

Once sin is substantially purged we may concentrate on the perfection of our human virtues, in the follow on illuminative stage. 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. The virtues are made with little moral effort; they are the student’s new nature and have a near instinctual quality. Our real spiritual life is not neatly 63
divided into three categories, but we do make most of our efforts in one of these categories at any time.
Some people begin their spiritual advancement from the
illuminative stage. They have not been given, or cultivated any vices; this was the original condition of Adam and Eve. These fortunate people may immediately move forward in perfection of their virtues, and then into the unitive stage.63 A chart of the spiritual advancement stages may be found at the front of the book.
Humanity was not created to live forever in mere human
perfection, each individual was created for the purpose of divine union, which requires advancing even beyond a human perfection. No one gets to Heaven (who is the person of Christ) until every shred of self interest, and even self being is purged — we cannot become Christ if we remain self. We may do our Purgatory in this life or the next. If we do it now, our union is deeper and of a better quality, than if we wait until after our life on earth.
We now examine a short and practical course in spiritual
advancement given by Jesus Christ himself, to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi.
Born in 1769, Anna was a wife, mother and mystic. She
found training and employment as a servant for a Roman noble family. Marrying the cook’s helper Dominico, they began their family, and she her path to perfection of soul. As she progressed in soul, she was gifted with prophecy and healing powers. Her prophetic ability was unmatched, she had only to look into the blazing sun which was always present to her to know anything, the future or past, fate of souls, solutions to 63 Such inborn human perfection is not uncommon in the lives of the saints. It is possible that their burden of original sin affected their body only. The most well documented saint in history is St. Pio, and stories from his childhood reveal no sin or even imperfection. He did die a bodily death however, and this is thought to be his burden of original sin.
64
problems, locations of lost objects, events months or years away which always occurred precisely as foretold.
Anna saw her daily trials as wonderful ways to overcome
her self will, allowing in its place God’s own will. Anna did not live her life in the clouds, but in a hovel; nursing, cooking, cleaning, praying for her family of nine. Anna, who could train nuns in the way of perfection, could not even read the Bible.
The core of her spiritual curriculum was this advice given by her guide, who was Christ himself.
“The greatest merit consists in being in the midst of
the world and yet holding the world under one’s feet, serving God in the state of life to which it has pleased him to call you. Remember it is far more meritorious to renounce one’s own will and submit to the will of God, than to perform the greatest bodily mortifications…you must not in the future use language such as ‘I want this; this is pleasant, but this other is not.’ Do what you do not wish to do, leave undone what you wish to do. One such act is much more pleasing to me than an entire year of penance. The soul that suffers patiently the tribulations from people is greater than that of a penitent.”
The formula for spiritual advancement, is “hate self, and
love God.” This two part teaching comes from Jesus Christ himself, (Lk 14:26, Lk 10:27).
_____________________________________
The remainder of this chapter will examine the spiritual advancement teachings of Jesus and the saints. Most of the teachings in this chapter would fit into the illuminative stage.
The following several pages are from the Sermon on the
Mount, in Matthew chapters 5-7. It is a sermon on spiritual 65
advancement. It is spoken by a person who knows the rules, who makes the rules, who is the rule. After the first eight blessings are inserted the four ‘woes’ from the gospel of Luke, then the narrative returns to Jesus’ sermon on the mount.
Verses taken from the New American Bible.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.”
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Note on the following four woes from Luke 6. Let us study
these difficult lessons of Jesus. These four woes all criticize
common GOOD activity performed to the point of self
satisfaction. Selfishness of any sort isolates us from Christ,
we cannot become Christ, if we remain self).
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”
66
“But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.”
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.”
“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”64
( Continuation of Blessings of the Sermon on the Mount of
Olives, Matthew chapters 5-7). “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
(The Similes of Salt and Light) “You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”
(Teaching About the Law) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and
64 How can Jesus blame us for doing right in this world, (as in these four woes)? It is because life in this world is not our goal, and especially not self satisfaction in anything good or bad. Membership in the very divine person of Jesus is our goal, and to obtain this highest of goals, all that is less must be made subordinate. We must desire Heaven (who is the person of Christ), and not set our hearts on this world.
67
teaches others to do so will be called least in the, kingdom of heaven.
But
whoever
obeys
and
teaches
these
commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”65
(Teaching About Anger) “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” ( Note: participation even in thoughts of
65 In Mt 11:14, Jesus speaks of the prophet John, “And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Here Jesus equates the Prophets John and Elijah, both being the prophetic incarnation of the Holy Spirit, (the particular face or person of a prophet does not detract from the message given by the Holy Spirit). From this we see that it is not a matter of reincarnation, which is a human soul moving serially through bodies, but of the Holy Spirit adopting a person, or many persons for that matter.
In this verse, which is Mt 5:17, Jesus again makes an equation between the core teachings of the Holy Spirit, (not their accidents, such as who says them, or what accidental form they take. For instance, the Catholic fasting and abstinence laws are fundamentally the same as the Jewish dietary laws…that is, we must specifically dedicate days and meals to God. The accidents of the meal have no meaning, the intention does have meaning.
The Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or Christian laws could be interchanged with no diminution of effect, which is dedication to God, therefore inclusion into God.
68
anger or adultery are real acts of construction. We construct
our own person by what we participate in: God, sin, virtue,
vice).
(Teaching About Adultery) “You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.”
(Teaching About Divorce) “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’ But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
(Teaching About Oaths) “Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’
mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.” (Note:
anything more than yes or no, is prideful fluff. To qualify
one’s ‘yes’ , means that it is less than the whole truth,
according to Jesus, anything more is a corruption).
