"The Gospel of suffering is being written unceasingly, and it speaks unceasingly with the words of this strange paradox: the springs of divine power gush forth precisely in the midst of human weakness. Those who share in the sufferings of Christ preserve in their own sufferings a very special particle of the infinite treasure of the world's Redemption, and can share this treasure with others.(Pope John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris)

"In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ.(Ibid)

"The texts of the New Testament express this concept in many places. In the Second Letter to the Corinthians the Apostle writes: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh .... knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus"(Ibid).

"In the messianic programme of Christ, which is at the same time the programme of the Kingdom of God, suffering is present in the world in order to release love, in order to give birth to works of love towards neighbour, in order to transform the whole of human civilization into a "civilization of love". In this love the salvific meaning of suffering is completely accomplished and reaches its definitive dimension."(Pope John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris)

Jesus And Suffering(Mother Angelica)

"Jesus knew that once He, the Son of the Father, was stretched out on the Cross, all men of faith would obtain the strength to endure the sufferings the Father permitted in their lives.

"Jesus knew suffering would not pass from any of us after His Resurrection and He made sure we understood its role in our lives. Throughout the Gospels He promises us suffering and persecution and asks that we accept it with Joy.

"He called all those who suffer "blessed" when they overcame their natural weaknesses. He promised Heaven to those who suffered interior and exterior poverty. To those who preferred God to themselves He promised Union with the Father. To those who put their feelings and resentments aside and forgave, He promised Mercy. To those who struggled to maintain peace, He promised sonship. And to those who suffered because they loved Him, He promised Joy.

"Before all these fruits would be manifested. some kind of suffering was necessary. His own suffering would have been powerful enough to destroy suffering from the face of the earth, but He did not choose this course. He preferred to continue permitting suffering and make Himself the example for all men to follow."(Mother Angelica, "Suffering")

Imagine yourself in Christ’s circumstances. Here you are confronted with horrible pain and torture to be inflicted upon you because you claim to be “divine” and refuse the several opportunities to deny the claim and thereby avoid the holocaust of pain that will descend on you. If you were a phony who had made such a claim, would you stand there with your mouth shut, like a lamb being led to the slaughter, or would you be shouting your innocence, calling everyone liars who said you made the claim, and denying you ever said it in order to avoid the suffering. Consider how St Peter acted when charged with being a companion of Christ, and confronted with the possibility of capture and suffering. It didn’t take long for him to shriek out, “I do not know the man.!”

And yet Christ, because of His Love for the Father and mankind, agreed to become sin and suffering, in place of each one of us, in fulfilment of the sacrificial redemptive covenant between Himself and His Father had nothing to say to the men who had the power to free him from all the horror he was about to embrace in His Passion. For the Father had laid on Him the guilt of us all, and such guilt was to be atoned for through the love, pain and suffering of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. And the stark reality of the horror of the pain and suffering voluntarily undertaken by Christ in His Passion proves the Truth of the Power of His Love as nothing else could. The whole history of the reaction of the human race in the face of the horror of torture, pain and suffering, screams to the heavens that "This man who claimed to be God, had to really be God, for otherwise, He would have not only demonstrated fear and human weakness as he begged for his life, but He could never have shown us the Heart and the Beauty of Divine Compassion, as He quietly, powerfully, and irresistably lay down his life for man, and transformed, while redeeming man, the role and value of pain and suffering in the world for all time.

And ever since, everyman’s suffering, from whatever cause, becomes, when voluntarily accepted in obedience to the Will of God, a participation in the same Divine Charity and Act of Love shown by the Divine Redeemer, through which Divine Love and Justice are fulfilled, and the individual souls called from the world, and comprising the Eternal Body of Christ, are redeemed and sanctified. In pain and suffering accepted for love, we are all one man, participating in the redemptive priesthood of Jesus Christ within the Body of Christ.

