Appendix: Spiritual Advancement
This section on spiritual advancement is taken from traditional Catholic methods, it uses the traditional three stages; and the four stage, dark night of the soul written of by St. John of the Cross; and the recently doctrinal five step with the fifth step being divinization.
Spiritual advancement is simply a deeper sharing in the life of God, who is Christ. This occurs as we eliminate self will, allowing a deeper indwelling of God’s own spirit, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is our likeness and union with God.
It sounds daunting and mystical, but it’s no more mystical than living a just life as a first century carpenter. To deny one’s self does not require abandoning family, food, sleep, or even the enjoyments of life, rather these are had according to God’s will, not our own.
Personal spiritual advancement promotes social justice, and even salvation for others. We observe how original and subsequent sin introduced mistrust, greed and hatred. These may be reformed by the mediation of spiritual advancement. When we suffer anger into patience, and greed into trust, individuals and nations are bettered, and the corruption is no longer suffered as social disorder.
The science of elimination of self is well developed; religious orders have for centuries molded their member’s wills away from self, and toward God. These religious orders exist as practical aids to spiritual advancement, and their techniques may be used by anyone according to their circumstances. The seemingly pointless discipline they require has real results in mastering self will: uniforms, schedules, endless rules...there is little room for individual will. This selflessness becomes a habit, and over time a character of the soul. The sacraments they have received act with fuller effect, drawing them closer to God as self is mortified.
Conversely, our world is geared toward satisfaction, growth and indulgence of self...all to the detriment of our souls. We are told to eat richly, drink well, purchase, pleasure ourselves, get honor, find fault and demand our rights. Jesus had a different mindset. How would Jesus live if he were a reformed sinner, rich, bed ridden, a mother? Read the lives of the saints.
Purgative, Illuminative, Unitive ways
Jesus speaks, “The truest and most effective teaching that you can receive is this. Keep yourself apart from all men, if not in body, then in spirit. Keep yourself free from all unneeded images and words. Free yourself from everything that is accidental, binding or that brings worry. Always direct your spirit to the intimate contemplation of God, keeping me constantly present before your eyes and never turning them away from me. Direct all other exercises, be it poverty, fasting, vigils and all other types of chastisement toward this goal and make use of them to the extent that they advance this end.”
“Do all this and you shall attain the summit of perfection that not one person in a thousand comprehends because they make these exercises their goal and therefore wander about for years.”
This teaching of the prior two paragraphs, is known as “brief rules for spiritual advancement”, given by Christ to St. Henry Suso. It is essentially a rephrasing of Christ’s teaching in Mt 22:37, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” This phrasing by Jesus seems more attractive than the phrasing of the same idea, given to St. Suso. Suso’s is perhaps more useful because of its detail.
If our salvation is to become Christ, then every faculty of one’s soul must direct itself to Christ, in order that Christ may then incorporate us into his being. When one’s will is fully functioning as Christ’s will, our actions are then redirected to family, job, daily routine; but now as Christ in the world.
To think of, and be Christ 24/7 sounds burdensome and impossible, but it’s not. We do not become a first century carpenter, but a present day member of Christ, who is now the entire body of Christ: a mother, worker, student, unemployed, reforming sinner. We do not really have to learn more, or do more, or even be more.
The less we cling to the accidents of this life, the deeper our participation in Christ. On the proactive side, the sacraments are essential, as they are the agents of our incorporation into Christ, as we clear the way of selfishness.
Spiritual advancement typically proceeds in stages and in a generally predictable pattern. Our efforts to free our soul of its illegitimate attachments is termed the Purgative way. Cultivation of virtue is the Illuminative way, and elimination of self for the purpose of union with Christ is the Unitive way. At any time, our efforts are made predominantly, but not exclusively in one of these stages.
Our starting point depends on many factors, including the burden of original sin assigned to us; some have a greater burden to work through than others, (Luke 15:7). Most start their spiritual advancement in the Purgative way, and by repeated effort substantially eliminate sin from their lives.
