. Infused contemplation is not related to our efforts or activity as it is the free gift of God, in which we maintain a relative passivity, and which may come on us very suddenly, in which His supernatural activity is the cause of the actuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is normally given to those who have prepared themselves through ongoing meditation, reasonable asceticism, and practice of the virtues. However, it remains a gift, and is not automatically given to everyone who so prepares themselves.(Ibid)

"Acquired contemplation corresponds to the acquired recollection described by St Teresa in the Way of Perfection, as contrasted with supernatural recollection which corresponds with supernatural infused contemplation.(Ibid, Fr Garrigou-Lagrange, Three Ages of the Interior Life, pp. 308-3ll)

But in the most intense form, infused contemplative prayer takes place without the intermediaries of thoughts and images through apophatic Contemplation, in which we "abandon" natural "active" intellectual activity connected with thoughts, memories and images in order to relate to the Being,(Infinite Self-Giving Love) rather than the Nature and attributes of God. Our prayer goes to the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh, without image and thought. Apophatic contemplation is more intense and powerfully transforming than cataphatic contemplation because the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, received at Baptism, can be actuated with greater intensity in a soul free from finite images and intermediaries. Such intermidiaries can interfere with the supernatural as they move the soul from the receptive to the active mode, and elicit the natural activities of the agent intellect, imagination, and will. The purity from interference from all natural activity through the unknowing of apophatic contemplation, provides greater freedom for the fullness of "supernatural" activity and transformation.

For the passive intellect, which receives the divine light of contemplation, is a simplified, receptive intelligence, capable of obscure, generalized "awareness" by intuition, but without capacity to form clear concepts by processing the data coming through the senses in the form of phantasms. As the passive, receptive consciousness, it participates in the receipt of the Supernatural Action connected with the mystical gifts. There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit including Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Piety, Fortitude, Counsel, and Fear of the Lord.

The Gifts are actuated in different combinations of intensity for the achievement of different spiritual effects by the Holy Spirit. When the Gifts of Wisdom and Understanding operate, it is called "Contemplation," and is characterized by Light and Love. When the Gifts of Fortitude and Fear predominate, it is called the Dark Nights, where God is perceived to be absent in terms of our subjective awareness of His Loving Presence. Some of the Gifts operate mainly on the intellect, and some of the Gifts operate mainly on the Will. And as a further complexity of Contemplative Prayer, the Gifts operated in different combinations for the growth and development of the Theological and infused virtues. And in the latter context, the operation of the Gift of Wisdom, in the growth and development of the Theological virtue of Charity, is critical to the growth and perfection of the whole spiritual organism infused with sanctifying grace.

Our part in receiving apophatic contemplative prayer consists in a loving response characterized by non-interference, and by "surrendering" our will, and ourselves to the perceived actions of the Holy Spirit. We reciprocate the Spirit's perceived action by wordlessly raising our mind and heart in an effortless "loving attentiveness," and by continuing to reject natural forms and activities of the faculties. And as we feel drawn into a deep inward absorption, we even let go of the "attentiveness," thereby responding to Love in acts of perfect faith and trust, with the passive intellect in a state of "unknowing." And throughout our apophatic Contemplative Prayer, rather than being totally inert, we continue our initial vital response to Love, by wordlessly renewing our loving gift of self, in ongoing silent acts of love, returning the Divine Love received to its Divine Source, and giving the Holy Spirit complete freedom to transform our will and our spirit into a Likeness of Jesus Christ.

It is well to remember, however, that it is only after one has been raised by God to the state of supernatural contemplation that one's apophatic prayer time is spent in maintaining this passive mental attitude, one of listening and receptivity to the supernatural. (See "Signs" one is ready for Contemplation, Resources) In the early stages, the supernatural may be hardly perceptible, or it may be painful and characterized by the absence of God. One must continue with loving receptivity whether the Spirit is experienced as purgative or as warmly loving. At one advances it tends to be characterized by an awareness of intense spiritual love, even a Living Flame of Love. By such mental receptivity, one stays open to the supernatural action of God by continuously rejecting the interference caused by one's own natural activity in the form of reasoning, remembering and imagination.