Pope John Paul II: "For Those Who Are Suffering Physically, Emotionally or Mentally:"

"Do not yield to the temptation to regard pain as an experience which is only negative, to the point of doubting God’s goodness. In the suffering Christ every sick person finds the meaning of his or her afflictions. Suffering and illness belong to the human condition—we are fragile, limited creatures, marked by original sin from birth. In Christ, who died and rose again, however, humanity discovers a new dimension to its suffering: instead of a failure, it reveals itself to be the occasion for offering witness to faith and love."

"God is a rock, a fortress, a rock in which we find refuge, he is a shield and a stronghold. He is the power of salvation, who never disappoints the expectations of those who invoke him in moments of trial."

"In the school of those who suffer, may you understand through loving kindness the profound reasons for the mystery of suffering. May the pain you witness be the measure of the dedicated response expected of you. And in rendering this service to life, be open to the collaboration of all, because ‘the issue of life and its defense and promotion is not a concern of Christians alone. …Life certainly has a sacred and religious value, but in no way is that value a concern only of believers’ (Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, n.1010). And just as the suffering ask only for help, so accept everyone’s help when it is offered as a loving response."

"Dear people who are sick, be able to find in love the salvific meaning of your sorrow and valid answers to all of your questions. Yours is a mission of most lofty value for both the Church and society. You who are weighed down by suffering are in the front line of those beloved by God. Just as he looked on all those whom he met on the roads of Palestine, Jesus looks on you with eyes full of tenderness. His love will never fail."

‘Human suffering in fact can show forth the goodness of God: the wound can become a fountain of life (cf. Jn. 19:34). The experience of suffering discourages and depresses many people, but in the lives of others it can create a new depth of humanity: it can bring new strength and new insight. The path to understanding this mystery is our faith. When faith turns to prayerful contemplation, it reveals to us all the power of the Lord’s Easter victory: ‘death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor tears nor pain’ (Rv. 21:4).’

"To the sick of every age and condition, to the victims of every kind of infirmity, disaster and tragedy, I extend my invitation to throw themselves into God’s fatherly arms. We know that life is a gift given to us by the Father as a sublime expression of his love, and that it continues to be a gift from him in every circumstance."

"Christ took all human suffering on himself, even mental illness. Yes, even this affliction, which perhaps seems the most absurd and incomprehensible, configures the sick person to Christ and gives him a share in his passion."

"The sick or suffering bear Christ’s cross. Each of them is a great prophet, a very great prophet who bears Christ’s cross with his strength, in his light."

"When Jesus died on the cross in his terrible passion, humiliated and abandoned, he showed to the whole world the full meaning and depth of such trials."

"Always look trustingly toward Jesus, the ‘Suffering Servant,’ asking him for the strength to transform the trial afflicting you into a gift. Listen with faith to his voice repeating to each of you: ‘Come to me, all who are weary and oppressed, and I will give you rest’ (Mt 11:28)."

"You, Lord, are everything to everyone, but especially to the suffering, because you suffered, you took up the cross, you died on the cross and you rose again."

"In meeting suffering humanity, believers know that they are meeting Christ himself, whose Holy Face is the face of those who bear the endless crosses imposed on them by injustice, violence and selfishness."

St John of the Cross tells us why the contemplative is able to bear the sufferings that alternate with the light during the ongoing purgation of the spirit which underlies the contemplative transformation:

"We ought to point out that the burning of love is not felt at the beginning of this spiritual night because the fire of love has not begun to catch. Nevertheless, God gives from the outset an esteeming love by which he is held in such high favor that, as we said, the soul's greatest suffering in the trials of this night is the anguish of thinking it has lost God and been abandoned by him. We can always assert, then, that from the commencement of this night the soul is touched with urgent longings of love: of esteeming love, sometimes; at other times, also of burning love. The soul is aware that the greatest suffering it experiences in these trials is this fear. If such persons could be assured that all is not over and lost but that what they suffer is for the better - as indeed it is - and that God is not angry with them, they would be unconcerned about all these sufferings; rather, they would rejoice in the knowledge that God is pleased with them."