The Illuminative stage is characterized by a virtuous and pious life, of legitimate undertakings in job, family, and all areas. The years of grinding perseverance have paid off for this person of virtue. Those courageously attaining the illuminative state, might expect a linear progression forward, but there is a necessary twist that occurs here, termed by St. John of the Cross “the dark night of the soul”. It is almost always misunderstood by those entering into the Unitive stage, and may be a pitfall if not properly understood.
Spiritual trials now occur, by consent or initiative of Christ with the goal of eliminating the legitimate self will of the student. These trials are misunderstood as punishments, given for reasons that cannot even be determined. These trials feel like anything other than the blessings they are. To participate fully in Christ, we cannot stop at virtuous self; self must go, that we may become Christ. This regimen of trials and aridity is allowed or produced by
Christ for the particular purpose of eradicating self in the soul. Self: satisfaction, pity, indulgence, centeredness, all must go before we may make divine union with Christ. This period of discipline, advancement and union is termed the dark night of the soul. It constitutes the bulk of the Unitive stage.
Dark Night of the Soul
An extreme example of the dark night may be found in the book of Job. Job was scrupulous and perfect in his obedience to the decrees of God, and was richly rewarded. God sought to advance Job’s soul by stripping him of his good fortune, leaving only faith in his life. He was to maintain faith and virtue, simply for the sake of God.
Job had no part in sin, now he was tasked with eradicating even legitimate self interest, including even self attachments in his worship of God. Selfishness, great or small distorts our entire soul, even our faith.
Job persevered and, in the end, he had no attachment to this life, he fundamentally detached from it, (Lk 14:26). His love of God was undiminished. Through this active and passive combination Job attained perfection…and his former joys were restored to him.
More commonly the casualty is not our material life as Job suffered, but our legitimate material and spiritual attachments. Until now the soul had attained conformity to God by degree, and now over an extended period may attain actual union with God—we become Christ, (CCC 795, 1213).
The dark nights (allowed by Christ), introduce nothing new in our lives, but the intensity and duration of aridity, trials of life, doubts of faith, temptation to despair or quit, is increased, and there is little in the way of spiritual consolations, sense of worth and accomplishment which one enjoyed in the illuminative stage of the journey. For a person to make spiritual advancement in such an environment produces a much stronger and purer faith, hence a deeper participation of our soul in Christ, even to the point of divine union, which is the goal of the Unitive stage, and its means, the dark night of the soul.
Awareness of the three stage system, and especially the four dark nights, is helpful. If we know the purpose for these dark nights and we may cooperate. St. Francis attained divine union five years after starting his journey, largely because he refused to be detoured by the accidents of life and faith. He did not dwell on emotions but on God.
We may expect spiritual dryness and even a sense of abandonment on top of the usual trials; we are able to minimize our time in these stages by recognizing them and working through them, rather than running from them. If we drag our feet in these matters, we prolong them; if we run from them, we do not make the advancement. The four specific nights of the soul are active and passive nights of the senses and spirit.
Active nights are the action of the student, passive nights are the action of God alone. Further, the night of the senses, involve the moral virtues which are virtues acting within creation; the night of the spirit involves the theological virtues, which are directed to God alone. Thus, the four dark nights of the soul are:
The active dark night of the senses
The passive dark night of the senses
The active dark night of the spirit
The passive dark night of the spirit
The active dark night of the senses
The active night of the senses purges our moral virtues, which are virtues directed at other people. The active dark night of the senses requires the student to act virtuously in the absence of the consolations which were formerly present. Formerly, in the illuminative stage, God guided the student from a life of sin or mediocrity into a life of virtue and an effective part of this guidance (for the beginner) was the attractive trail of spiritual sweets along the path. St. John of the Cross writes,
“We call this nakedness [stripping] a night for the soul, for we are not discussing the mere lack of things; this lacking will not divest the soul if it craves for all these objects. Desire to possess nothing, in order to arrive at being everything. The love of God is practiced, because the soul is no longer attracted by sweetness and consolation, but by God only.”