In advanced Contemplation, in the unitive state after "Transformation" or "Spiritual Marriage," as St John of the Cross, St Teresa, and other mystics have indicated, the operation of the gifts becomes more or less constant, and it is more intense, and, in its inception, it conveys the profound impression of being loved by Christ from a circumscribed area, deep within the center of one's own spirit. For one is in the mystical or contemplative state, when the supernatural activity of the Gifts, regularly predominates over the natural activities of the infused, theological and moral virtues.

And at this stage, since one is relatively free from attachment to images and created entities, their presence cannot substantially affect the will or impede the effects from the activity of the Gifts. One is able to particpate in an ongoing, loving "Presence of God," in the substance of the soul, even though one's faculties are involved with images, concepts and details. For the presence or absence of media in a detached soul has little impact on the soul's ongoing union with Divinity.

As theologians tell us, the felt "Presence" of God, in its essence, is a result of the activity of the infused contemplative Gift of Wisdom. In the light of this Gift, God is felt to be adorably Wise. And the "taste" of this Wisdom aspect of His Spirit, is felt within a Presence radiating the sweetness of His Loving Charity. This Presence is sensed as a pre-eminent characteristic of His abiding Spirit in the perfect man. It may be felt, when God so disposes, as a fleeting, or temporary, experience by anyone in the state of grace at any time after Baptism. At the same time, God may be lovingly present in the soul even though there is no "felt" presence, and even in advanced contemplatives and saints. For the essence of our spiritual perfection involves a union with God in the substance of our soul, whether positive feelings accompany it or not.

As we recall from reading Brother Lawrence, the essence of his spiritual practice results, in its perfection, in an ongoing awareness of the Presence of God. In other words, Brother Lawrence, as a transformed man, lived in a state wherein his intellect, will, and memory, were all "deified," namely, they were all transformed in full conformity with Christ, and, as such, could be characterized as being more of God than of man. This union of the faculties between man and God, this "contemplative Presence" of God in the substance of the soul, becomes, in the perfect man, an almost continuous thing(quasi-continual according to Fr. R. Garrigou-Lagrange).

Now the faculties of the perfect man are totally surrendered to, and involved with God in line with the First Commandment, to love the Lord God with whole heart, soul, mind, and self. The essence of the soul is fully united with the Beloved. The inherent power of attraction between the Spirit and the soul that has been divinized is all consuming. Therefore, as in the case of Brother Lawrence, surface or accidental changes, such as activities and involvement with things or images, have little or no effect on this underlying union because they cannot compete with the powerful attractive force uniting the Lovers, the divine Person and the divinized soul.

And one's "awareness" of union with God might be compared with the following simple example. Imagine oneself, or one's spirit, as a vessel of pure water. One's spirit is the water. Then, imagine that someone pours a sparkling, colored liquid into the water, and it gives color and a subtle bliss to the water, or soul. This then would be like the "Living Water" of God infusing the soul with His Spirit in the "taste" and the experience of union.

THE SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE TAKES PLACE PRIMARILY IN THE CENTER OF THE SOUL

And one at this level of transformation is able to perceive the quality difference between joy involving feelings of wellbeing in the body, and joy arising from a different place, seemingly independent of the body: the center of the spirit. Such sensitivity to the reality of the parameters of the human soul alone, as distinct from its union with the body, is possible because the essence of Transforming Union takes place between the spiritual soul of man, alone, and the Spirit of God. And in this heightened sensitivity to the soul, itself, it seems to occupy similar spatial dimensions to the body, particularly the chest area.

St John of the Cross explains that the essence of the Spiritual Marriage takes place in the spirit or soul, alone, although the body may share in it in an accidental sense:

"For this sensory part(of the human being) with its faculties has no capacity in this life, nor even in the next, for the essential and proper taste of spiritual goods. It can, though, through a certain spiritual overflow, receive sensible refreshment and delight from them. This delight attracts the corporeal senses and faculties to the inner recollection where "the soul" drinks the waters of spiritual goods, and so they descend at the sight of the waters rather than drink and taste them as they are." (Spiritual Canticle, stanza 40)

And the subtle spiritual bliss contained in God's Supernatural Presence of Transforming Union illuminates the reality of the soul and what seems to be its dimensions in distinction from the body as it, alone, participates in that bliss most of the time, and when it is in its fullness. That's also why, no matter how powerful it may be, it, in itself, is leagues removed from sexual pleasures connected with the body, even when, on occasion, the body chastely participates in the bliss of the soul in Transforming Union. And because it is a powerful spiritual bliss, it is, in its purity, a far more formidable torrent of delight and complete satisfaction(with no bodily hangover), than the most powerful pleasures of which the body is capable.