"Their love of esteem for God is so intense, even though obscure and imperceptible, that they would be happy not only to suffer these things but even to die many times in order to please him. When the fire now inflames the soul together with the esteem of God already possessed, individuals usually acquire such strength, courage, and longings relative to God, through the warmth of the love that is being communicated, that with singular boldness they do strange things, in whatever way necessary, in order to encounter him whom they love. Because of the strength and inebriation of their love and desire, they perform these actions without any consideration or concern. "(Dark Night, Bk II, ch.l3, para.5)

The Book of the Apocalypse speaks of the power of transformational suffering and the glory awaiting those who persevere to the end in carrying their Cross for the love of God.

"Who are these and whence come they?" And the answer is given: "These are they who are come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night."

And through the prophet Isaiah God speaks to those in the midst of this suffering leading to the transformation of spiritual marriage.

Isaiah 54

"Fear not, you shall not be put to shame; you need not blush, for you shall not be disgraced. The shame of your youth you shall forget, the reproach of your widowhood no longer remember. For he who has become your husband is your Maker; his name is the LORD of hosts; Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth.

The LORD calls you back, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, A wife married in youth and then cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back. In an outburst of wrath, for a moment I hid my face from you; But with enduring love I take pity on you, says the Lord, your redeemer.

Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken, My love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

"O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled, I lay your pavements in carnelians, and your foundations in sapphires; I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of carbuncles, and all your walls of precious stones. All your sons shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.

"In justice shall you be established, far from the fear of oppression, where destruction cannot come near you. Should there be any attack, it shall not be of my making; whoever attacks you shall fall before you. Lo, I have created the craftsman who blows on the burning coals and forges weapons as his work; It is I also who have created the destroyer to work havoc.

"No weapon fashioned against you shall prevail; every tongue you shall prove false that launches an accusation against you. This is the lot of the servants of the LORD, their vindication from me, says the LORD."(Isaiah 54)

End

"A dread that would merely thrust a man deeper into himself and into supposed contemplation is not yet serious. The only full and authentic purification is that which turns a man completely inside out, so that he no longer has a self to defend, no longer an intimate heritage to protect against imagined inroads and dilapidations...Dread divests us of the sense of possession, of "having" our being and our power to love, in order that we may simply be in perfect openness (turned inside out), a defenselessness that is utter simplicity and total gift.(Thomas Merton)

"The Divine assails the soul in order to renew it and thus to make it Divine; and, stripping it of the habitual affections and attachments of the old man, to which it is very closely united, knit together and conformed, destroys and consumes its spiritual substance, and absorbs it in deep and profound darkness. As a result of this, the soul feels itself to be perishing and melting away, in the presence and sight of its miseries, in a cruel spiritual death.(St John of the Cross, "Dark Night of the Soul," BkII)

Now, as contemplatives, we have all experienced the suffering and pain which comes when God assails the soul with the refining fire of His Presence, as part of the dark night of sense and spirit. We know the power of this cruel spiritual death leading to transformation in love. We should, therefore, pause for a moment and consider the plight of those souls who have turned against God in this life, preferring selfishness and hatred. Imagine the permanent state of spiritual anguish and suffering of these souls, after death, as God assails their spirits with the purifying fire of His Presence. Because of their free choice, they have chosen to lock their wills in permanent hatred of God, and consequently they suffer an eternal conflagration of anguish and spiritual pain which never ends. Since we have personally experienced it, and know the power of the painful reality of spiritual hell, we, as contemplatives are bound to dedicate our lives, and our prayers, to save as many souls as possible from such a real and terrible fate, and to seek early release of all those souls still undergoing the spiritual fire which we call Purgatory.

For as part of the final transformation of the Contemplative from the natural man to the supernatural man, God sends His refining fire into the spirit to remove the remaining, subtle spiritual habits of imperfection and attachment, keeping him from full union of supernatural love. For Contemplatives must undergo a real spiritual death of the natural life, in terms of natural attachments, before they can fully participate in the supernatural life as the New Man, in Jesus Christ. St John of the Cross has described this refining process as the "Dark Night of the Soul."