(Teaching About Retaliation) “You have heard that it was said,
‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes 69
you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.” (Note: an eye for an eye, is a sort of justified evil,
but Jesus says ‘be perfect’, which has us elevating even our
acts of justice to perfection of love. Such perfection averts
much additional injustice, by perfecting the spiritual
framework of our world).
(Love of Enemies) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
(Teaching About Almsgiving) “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
(Teaching About Prayer) “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to 70
you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
(The Lord’s Prayer) “This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your
will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.’” (Note: the final test must be some sort of evaluation,
‘Are you worthy of union with God?.’ No one could pass such
a final test, but if instead we are members of Jesus Christ, who
makes our sin into his virtue, thereby including us into
himself, we skip this final test. Christ takes on our sin, and
mediates it into his own virtue, thus union with God. What a
clever and generous plan, and with no possible excuses from
anyone).
(Teaching About Fasting) “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
(Treasure in Heaven) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
71
(The Light of the Body) “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
(God and Money) “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
(Dependence on God) “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothing? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’
or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil .” (Note: dependence on God seems (because of
pride) to be somehow weak, it is in fact a strength of soul, it
is really participation in God. Who has greater participation
in his parents, a one year old or a forty year old)?
(Judging Others) “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with 72
which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” (Note: let us not
judge the burden of original sin given to others. Beyond that,
let us participate in the greatest love, which is forgiveness).
(Pearls Before Swine) “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
(The Answer to Prayers) “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.”
(The Golden Rule) “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.” (Note: the
golden rule in its fulfillment must extend to others, beyond
self).
(The Narrow Gate) “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate
and constricted the road that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Note: those not entering the narrow way to
73
Heaven, are not necessarily relegated to Hell, but to
Purgatory, to complete training).
(False Prophets) “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.”
(Note: vice extends to all areas of creation, even to religion in
this world).
(The True Disciple) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’” (Note: will,
not intellect is primary in our participation in Christ. There
are plenty of good ideas in this world, but distorted will
prevents their adoption. Here, are depicted those who adopt
good ideas, but only within their own limited will, not God’s
will).
(The Two Foundations) “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house, and it collapsed and was 74
completely ruined.” (Note: participation in only oneself
comes to its horrible fulfillment at judgment, where Christ
gathers all goodness into himself. Those with no real
participation in Christ will be left behind, with all other evil
which Christ cannot incorporate into himself, this will be
Hell).
________________________________________
(Note: The following verses are additional teachings of Jesus,
in addition to the great Sermon on the Mount, which was just
presented).
“If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”, (Lk 14:26). (Note: Here,
hate is not an emotion but non-participation. Any endpoint
less than God, necessarily stops short of complete
participation in God).
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than
me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”, (Mt 10: 37-39). (Note: This verse places father and mother in
second place, which is the second greatest commandment, to
love neighbor, (Mt 22:39). As to the last sentence, we are not
to find our true lives here, but in Jesus Christ).
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”, (Mt 11:28-30).
75
“…Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”, (Mt 12:31-33). (Note:
The Holy Spirit is the agent of Christ who brings sanctifying
grace (salvation). By rejecting the Holy Spirit we reject
forgiveness, actual and sanctifying grace. This shows the
danger of atheism and its more severe form of anti-theism).
“To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow
rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”, (Mt 13:12). (Note: at our personal judgment Christ will
reclaim all goodness into himself, evil and those owning evil
will not make the communion with Christ. Evil and those
owning it will be left behind, this will be Hell. The general
judgment has Christ making communion with all of creation,
that left behind will be the final formation of Hell. What we
call judgment is the originally planned communion with each
individual, but with the advent of sin, failure of communion
and Hell is now a possibility. Jesus Christ came as planned,
but now had to resolve the problem of sin before making his
planned communion with humanity, (CCC 398, 2Pet 1:4).
“The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word
of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then
worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who 76
hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold”, (Mt 14:19-23).
“…Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me”, (Mt 16:24). ( Note: this refers
to denial of self, not denial of our humanity and its
requirements. By perfecting and migrating our virtues into
Christ our humanity is divinized, (2Pet 1:4).
“…Unless you turn and become like children, you will not
enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:3,4).
(Note: the ideal child has complete dependence,
commitment, obedience and love toward his parent).
“If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He [the rich young man] asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to Jesus, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you have and give it to poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”, (Mt 19:17-21). (Note: Jesus is asking the rich and good young
man to eradicate even legitimate self interest, which is one of
the final stages of spiritual advancement).
“…So when the first came, they thought that they would
receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.”, (Mt 20:10). (Note: this is the parable of the workers who each
worked more or less, but all received the same wage. The
wage they all received is the highest possible, which is divine
union or divinization (2Pet 1:4), no one may be given more).
77
“These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”, (Mk 16:17,18). (Note: all those having
a deep participation in Christ, will participate in the abilities
of Christ. Such divine participation is the intended norm for
each person).
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is
at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. If the house [occupants] is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you”, (Mt 10:7-13).
“Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not waver, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive”, (Mt 21:21,22).
“…Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness
outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Many are invited, but few are chosen”, (Mt 22:13,14). (Note:
this is the parable of the wedding feast. This wedding feast is
our divine union with Christ, which was meant to occur in this
life, and still can. The ideal of marriage or union that Christ
offers, and can only offer, is the highest perfection of union.
The outer darkness is either Purgatory or Hell).
78
“…[A scribe asked Jesus], ‘Teacher, which commandment
in the law is the greatest?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments”, Mt (22:36-40).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so
that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”, (Jn 3:16-18). (Note: By believing in Christ, we have a
participation in Christ, we are part of the person of Christ,
hence our salvation. Another way in which we may
participate in the person of Christ is by obeying the dictates
of our moral conscience, (CCC 847). Christ forms and sustains