For one's true-self sensitivity has been purified and freed from the blindness, as well as, in large part, near all of the temptations, due to its former intense attachment to pleasures connected with the body. Just as the soul can exist without the body, and experience bliss without the participation of the body, so it can experience joy when the lower faculties are in suffering. This would explain how Christ was able to suffer the pains of the Crucifixion while his humanity remained hypostatically united to Divinity, and therefore, in the continuous presence of the Beatific Vision:

"But if the Word could be united with the human nature of Christ without allowing Its glory to overflow into His sacred body, the happiness of the beatific vision too might be in the human soul of our Lord without overflowing into and absorbing His lower faculties, so that He might feel the pangs of sorrow and suffering."A.J. Maas, "Knowledge of Jesus Christ, Catholic Encyclopedia)

In the words of St Teresa:

"... for in this matter which we are treating there is nothing that is not spiritual: corporeal union is quite another thing and the spiritual joys and consolations given by the Lord are a thousand leagues removed from those experienced in marriage. It is all a union of love with love, and its operations are entirely pure, and so delicate and gentle that there is no way of describing them; but the Lord can make the soul very deeply conscious of them." (St Teresa, "Interior Castle," Fifth Mansion)

And St John of the Cross comments on the "touch" of God in spiritual marriage: "Although that which the soul tastes in this touch of God is not perfect, it does in fact have a certain savor of eternal life... And this is not incredible if we believe, as we should, that this is a touch of substances, that is, of the substance of God in the substance of the soul." (Living Flame of Love, Stanza 2)

Then, they tell us, over time, as the Spiritual Marriage is firmly established, this intense Presence felt mainly in the center of the soul, becomes felt throughout the substance of the spirit of the transformed individual, in a subtle, loving embrace, experienced with equal intensity in all parts, in a union of the Divine and human, with each retaining its separate identity. And this latter stage, in which the wide fluctuations of the transformative spiritual process have been completed, settles in to a "normal" lifestyle, in which grace has perfected nature, and which is not visibly different from anyone else. It becomes the regular, largely unnoticed, life of Jesus, prior to his public ministery, or the life of the saints in their day to day behavior. And the transformed or divinized soul becomes "acclimatized" to the supernatural union so that, although it is totally consumed with God, it finds such union to be "normal" and fully in line with the perfect operations of the natural man, and with normal activities and lifestyle.

For the transformed individual, the saint, lives the life of a well-balanced person, dominated by goodness, cheerfulness, and practical reason, performing works of charity with a heightened sense of humor and spiritual well-being, and filled with humility, peace, optimism, and happiness. And this transformation is perceived by him primarily in the spirit, a union with the Person of Jesus Christ, and, although the body may share in heightened energy and well-being, bodily pleasure, is not part of the essence of it. However, there are times when the body may share in the joys of the transformed spirit, and even share in torrents of delight. On the other hand, the body of the saint may experience occasional sickness and suffering, in itself, while the spirit keeps festive company with the celestial court.

And the experience of this "loving spiritual embrace," the Life of Jesus, permeating the deep humility of the soul, accompanied by joy and charity toward others, then becomes a permanent part of the spiritual being and psychological awareness of that transformed individual. And so it remains, although, says St. Teresa, that while it is highly unlikely, in this life it could always be lost if the individual became careless and fell into serious sin. Moreover, there will be occasional short periods when the fully transformed individual will re-experience the psychological conditions characteristic of lower states of spirituality. However, as St Teresa indicated, this state of transformation is, for most of the time, one of peace, delight, and joy in the Lord.