Now the suffering and mental depression that take place, periodically, during this time, are not indicative of mental illness on the part of the Contemplative, nor should they be so confused by those whose training, albeit making them experts in affective disorders and depression, gives them no expertise in the supernatural as it relates to the transformation process. For while the natural symptomatology may be the same, the etiolgy is totally different. One has its origin in the natural, and the other in the supernatural. And the one indicates "illness" caused by a variety of physical, environmental, and emotional elements in the "natural" order, the other indicates mental and spiritual "healing" being brought about by Almighty God through the "supernatural" order via Contemplative Prayer.

"It is important to distinguish between the desert experience and an experience of depression; and between feeling "depressed" and a real clinical depression. In the desert, despite possible feelings of being "depressed", we sense that we are going forward towards... something we don't know. Now and then we become aware of the fruits of our conversion and can use our faculties normally in daily life outside of prayer. It is different in a clinical depression, where one goes around in circles with a general loss of meaning in daily life and no positive fruit: one's attention is so centered on self that it blocks every other type of activity." (Bernardo Olivera(l999), Abbot General, Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance(Trappists)

And the contemplative well knows at this juncture that the cause of his suffering is supernatural since he knows the progress of Contemplation and the stages he has already completed. He knows he has not suffered from such terrible external events, mental pain and spiritual disorder in his whole life prior to this point in his spiritual walk. He knows he has been through the night of the senses, the prayer of quiet, the prayer of union, and the illuminative prayer following union. He knows that the next major stage of the transformative process is the "dark night of the soul," and he certainly knows he has spent years and years in Contemplation and the practice of unselfish virtue, which sooner or later would have led him to this point in his spiritual journey.

And he is well aware that his "faith" in the supernatural has never failed him in the past, as it will not fail him now, if he doesn't lose heart by listening to all those he meets who are instant experts on his mental health and depression, and who are more than willing to marginalize him with an "amateur" natural diagnosis of his spiritual ailment. So if he can find no qualified direction, he must be his own best guide in this matter, continuing to trust in God, in himself, and in the supernatural markers he has already passed on his spiritual journey. And as for other people, he must trust only in those who have shown by their understanding of the differences between the spiritual night and the natural night of mental illness, that they have the experience and training that would qualify them to provide direction, and valid therapeutic guidance at this time. And with or without human support, he must continue his contemplative prayer as he moves through this last phase of the transformation in spite of the opposition of unqualified, well-meaning people ignorant of the "reality" of God's supernatural refining power.

"Nothing can replace personal experience in providing an understanding of the mysterious workings of the spiritual life. Thus, (theologian Yves) Congar asserts: "Charity, taste, and a certain personal experience of the things of God are necessary in order that the theologian may treat the mysteries and speak of them in a befitting manner." And St. Teresa of Avila stated: "Many are mistaken if they think they can learn to discern spirits without being spiritual themselves."(Father Jordan Aumann, "Spiritual Theology," Part I)

Fr. Jordan Aumann makes a related application in pointing out the need for balance in using supernatural theological principles along with descriptive, inductive data in studying the physical and psychological phenomena of religious experience, and that using the descriptive, empirical method exclusively would cause serious problems:

"First, the descriptive method tends to convert spiritual theology into experimental psychology or religious psychology, as GarrigouLagrange observes: "Whoever neglects to have recourse to the light of theological principles will have to be content with the principles furnished by psychology, as do so many psychologists who treat of mystical phenomena in the different religions."

"Second, although a psychological study may be scientific, the psychologist frequently fails to seek the causes of the phenomena investigated but is satisfied with a collection of descriptions and statistics.

"Third, this method tends to give too much importance to extraordinary phenomena, with the result that it fails to distinguish between the normal, concomitant phenomena of mystical experience and the extraordinary, charismatic phenomena...