Previously the student felt good about his acts of virtue, and justly so, but his virtues were to some degree tainted by self satisfaction. Now in the depths of the night of the spirit, the student feels abandoned, rejected, useless, sinful, purposeless, stupid. All this is unsatisfied self seeking, which must be mediated into good form and faith. To take self satisfaction is part of the imperfect soul, and it takes self satisfaction not only in vice, but even in virtue! In the quest for perfection, all forms of selfishness must go. The result of every purgatory of the dark night is a higher quality of virtue and faith and a corresponding deeper sharing in the very life of Christ.
The passive dark night of the senses
The passive night of the senses has Christ withdrawing consolations in our practice of the moral virtues. Christ then makes union of the student into his human nature.
Previously at baptism, the student had already been included into the very person of Christ, with the full potential of inclusion into the divine nature of Christ…so why the repeat. The repeat may not happen; the dark nights do not occur to everyone; the dark nights are not necessary for salvation; the dark nights are a tool for spiritual perfection. We also observe that no person may attain union with Christ, on earth or Heaven, until his selfishness is fully purged. The dark nights are primarily purgation, and everyone is invited to perform his Purgatory in this life.
We perfect our participation first in the human nature of Christ (passive night of the senses), then into the very divine nature of Christ, (passive night of the spirit).
The dark nights of the soul include nothing that was not had from the beginning; aridity, misunderstanding, injustice, doubt have all been experienced by the student. In the dark nights the same trial may take on an increased pain. If the student were previously indifferent to God, a religious insult or accusation now, has much more impact.
St. Pio, the recent Italian priest and mystic was falsely accused of many offenses; the Church itself that he loved so much persecuted him. Everyone short of God was against him, even though he was blameless…this is the active night of the senses.
He also underwent the active night of the spirit in which Christ withdrew his sensory presence and allowed the corruption of doubt of God’s mercy afflict Pio. By moral effort and a pure faith Pio pushed through these obstacles and arrived at a condition allowing Christ to make full divine union with St. Pio.
At the completion of the passive dark night of the senses, the student is fully included into the human nature of Jesus Christ. The passive night of the senses perfects the illuminative stage of spiritual advancement, and allows us to enter into the Unitive stage, and its corresponding dark night of the spirit.
The active night of the senses is our action clearing the way for Christ to make union with us. The parallel passive night of the senses is both Christ allowing the trials, and most importantly,
Christ’s action of including us into his very person. Both active nights (senses and spirit) overlap and are discernible primarily by their goal, which is human perfection, then divine inclusion in that order.
The active dark night of the spirit
The active night of the spirit involves our relation to God, rather than people. The virtues involved are the theological virtues, which are virtues having God as the end.
The active night of the spirit involves the student practicing and perfecting his faith feeling no presence of God, or doubting God or God’s mercy. The goal here is not to doubt God, but to overcome such doubts and scruples, which always occurred but now with a greater intensity, and in the face of much hard won spiritual advancement over many years.
St. Pio also endured the night of the spirit, in which God himself withdrew sensible consolations from him. It is one thing for a religiously inclined person to suffer disfavor from other people, but quite another thing to feel as if God has withdrawn or even rejected him…this is the active night of the spirit. Jesus himself felt such abandonment, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?", (Mt 27:46).
The passive dark night of the spirit
In the passive night of the spirit, Christ withdraws his sensible presence, awaits the student to work through it, then makes divine union with the student. This is the spiritual marriage or transforming union that many saints speak of. It is a permanent union of the student’s soul with Christ. If the divine union of soul occurs in this life, the body is still liable to death.
John writes, “I went out from myself. My intellect departed from itself, changing from human and natural to divine. For united with God through this purgation, it no longer understands by means of its natural vigor and light, but by means of the divine wisdom to which it was united”.