Describing the joy in the life of the perfect, after the Spiritual Marriage, St John indicates that, while the strength and height of so much love, in this life is always united with the most interior center and essence of the soul, it, nonetheless, may cause occasional reaction in the lower part of the soul that directly relates to the sensibilities and related faculties. This coincides with what St Teresa said about those who, although in the seventh mansion, occasionally experience the pains connected with the lower mansions.(And it is probably true that individuals of greater sensibility, whose bodies participate more often, or more intensely, in emotion accompanying the joys of the spirit, are more prone to occasional, painful bodily reaction to such emotion, even though the joys of the spirit, even when a "torrent of delight," do not necessarily cause negative bodily reaction, in themselves. In this connection, it should be remembered that it is very possible for an individual, as in the lives of many saints, to experience profound joy in the spirit while the body experiences pain and suffering)

"Although it(the soul) is conformed, it still suffers a kind of pain and detriment: first, because of the lack of the beatific transformation, the absence of which is always felt in the spirit; second, because of the detriment the weak and corruptible sense suffers from the strength and height of so much love, for any excellent thing is a pain and detriment to natural weakness [Wis. 9:15](Spiritual Canticle, stanza 39)

It is worth remembering that, prior to the state of transforming union, persons called to a high degree of spirituality are severely tested as St John of the Cross reminds us in the Ascent of Mt. Carmel. "For to some the angel of Satan presents himself namely, the spirit of fornication - that he may buffet their senses with abominable and violent temptations, and trouble their spirits with vile considerations and representations which are most visible to the imagination, which things at times are a greater affliction to them than death."

(A practical example of such temptation leading to sin might occur when one is experiencing strong impure motions in the lower part of the body during actual contemplative prayer, particularly while one is lying down, And, even though one is experiencing contemplative prayer, the temptation would become more powerful if one failed to take the appropriate "active," physical steps to counter it. While the saints tell us such temptations are rare after the transforming union, they sometimes become a problem for one who in advanced, lower stages of contemplation is passively praying while "lying down." The remedy at any stage of contemplation is to temporarily leave passive prayer and undertake "active prayer" against the temptation while changing to a physical position such as "sitting" instead of lying down. St Anthony once threw himself into a thorn bush in order to counteract such a temptation.)

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia:

"The soul indeed, assisted by Divine grace can reach a high degree of contemplation, of detachment from created things and of spiritual union with God. But such perfection, far from leading to Quietistic passivity and Subjectivism, implies rather a more earnest endeavour to labour for God's glory, a more thorough obedience to lawful authority and above all "a more complete subjugation of sensuous impulse and tendency." (E.A. PACE, Transcribed by Paul T. Crowley)

However, before individuals can personally experience the benefits from Contemplative Prayer, they must show the signs that they are being called by God to Contemplation, at this point in their spiritual journey. Normally, individuals will spend a lengthy period of time, perhaps years, learning to know and love Jesus Christ, and building a spiritual foundation, by practicing ascetism, vocal prayer, and meditation, as well as practicing the virtues in what is called the "Purgative Way," operating primarily in a human mode, before they are raised by God to Contemplative Prayer, in what is called the "Illuminative Way," operating primarily in the supernatural mode.

Without this spiritual preparation, accompanied by the signs of a proximate call, one is accomplishing nothing by "stilling the mind" in hopes of experiencing transcendental bliss. In such acquired stillness of spirit, one will remain at the natural level and a victim of thoughts, images, and distractions connected with the host of selfish habits and attachments which still ensnare the will and the soul. For much to the surprise of the book sellers of Eastern spirituality, God does not "automatically" appear when one sits on a cushion and uses an Eastern meditative technique to "break through" the mental chatter to where He is supposedly hiding in the stillness of the "ground of our being." For He is not part of our natural being. And God is not obedient to our will and the demands made on Him by our spiritual efforts or techniques, like some Impersonal Force which we can control. Rather, He will appear when He so chooses to those who have demonstrated their "good-will" through proper cooperation with grace in prayer and efforts to obey His commandments. For He is a God of Supreme Personal Intelligence and Freedom, Who can never be forced to act by man's spiritual gimmicks. His Freedom responds only to love, as found in those sincere seekers who, under grace, in humility and ever-growing purity, have "emptied" themselves, in prepartion for the Infilling of the Holy Spirit and "Self-Giving Love."