"Fourth, any general rules proceeding exclusively from the empirical data of the descriptive method are unscientific and untrustworthy, since they ignore the nature of the supernatural life of grace and the theological laws of its progress.

"Fifth, the purely descriptive method is unable to distinguish between the supernatural, the natural, and the preternatural. It may therefore be tempted to categorize as pathological... any phenomenon that cannot be explained by the rules and theories of normal psychology.

St John of the Cross:

"And so, (the) union of the soul with God...(only) comes to pass when the two wills -- namely that of the soul and that of God -- are conformed together in one, and there is naught in the one that is repugnant to the other. And thus, when the soul rids itself totally of that which is repugnant to the Divine will(through this dark night of the soul) and conforms not with it, it is (perfectly) transformed in God through love.

"This is to be understood of that which is repugnant, not only in action, but likewise in habit, so that not only must the voluntary acts of imperfection cease, but the habits of any such imperfections must be annihilated.(For the imperfect habits have their roots in the soul) And since no creature whatsoever, and none of its actions or abilities, can conform or can attain to that which is God, therefore must the soul be stripped of all things created, and of its own actions and abilities -- namely, of its understanding, perception and feeling -- so that, when all that is unlike God and unconformed to Him is cast out, the soul may receive the likeness of God; and nothing will then remain in it that is not the will of God and it will thus be transformed in God."

And this spiritual death may be experienced in consciousness in many painful ways, including episodes of mental depression, or as it was called in St Teresa's day, as a pervading sense of "melancholy" in the one in whom it takes place. And at its most intense phase, it frequently coincides with catastrophic changes in physical health, the death of loved ones, the sense of great personal failure, and radical changes in everything in the Contemplative's life that has given security and comfort, other than God, Himself. And these events, all by themselves, can produce terrible depression as a normal part of the "natural" bereavement process. And at the same time all the natural support is taken away, God hides all supernatural joy. And the Contemplative finds himself alone, abandoned, and suspended between two worlds, in a state of spiritual pain.

And periodically, painful past events and humiliations connected with relationships with people arise in the consciousness and renew accusations and feelings of guilt connected with past circumstances. God allows these attacks upon the ego in order that they may help to put to death the old man, with the habits of pride and self-will inherited through Original and actual sins. One must use these spontaneous recurrent memories as an incitement to pray for past offenders and to thank God for these past humiliations. And in order to make this possible, one must, as St John of the Cross counsels, firmly embrace "a great humility and contempt of oneself and of all that pertains to oneself, firmly rooted in the soul and keenly felt by it; and likewise in being glad that others feel in this very way concerning oneself and in not wishing to be of any account in the esteem of others."(St John of the Cross, Ascent of Mt Carmel) In other words, when one seriously embraces the Cross, the pain of suffering and humiliation becomes bearable because it leads to transformation, and union with God in Christ.

Factors Connected With Feelings of suffering and depression in the Dark Night of the Spirit:

1. Deep grief feelings due to terrible sense of loss, and finding no purpose or meaning left in life.

2. Overwhelming Feelings of shame and personal failure. Remembrance of past humiliations and reliving the pain spiritually.

3. Sense of helplessness.

4. Lack of compassion from others; and perhaps resentment toward others.

5. Feeling disconnected from and abandoned by God.

6. Criticism of one's behavior by friends and significant others.

7. Dread of the future.

8. Physically palpable pain(body and mind), extreme fatigue, sicknesses, weakness of stomache, and inability to function.

9. Feeling that everything in life that constitues the normal world, now seems strange, as though under some sort enchantment. This is due to the death of the old self, and the old worldly habits and ways of seeing, living, and understanding, and the coming to life of the new spiritual self, and the flowering of wisdom and Godly ways of seeing and living.