The two nights of the senses, John says, are “common” and “come to many,” but the night of the spirit, active and passive “is the portion of very few.” Until John of the Cross wrote his extensive commentary on the night of the spirit, there was little written or spoken about it. The night of the senses is the preceding stage, and the more common occurrence and there was proportionally more information about it.
In the advanced stages, the saints report unexpected feelings of abandonment, and dissatisfaction against God, (St. Faustina’s diary, entry 77). This is sin presented to the student in its core form — rebellion against God. This undisguised rebellion may be presented alongside incomplete work from the previous stages, and our guide (in part) is our own imperfect soul, which we are trying to correct. Doing this cold turkey in a convent is easiest, but most people must take the home study curriculum.
The turning point often occurs when the student finally sees the plan for him, and submits. As the student advances to the ultimate perfection and union, the trials may lessen. With his new understanding the student sees the remaining trials as no longer meaningless, but purposeful, the student finally joins in and rapid progress may be made. Near the end, God takes complete command. The student has largely gone as far as he can. God proceeds to strip away the last remnants of self, for the purpose of divine union.
The Divine union, also called the divine marriage or the transforming union is the final stage of our existence within the body of Christ. This has always been part of the faith, from the time that the apostle Peter wrote of it, (2pet 1:4). This is the wedding feast that Jesus spoke of. It is our divinization and it was intended to occur in this life on earth. The idea of human divinization entered into the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992, in CCC 398.
Because of sin, our first participation in Christ is in his human nature. Once we are completely free of selfishness, we may fully participate in the divine nature of Jesus. Those we call saints have made the effort to purge themselves of self will and have obtained divine union with Christ in this life, rather than delaying it until the afterlife, either scenario requires purgation of self.
Miracles, prophecy, ecstatic contemplation are all common in the divine union.TTTT The divine union may be achieved in this life. It occurs when every attribute under willful control is free of disorder, this allows the willful whole to be incorporated into the divine Christ. The Divine doctor himself conducts this soul transplant as the final stage of the passive night of the spirit. The body, which is not fully under our willful control undergoes death.
This divine union on earth was the original plan for humanity (CCC 398), and everyone was to have attained it in this life, since no sin or death was part of the original plan. No afterlife was even planned; just a perfected, divine continuation of our current existence. Day trips to Heaven to visit the angels would be allowed, but Jesus would not have died on the cross, and we would all know him here on earth. Our world would have been a sort of spiritual utopia, with perfected, divinized elders (no wrinkles or arthritis) leading the upcoming generations to their intended divinization. UUUU
Spiritual advancement program
For our spiritual advancement, we might construct a three stage program, which we repeat until holy:
(1.) We identify and examine the problem and our foolish attachment to it. We do this in both structured mediation and on our feet as we encounter problems. We hold the temptation or imperfection at arm’s length to break the emotional cycle which feeds itself. This emotional cycle usually proceeds away from perfection and towards self: pity, indulgence, destruction.
We recall our goal (incorporation into Christ) and our reasons. We compare our proposed action to the person Christ, and not only the first century Christ, but the present day Christ: the mother, the worker, the person at leisure, danger or trouble. We think of our past failings in which we fail at the peak of temptation, only to kick ourselves later.
(2.) We ride out the peak and steamroll to virtue on the downside. We do not worry about the consequences, God will arrange those. We maintain focus on the only thing that lasts or has value, our participation in Christ.
(3.) Cultivation of peace is the next (and necessary) event. We must not eliminate vice, pride and worry, only to complain of boredom.VVVV Our calling is to express ourselves as Christ in the many ways open to us. Christ seeks to express himself in every legitimate art or enterprise, and “non-religious” acts are not less than religious acts. Indeed, to carve out a part of life for religion, implies that the other part does not seek inclusion into God. In ancient Israel there was no divide (in th