And eventually, when the activity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit become more or less constant and dominant in one's spiritual life, one enters the last stage or "Unitive Way," where one is very much aware of the reality of Jesus' Spirit acting in one's life during the day. It is very important, however, that individuals spend a sufficient period of time in the initial, formative period of meditation, getting to know and love Jesus Christ, so that the edifice of prayer will have a strong foundation to keep one on the correct path during the dark nights and transformations leading one to union with Christ. It is a serious error and presumption, to bypass this formative period, and to try to launch oneself into so-called "Contemplative Prayer" by one's own efforts, right from the outset of one's prayer life.{Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange: "Three Ways of the Spiritual Life"> Ch.5}

Those who have been properly prepared,however, and who have laid a solid foundation through meditation and practice of the virtues, will be raised by God to apophatic Contemplation(where the Holy Spirit becomes the primary agent of prayer). These individuals normally find, through no fault of their own, they are are no longer able to meditate(where, assisted by grace, they have been the primary agent in prayer), and only find spiritual bitterness or dryness from the meditative practices which used to give them great sweetness and delight.

For in the early stages of Contemplative Prayer, God begins a purification process that is painful and upsetting as He withdraws the former sweetness found in prayer. This is the beginning of the "Dark Night of the Senses." And this is where many people, such as those who have taken up mantra-chanting without building the proper foundation, give up prayer since they don't have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ, nor an authentic spiritual guide who understands them, such as those who have followed the ways of Contemplation as taught in the traditions of the Church. Those who have built a proper foundation, however, and who, through understanding the positive power and meaning of the Cross in true spirituality, persevere, even though it seems painful and counter-productive, find that, along with this inability to meditate and to perform lengthy reasoning during prayer, they experience a renewed longing for God, and for times of prayerful solitude.

They now seek opportunities to be alone, where they can sit in silence, with their intellect at rest, as they "let go" of laborious reasoning, in favor of a "loving attention" on a single idea or truth of the Faith. At this point, their prayer must become very simple, as they are no longer capable of lengthy meditation, which has become painful. And in simplicity, they find a certain peace. They perhaps use a single phrase or the name of "Jesus" to keep their attention on God and to ward off distractions. And, although they may not be aware of it for some time, the Holy Spirit begins to fill them with secret supernatural annointings. And then, over a period of time practicing this prayer, when they feel a certain inward absorption, drawing them to yet greater simplicity and freedom, they even "let go" of their loving attention, completely giving their spirits over to the loving ministrations of the Holy Spirit. This personal experience of Contemplation, and the intensification of the spiritual life it engenders, creates saints and is the secret behind the renewal of the Church in all ages.

Therefore, one who undertakes contemplative prayer must be a person of commitment and courage, willing to persevere in the face of the real suffering occasioned by the supernatural struggle between our natural selfishness and the Spirit of God. And, moreover, what is perhaps more difficult to bear, one must have the willingness to continue practicing such prayer in the face of the negative opinions, ridicule and contempt of those timid believers, whether relatives, or persons in positions of authority in the Church, who, in the words of St. John of the Cross, know no more than how to meditate or, like a blacksmith, to "hammer and pound with the faculties."{Basics of True Contemplation, stanza 43(Resources)

Fr Jordan Aumann comments on the spiritual benefits that should be considered by those with a negative attitude toward mystical prayer:

"But in every case, in order to conquer egoism, sensuality, self-love, the immoderate desire for sensible consolations, intellectual pride, and whatever opposes the spirit of faith, it is absolutely indispensable that there be a complete and total renewal of the soul through the passive purifications.(nights of sense and spirit caused by mystical contemplative prayer)

"This doctrine has the advantage of opening wide horizons to souls and of saving them from many dangers and illusions into which they could easily fall if they were obliged to remain in that which has been called the "ordinary" way of sanctity. Some authors do not look with sympathy on the mystical way because they believe it to be filled with dangers and pitfalls, but in reality the contrary is true. In the mystical state souls are governed in a special manner by the Holy Spirit himself, operating through his precious gifts and divine motion. Illumined by the light of contemplation, they discover much better their nothingness and their misery, at the same time that they see the snares of their enemies and their own sensuality. They are much more cautious, prudent, and docile to their spiritual masters precisely because of the passive purifications to which they have been subjected.(Fr Jordan Aumann, "Spiritual Theology," Part II, Section 8)