"But since, after all, the sensory part of the soul is weak and incapable of vigorous spiritual communications, these proficients, because of such communications experienced in the sensitive part, suffer many infirmities, injuries, and weaknesses of stomach, and as a result fatigue of spirit. The Wise Man says: The corruptible body is a load upon the soul [Wis. 9:15]. (Dark Night of the Soul, Bk II, Ch.l)

"Persons suffer affliction in the second manner because of their natural, moral, and spiritual weakness. Since this divine contemplation assails them somewhat forcibly in order to subdue and strengthen their soul, they suffer so much in their weakness that they almost die, particularly at times when the light is more powerful. Both the sense and the spirit, as though under an immense and dark load, undergo such agony and pain that the soul would consider death a relief.(Dark Night, Bk. II, Ch.5)

l0. Free-floating fear, sometimes of certain other people, perhaps accompanied by tendency to paranoia. ( In attacking contemplatives, the power of evil frequently seizes upon fear associatred with natural circumstances, events, and people, and raises it to preternatural levels all out of proportion to the reality itself. The remedy to such terror is the repetition of the Name of Jesus, over and over, until it subsides. Beyond that, one should remember that it is difficult for evil to attack one who constantly has the Name of Jesus in his mind and on his lips. Through the practice of "spiritual recollecton" connected with the Name and Presence of the Holy Lamb of God, we conquer evil and drive it from our presence. Because of its power over Satan, the Name of Jesus is the centerpiece of the rite of exorcism.)

ll. Anger at God for this suffering after all one has sacrificed.

l2. Feelings of hopelessness, gloom, and misery.

13. Finding the same things in one's life that happened in the Book of Job, the things David complained of in some of the psalms, and the hopeless condition described by the prophet Jeremiah.

Now normally, God makes it clear to the Contemplative that the mental pain he is undergoing is clearly of supernatural origin, and not just the result of ordinary mental depression. He is aware that God, Himself, has intervened in a special way in his Contemplative life, and is directly causing suffering for the good of his soul. And therefore, he continues his contemplative prayer during most of the period of suffering, when he is able.

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

"For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

"And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.(Heb. 12:5)

On the other hand, other people, some perhaps with degrees after their name, who don't take seriously the possibility of a supernatural cause of the contemplative's spiritual night, will think it is just a case of natural mental depression, or emotional illness. For they can see only the "natural dimension" of these symptoms, which are frequently the same or very similar to those presented by ordinary mental illness. For all kinds of people are called to contemplation. And some who have exercised the greatest courage, are also among the most needy. For they have come from broken homes, were abused, or suffered other kinds of handicaps as a child. And in their neediness, they cried out to Almighty God and He answered them. And during this night, their hidden traumas and weaknesses are dredged up time and again by the grace of God, as part of the spiritual healing process. And the suffering connected with these events becomes an added source of misery and pain. And the temptation will be all the greater to blame these events for the Night, rather than trusting the merciful, supernatural action of Almighty God. They, who are true overcomers, and people of courage, must exercise that courage now, and believe in the darkness what they have seen in the light.

And when the contemplative explains the supernatural origin of this suffering to others, he will normally not be believed. And the thought that other people may be right, and that it all may be just "mental illness" only adds to his suffering. And treatment by drugs and psychological therapy, while sometimes helpful for temporary relief, or to facilitate natural mental health, cannot address the supernatural roots of the process. They may, however, depending on the individual, be useful in treating the natural man. For the mental health of the natural man, in the end, is also greatly strengthened and perfected by the transforming process.

"Again there may be persecutions and ridicule, sometimes from the good people, which is one of the greatest tribulations one is forced to suffer; or one's own superior or friends or spiritual director may torment the soul by judging its state to be one of lukewarmness or by not being able to discover the proper remedies to alleviate its condition. Lastly, there may be infirmities, misfortunes, the loss of one's good name or friends or possessions. It would seem at times that heaven and earth have conspired against the soul, but God is permitting all these things in -- order to detach it completely from the things of earth, to remind it that it can do nothing without him, and how much it needs his divine mercy and assistance. (Fr Jordan Aumann, "Spiritual Theology," Part II, Section 8)

"Rational or normal psychology provides information concerning the nature of the human soul, the distinction and functions of the various faculties and powers, the laws of the emotional life, and the interrelation between soul and body. Experimental psychology complements rational psychology by providing the data of experience and an analysis of the phenomena of normal and abnormal or pathological states. A knowledge of the latter is indispensable for distinguishing between the natural, the diabolical, and the supernatural and for evaluating the phenomena of the mystical state.

