A good will like this is the essence of the highest perfection. The delight and consolations of sense and spirit, regardless how sublime, are but accidental to this and wholly dependent on it. I say they are accidental because it matters very little whether or not a person experiences them. They are incidental to life on earth but in eternity they will be essential elements of man’s final glory, just as his body (which feels them now) will be united actually and essentially forever with his spirit. But on earth the kernel of all consolation is the inner reality of a good will. Moreover, I feel certain that a person who has matured in the perfecting of his will (at least insofar as he may in this life) experiences no earthly delight or consolation that he would not willingly and joyfully renounce if God so wished.
CHAPTER 50
What is meant by pure love; that some people experience little sensible consolation while others experience a great deal.
I hope you see now why it is so important that we concentrate our whole energy and attention on this gentle stirring of love in the will. With all due reverence for God’s gifts, it is my opinion that we should be quite careless of all delights and consolations of sense or spirit, regardless of how pleasurable or sublime they may be. If they come, welcome them but do not rest in them for fear of growing weak; believe me, you will expend a good deal of energy if you remain long in sweet feelings and tears. Possibly too, you may begin to love God on their account and not for himself. You will know whether or not this is happening if you become upset and irritable when you do not experience them.1 Should you find this to be the case, then your love is not yet chaste or perfect. When love is chaste and perfect, it may allow the senses to be nourished and strengthened by sweet emotions and tears,2 but it is never troubled if God permits them to disappear. It continues to rejoice in God all the same.
Some people experience a measure of consolation almost always while others only rarely. But God in his great wisdom determines what is best for each one. Some people are so spiritually fragile and delicate that unless they were always strengthened with a little sensible consolation, they might be unable to endure the various temptations and sufferings that afflict them as they struggle in this life against their enemies from within and without. And there are others so frail physically that they are unable to purify themselves through rigorous discipline. Our Lord in his great kindness purifies these people spiritually through consolations and tears. Yet there are others so spiritually virile that they find enough consolation in the reverent offering of this gentle, little love and in the sweet harmony of their hearts with God’s. They find such spiritual nourishment within that they need little other comfort. Which of these people is holier or nearer to God, only he knows. I certainly do not.3
CHAPTER 51
That men should be careful not to interpret literally what is meant spiritually, in particular the words “in” and “up.”
And so, humbly trust the blind stirring of love in your heart. Not your physical heart, of course, but your spiritual heart, your will. Be careful that you do not interpret the spiritual things I am saying in literal terms. Believe me, the human vanity of those who have quick and imaginative minds can lead them into much error by doing just this.
Consider, for example, what I told you about hiding your desire from God as much as possible. Perhaps had I told you to show him your desire, you would have taken it more literally than you do now when I say to hide it. For now you realize that to hide something purposely is to cast it deep into your spirit. Still, I believe that great caution is necessary in interpreting words used in a spiritual sense so as not to be misled by the literal meaning. In particular, be careful of the words “in” and “up,” for much error and deception in the lives of those who set out to be contemplatives can be traced to a distortion of the meaning behind these two words. I can confirm this from my own experience and from the experience of others. I think it would be useful for you to know a little about these snares.
A young disciple in God’s school, who has only recently forsaken the world, thinks that since he has given himself to prayer and penance for a short while under the guidance of his spiritual father, he is then ready to begin contemplation. He has heard others speak of it or possibly he has read about it himself. Someone like this will hear read or spoken that “a man shall draw all his faculties into himself” or that “he shall climb above himself.” No sooner has he heard this when through ignorance of the interior life, sensuality, and curiosity, he completely misunderstands the meaning. He feels within himself a natural curiosity about the occult and supposes that grace is calling him to contemplation. He becomes so stubbornly attached to this conviction that should his spiritual father disagree with him, he becomes very upset. Then he begins to think and to say to others, as ignorant as himself, that no one understands him. So off he goes and, incited by boldness and presumption, leaves humble prayer and spiritual discipline too soon and begins (as he supposes) the work of contemplation. If he really persists in this, his work is neither human nor divine but, to put it bluntly, something unnatural, instigated and directed by the devil. It is a straight path to the death of body and soul, for it is an aberration leading to insanity. Yet he does not realize this and, foolishly thinking that he can possess God with his intellect, forces his mind to concentrate on nothing except God.
CHAPTER 52
How some presumptuous young beginners misinterpret “in”; the snares that result.
The breakdown I speak of comes about like this. The neophyte hears and reads that he should cease using his external faculties on external things and work interiorly. This is true as far as it goes but because he does not understand how to work interiorly, his efforts miscarry. He becomes morbidly introspective and strains his faculties, as though by brute force he could make his eyes and ears see and hear interior things. In like manner he abuses all his senses and emotions. Thus he does violence to his nature and drives his imagination so mercilessly with this stupidity that eventually his mind snaps. Then the way is clear for the evil one to feign some fantasy of light or sound, some sweet odor or delicious taste. Or the devil may excite his passions and arouse all sorts of bizarre sensations in his breast or bowels, his back, loins, and other organs.