"It is necessary, however, to avoid two extremes in the use of psychological material: first, a "psychologism" that would reduce all religious phenomena to a state of consciousness and thus deny the possible intervention of the supernatural; second, a "syncretism" that would classify all religious experience as identical, thereby obliterating the distinction between Christian spirituality and the religious experiences of non-Christians. Psychology provides much important data for the study of the spiritual life, but it cannot make the ultimate judgment; that is the function of theology, which proceeds from the truths of faith and acknowledges authentic religious experience as a supernatural reality.(Fr. Jordan Aumann, "Spiritual Theology," Doctrinal Foundations)

Now one may wonder how one can ever desire to undergo such a process, or how so much spiritual suffering can be borne by the Contemplative. And the answer is to be found in the support given by Almighty God. For the process is not continuous, and there are long periods of relief in which one become aware that the work is of God, and one experiences great happiness, along with an awareness that, through this suffering, one is making great spiritual progress. And God, Himself, will give special support during this period in the form of people coming to the Contemplative's aid, and through special graces of assistance, e.g., in some cases the assistance could be the very real companionship of Jesus Christ, coming through an ongoing intellectual vision, and remaining with the Contemplative in His Resurrected Humanity, during this period of the transformative suffering.

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.(1Peter 4:12)

And so, most of the time during this ultimate night, the contemplative experience a greater closeness, a more intimate, and, as stated by St John of the Cross, a more powerful "estimative love" for Almighty God than ever before. And he is well aware that he is growing in the virtues, and so would not exchange this ultimate contemplative night for the so-called "peace" he experienced before the night began. And, due to a supernatural presence, most of the time he does not feel alone, even though no one else at the natural level will understand or believe that it is really God putting the Old Man to death so that the New Man may live. But like Job, David, and Jeremiah, if he has faith, and trusts in his own supernatural understanding, rather than what others say, and hangs on through all the ups and downs, in the end he will emerge as the New Man, living the happiness of the transformed life of goodness, joy, and delight, one with the Resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ!

ST JOHN OF THE CROSS ON NIGHT OF THE SOUL:

"The very fire of love that afterward is united with the soul, glorifying it, is what assails it by purging it, just as the fire that penetrates a log of wood is the same that first makes an assault on the wood, wounding it with the flame, drying it out, and stripping it of its unsightly qualities until it is so disposed that it can be penetrated and transformed into the fire.

"Spiritual writers call this activity the purgative way. In it a person suffers great deprivation and feels heavy afflictions in the spirit that ordinarily overflow into the senses, for this flame is extremely oppressive. "In this preparatory purgation the flame is not bright for a person but dark. If it does shed some light, the only reason is so the soul may see its miseries and defects. It is not gentle but afflictive. Even though it sometimes imparts the warmth of love, it does so with torment and pain. And it is not delightful, but dry. Although sometimes out of his goodness God accords some delight in order to strengthen and encourage it, the soul suffers for this before and afterward with another trial. "Neither is the flame refreshing and peaceful, but it is consuming and contentious, making a person faint and suffer with self-knowledge. Thus it is not glorious for the soul, but rather makes it feel wretched and distressed in the spiritual light of self-knowledge that it bestows. As Jeremiah declares, God sends fire into its bones and instructs it [Lam. 1:13]; and as David also asserts, he tries it with fire [Ps. 17:3].

"At this stage persons suffer from sharp trials in the intellect, severe dryness and distress in the will, and from the burdensome knowledge of their own miseries in the memory, for their spiritual eye gives them a very clear picture of themselves. In the substance of the soul they suffer abandonment, supreme poverty, dryness, cold, and sometimes heat. They find relief in nothing, nor does any thought console them, nor can they even raise the heart to God, so oppressed are they by this flame. This purgation resembles what Job said God did to him: You have changed to being cruel toward me [Jb. 30:21]. For when the soul suffers all these things jointly, it truly seems that God has become displeased with it and cruel.