Yet unfortunately, the poor fool is deluded by these wiles and believes that he has achieved a peaceful contemplation of God beyond all temptation to vain thoughts. Indeed, he is not altogether wrong, for he is now so satiated with lies that vain thoughts do not really trouble him. Why? Because that same fiend, who would harass him with temptations if he were engaged in genuine prayer, is the very one directing this pseudo-work and he is not so stupid as to hinder his own work with the obvious. Cleverly he leaves the fool he has trapped with lovely thoughts about God, so that his evil hand will not be detected.1
CHAPTER 53
Of the various inappropriate mannerisms indulged in by pseudo-contemplatives.
The spiritual and physical comportment of those involved in any sort of pseudo-contemplation is apt to appear very eccentric, whereas God’s friends always bear themselves with simple grace. Anyone noticing these deluded folk at prayer might see strange things indeed! If their eyes are open, they are apt to be staring blankly like a madman or peering like one who saw the devil, and well they might, for he is not far off. Sometimes their eyes look like the eyes of wounded sheep near death. Some will let their heads droop to one side, as if a worm were in their ears. Others, like ghosts, utter shrill, piping sounds that are supposed to pass for speech. They are usually hypocrites. Some whine and whimper in their desire and eagerness to be heard. This is the approach of heretics and those clever and conceited folk who argue against the truth.
Anyone observing them would undoubtedly notice many other grotesque and inappropriate mannerisms, although a few are so clever that they are able to maintain a respectable front in public. Should they be observed off guard, however, I believe their sham would be evident, and anyone with the audacity to contradict them will cert
ainly feel their wrath. Yet they believe that all they do is for God and in the service of truth. But I am convinced that unless God intervenes with a miracle to make them renounce this specious nonsense, their way of “loving God” will drive them straight into the devil’s clutches stark raving mad. I am not saying that everyone under the devil’s influence is afflicted with all these affectations, though this is not impossible. But all his disciples are corrupted with some of them or with others like them, as I will explain now, God willing.
There are those so laden with all sorts of eccentric and effeminate mannerisms that when they listen they have a coy way of twisting their heads up and to one side, gaping with open mouths. One would think they were trying to hear with their mouths instead of their ears! Some, when they speak, will rudely point their fingers on their own hands or breast or at those to whom they are lecturing. Others can neither sit, stand, nor lie down without moving their feet or gesturing with their hands. Some row their arms as though they were trying to swim over a great water. Others, again, are forever grinning and giggling with every other word like giddy schoolgirls or silly clowns with no breeding. Far better a modest countenance, a calm, composed bearing, and a merry candor.
I am not implying that these mannerisms are greatly sinful in themselves or that all who employ them are necessarily great sinners. My point is that if these affectations dominate a person to where he is enslaved by them, they are evidence of pride, sophistry, exhibitionism, or curiosity. At the very least, they betray the fickle heart and restless imagination of one sadly lacking in a true contemplative spirit. The only reason I speak of them at all is so that the contemplative may preserve the authenticity of his own work by avoiding them.
CHAPTER 54
That contemplation graces a man with wisdom and poise and makes him attractive in body and spirit.
As a person matures in the work of love, he will discover that this love governs his demeanor befittingly both within and without. When grace draws a man to contemplation it seems to transfigure him even physically so that though he may be ill-favored by nature, he now appears changed and lovely to behold. His whole personality becomes so attractive that good people are honored and delighted to be in his company, strengthened by the sense of God he radiates.
And so, do your part to co-operate with grace and win this great gift, for truly it will teach the man who possesses it how to govern himself and all that is his. He will even be able to discern the character and temperament of others when necessary. He will know how to accommodate himself to everyone, and (to the astonishment of all) even to inveterate sinners, without sinning himself. God’s grace will work through him, drawing others to desire that very contemplative love which the Spirit awakens in him. His countenance and conversation will be rich in spiritual wisdom, fire, and the fruits of love, for he will speak with a calm assurance devoid of falsehood and the fawning pretense of hypocrites.
There are some who channel all their physical and spiritual energies into learning how to support and undergird their insecurity with servile whimpering and affectations of piety. They are more anxious to appear holy before men than to be holy before God and his angels. These folk are more embarrassed and upset for a mistaken gesture or breach of etiquette in society than for a thousand vain thoughts and foul inclinations to sin, willfully encouraged or carelessly trifled with, in the presence of God and his angels. Ah, Lord God! Surely a great deal of humble affectation denotes a proud heart. It is true that a genuinely humble person ought to conduct himself with a modesty in word and manner that reflects the dispositions of his heart. But I cannot condone a halting coy voice that is contrary to the natural simplicity of one’s character. If we are speaking the truth let us use a simple sincere tone of voice that accords with our personality. A person who by nature has a plain, loud voice but habitually mumbles in a craven whisper—except of course, if he is sick or is speaking in private to his Confessor or in secret to God—is plainly a hypocrite. It matters not whether he is a novice or long experienced; he is a hypocrite.