"A person's sufferings at this time cannot be exaggerated; they are but little less than the sufferings of purgatory. I do not know how to explain the severity of this oppression and the intensity of the suffering felt in it, save by what Jeremiah says of it in these words: I am the man that sees my poverty in the rod of his indignation. He has led me and brought me into darkness and not into light. Only against me he has turned and turned again his hand. He has made my skin and my flesh old, and he has broken my bones. He has surrounded me and compassed me with gall and labor. He has set me in dark places as those who are dead forever. He has built around me that I might not get out. He made my fetters heavy. And besides this when I have cried out and prayed, he has shut out my prayer. He shut up my ways with square rocks and turned my steps and paths upside down [Lam. 3:1-9]. Jeremiah laments all this and goes on to say much more.

"Since in this fashion God mediates and heals the soul of its many infirmities, bringing it to health, it must necessarily suffer from this purge and cure according to its sickness. For here Tobias is placing the heart on the coals to release and drive out every kind of demon [Tb. 6:8]. All the soul's infirmities are brought to light; they are set before its eyes to be felt and healed.

"Now with the light and heat of the divine fire, it sees and feels those weaknesses and miseries that previously resided within it, hidden and unfelt, just as the dampness of the log of wood was unknown until the fire applied to it made it sweat and smoke and sputter. And this is what the flame does to the imperfect soul.

"For (O wonderful thing!) contraries rise up at this time against contraries - those of the soul against those of God that assail it. And as the philosophers say: One contrary when close to the other makes it more manifest. They war within the soul, striving to expel one another in order to reign. That is: The virtues and properties of God, extremely perfect, war against the habits and properties of the soul, extremely imperfect; and the soul suffers these two contraries within itself. (St John of the Cross, "Living Flame of Love," Stanza I) "And when the soul suffers the direct assault of this Divine light, its pain, which results from its impurity, is immense; because, when this pure light assails the soul, in order to expel its impurity, the soul feels itself to be so impure and miserable that it believes God to be against it, and thinks that it has set itself up against God. .

"Hence it can neither pray nor pay attention when it is present at the Divine offices, much less can it attend to other things and affairs which are temporal. Not only so, but it has likewise such distractions and times of such profound forgetfulness of the memory that frequent periods pass by without its knowing what it has been doing or thinking, or what it is that it is doing or is going to do, neither can it pay attention, although it desire to do so, to anything that occupies it...

"This is especially so at certain times when it is assailed with somewhat greater force; for sense and spirit, as if beneath some immense and dark load, are in such great pain and agony that the soul would find advantage and relief in death...

. "It feels, too, that all creatures have forsaken it, and that it is contemned by them, particularly by its friends...

"...added to all this ...it finds no consolation or support in any instruction nor in a spiritual master. For, although in many ways its director may show it good reason for being comforted because of the blessings which are contained in these afflictions, it cannot believe him. For it is so greatly absorbed and immersed in the realization of those evils wherein it sees its own miseries so clearly, that it thinks that, as its director observes not that which it sees and feels, he is speaking in this manner because he understands it not; and so, instead of comfort, it rather receives fresh affliction, since it believes that its director's advice contains no remedy for its troubles...

"...it is unable to raise its affection or its mind to God, neither can it pray to Him...

"It now remains to be said that, although this happy night brings darkness to the spirit, it does so only to give it light in everything; and that, although it humbles it and makes it miserable, it does so only to exalt it and to raise it up; and, although it impoverishes it and empties it of all natural affection and attachment, it does so only that it may enable it to stretch forward, divinely, and thus to have fruition and experience of all things, both above and below, yet to preserve its unrestricted liberty of spirit in them all.. (St John of the Cross, "Dark Night of the Soul")