What more shall I say about these treacherous snares? Really, unless a man has the grace to quit this hypocritical whining, he is courting peril. For between the secret pride in his heart and the hypocrisy of his behavior, the poor wretch may soon drown in terrible grief.
CHAPTER 55
That those who condemn sin with indiscreet zeal are deceived.
Again, the fiend will deceive some people with another insidious plot. He will fire them with a zeal to maintain God’s law by uprooting sin from the hearts of others. Never will he come right out and tempt them with something obviously evil.1 Instead, he incites them to assume the role of a zealous prelate supervising every aspect of the Christian life, like an Abbot overseeing his monks. He reprimands anyone and everyone for his faults just as if he were a legitimately constituted pastor. He feels he must rebuke them lest God’s wrath descend upon himself, and he maintains that the love of God and the fire of fraternal charity impel him. But really he lies, for it is the fire of hell in his brain and imagination that incites him.2
The following seems to confirm this. The devil is spirit who, like the angels, has no body. But whenever by God’s leave he (or any angel) assumes a body to deal with men, he will choose a body which in some way reflects the nature of his mission.3 We see this in holy Scripture. In both the Old and New Testaments we find that when an angel was sent for any work, his body or his name reflected his spiritual message. In the same way, whenever the fiend takes human shape, some quality of his body will reflect his intention.
One particular example illustrates this very well. I have learned from some of the students of necromancy (a cult which advocates communication with the wicked spirits), and from others to whom the fiend has appeared in human guise, just what sort of body he is apt to assume. They have told me that when he appears he will usually have only one great nostril, large and wide, and that he will readily toss his head back so that a man can see straight up to his brain, which appears like the fire of hell. A fiend can have no other brain and he is well satisfied if he can induce a man to look at it, for the sight will drive a human being out of his mind forever. (The skilled apprentice of the black art is well aware of this, however, and takes proper precautions so that he does not endanger himself.)
So then, whenever the devil assumes a body, you may be sure that it will in some way reflect his intention. In the case of false zeal which we have been considering, he so inflames the imagination of his contemplatives with the fire of hell that suddenly and imprudently they will lash out with unbelievable conceit. They arrogate to themselves the right to admonish others, often crudely and prematurely. And all this because they have but one spiritual nostril. The division of a man’s nose into two parts suggests that he ought to possess a spiritual discernment enabling him to decide the good from the bad, the bad from the worse, and the good from the better before pronouncing judgment. (By brain I mean the spiritual imagination, for according to nature imagination resides and functions in the head.)
CHAPTER 56
That those who rely more on their own natural intelligence and human learning than on the common doctrine and guidance of the Church are deceived.
There are still others who, though they escape the deceptions I have described so far, fall victim to their pride, intellectual curiosity, and scholarly knowledge when they reject the common doctrine and guidance of the Church. These people and their followers rely too much on their own learning. They were never rooted in that humble, blind experience of contemplative love and the goodness of life accompanying it. Thus they are vulnerable to a pseudo-experience designed and directed by their spiritual enemy. They go so far as to rise up and blaspheme the saints, the sacraments, and the ordinances of Holy Church. Sensual-living men of the world who feel that the Church’s requirements for the proper amendment of their lives are too burdensome quickly and easily follow after these heretics and fiercely support them. All this because they imagine that thes
e heretics will lead them by a smoother path than Holy Church.
Now I really believe that anyone who will not tread the arduous way to heaven will run the easy way to hell,1 as we shall each learn on the last day. For I am convinced that if we could see these heretics and their followers now, as clearly as we shall see them on Judgment Day, we would realize that besides their open presumption in denying the truth, they are burdened with great and terrible sins committed in their private lives. It is said of them that for all the false virtue they display in public, in private their lives are full of evil lust. In all truth they may be called the disciples of Anti-Christ.
CHAPTER 57
How some presumptuous young beginners misunderstand the word “up”; the snares that follow.
Let us leave off this discussion now and get back to what I began to say about the spiritual understanding of certain key words.
I said earlier that young disciples of spirituality who are not wary of presumption are very inclined to misinterpret the word “up.” They will hear read or spoken that contemplatives ought to “lift up their hearts to God.” Right off they begin to stare up at the stars as if they were on another planet and to listen as if they hoped to catch the heavenly songs of angels. Sometimes they set their curious imagination to penetrate the secrets of the planets and to pierce the firmament in hopes of seeing into outer space. They are inclined to imagine God according to their own fancies, seeing him in sumptuous robes and setting him upon a throne in an outlandish fashion. All around him they imagine angels in human likeness arranged like musicians in an orchestra. Believe me, the like has never been seen or heard of in this life.1
The Cloud of Unknowing Page 11
