Outline of Spiritual Advancement
God conducts a seemingly strange exercise in which he detaches attributes from his very person, but withholding his own attributes of eternity and divinity. These detached attributes are then formed into wonderful entities such as humanity.{1} God then asks that these entities reunite with his very person. Furthermore, these entities called to union are damaged in this very ability for reunion, and must first overcome their damage.
We call this strange exercise creation and redemption. Those that rejoin Christ are humans, angels, and ultimately all of creation. To make this reunion more meaningful, we construct the discipline of spiritual advancement, which produces in us, a better quality of soul for this reunion. Spiritual advancement is as old as humanity. This book deals with spiritual advancement within Catholicism.
Spiritual advancement as practiced in the Old Testament was simply a stricter adherence to the Law of Moses. Jesus was truly revolutionary in his teaching on spirituality; he demanded love without exception, and even spoke of his own person as somehow being a goal in our life.
Jesus and the apostles largely spoke of the beginning purgative stages, with some instruction beyond the basics. Such instruction is sound however, because much of spiritual advancement is a matter of perfecting the human virtues we have always had.
With the coming of Jesus however, our spiritual potential became nothing less than participation in the divine nature of Christ, the Son of God, (2Pet 1:4). Our divine inclusion into Christ was always the plan (CCC 280, 398), and it was for this reason that the Son of God was incarnate as Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come because of sin; he came for the purpose of divine communion with his children. Sin was an obstacle which he first had to remediate, prior to making his intended communion with humanity.
For the first 1500 years of Christianity, very few members could even read the literature on spiritual advancement; but this was not really a problem. God provides for our material well being, and how much more for our spiritual well being and advancement. Spiritual direction from a priest was the most common method, but the quality of instruction varied greatly, and instruction only goes so far, only the student may do the required work on his soul.
Lay religious communities existed from the start, and the Book of Acts mentions the Jerusalem community. The desert fathers (and mothers), were religious communities of lay people. These and the later dedicated religious orders provided a conducive environment and moral support for those seeking spiritual growth beyond the basics. Even before the time of Jesus, there existed the Jewish Essene religious communities in Israel. These were mostly lay communities, but the famous Essene monastery at Qumran were professional religious who made spiritual advancement their exclusive task.
About the year 500 Saint Benedict founded the first monastery of professional religious monks, and instruction in spiritual advancement was part of this life. At this same time in Greece, Pseudo-Dionysius wrote of the three stages of spiritual advancement: Purgative, Illuminative and Unitive stages, and even spoke briefly of the ‘Divine darkness’, in which faith must advance even in the absence of any emotional compass.
The sixteenth century brought two spiritual giants, St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Avila. John experienced and studied what he termed “the dark night”, which is our advancement beyond our very soul, into union with the person of God.
We know what to do to attain virtue, but there is no internal road map union with God, besides this we must detach from all that previously brought us satisfaction. Self satisfaction, even legitimate satisfaction must go, we cannot become Christ if we remain self.
St. Teresa experienced and wrote of the several grades of prayer from beginning stages to the divine union…after Jesus showed her the place in Hell she would have if she remained in her lax life as a nun. She went on to lead and reform the Carmelite order. By the end of her life, her sisters had to pull her back to her seat as she levitated in prayer.
By about 1900 the term ‘victim soul’ had come into use. This is a profound dark night in which the moral remediation of the victim makes spiritual advancement (usually salvation) for others. The principle has always been in place with Jesus Christ as the first ‘victim soul’ to make such remediation. St. Gemma Galgani, St. Faustina and St. Pio are recent spiritual remeditators or victim souls.
The idea of divinization of the individual is first recorded in 2Pet 1:4; it has been written of by many saints, and it exists as Catholic doctrine in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In paragraph 398 we read,
“Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully divinized by God in glory.”
From CCC 460, “The Word became flesh to make us partakers of the divine nature…For the Son of God became man so that we might become God”.
Many saints and doctors of the church have written of our intended divinization.{2} Most speak of if occurring in the final Unitive stage, as the spiritual marriage. In the sixteenth century divinization was the clear outcome of the dark night of the soul, as written of by St. John of the Cross. It occurs after full purgation in this life or the next.
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Christian spiritual advancement is simply a deeper sharing in Christ — in his very person — ultimately ending in divine union.{3} This is the highest and most fulfilling existence possible, and it was intended to occur in this life, and it still may. Those we call saints have often attained this divine union in this life. This typically requires many years, but Saint Francis made the journey from playboy to divinization in five years. Christ himself calls every person to such perfection and union, “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”, Mt 5:48.
Spiritual advancement occurs as we eliminate self will, allowing a deeper indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is both giver and gift of our union with Jesus Christ. We become Christ, who is now all who constitute the body of Christ.
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.
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.
Personal spiritual advancement promotes social justice and even salvation for others. We observe how original and subsequent sin introduced mistrust, greed, hatred, war, poverty, injustice. 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.
National and worldwide prosperity, security and justice depend upon personal integrity. Political programs may “arrange the deck chairs”, within the limits of order and disorder existing within our world, such order and disorder is caused by human moral behavior. Political action attempts to repair the existing effects of sin. Political repair has limited success, while sound morality and good spiritual advancement would prevent the damage in the first place. All of creation benefits as distorted forms of spirit, (love, patience, justice, reverence, moderation), are remediated (by moral effort) into their original perfect forms.{4}
We are called to make union with Christ, who is now the entire body of Christ.{5} The entire body of Christ in some way benefits from this reunion, to which we bring new dimensions of love. To this communion, we bring our hard earned spiritual advancement made in our fallen world, and the entire body of Christ benefits. God who cannot advance in virtue has found a way to do just that.{6}
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Let us recall the purpose of our lives, and make a plan accordingly. The purpose of our lives is to make spiritual advancement and bring our improved souls to union with God. Sin and death were never a part of the plan. Adam and Eve were to have perfected their human virtues, then with the coming of Jesus Christ; they would have made divine union.{7}
Christ’s plan for our spiritual advancement has a beginning, a progression and a definite end point.{8} The original plan remains, even though its progress is damaged by the effects of sin. Remember the goal of all this is the ultimate inclusion of humans, angels and all of creation into the divinity and person of Christ.
The beginning, as everyone knows is the creation of moral creatures, first angels then human persons.
The purgation was not a part of God’s original plan. With the onset of sin, we must now reform our souls to their original starting point of virtue.{9}
The progression has us first perfecting our human virtues. Then with the coming of Jesus Christ, we are to make inclusion into his divine nature, (in this life). Jesus was not originally intended to lift us out of sin (sin was never planned); he came to make divine union with each person. Sin was an (unplanned) obstacle he first had to overcome before humanity could make divine inclusion.
Jesus not only came as planned, he left as planned. It is for this reason that Jesus Christ left us the sacraments of sanctification and a priesthood to administer them, and the knowledge that he is to return. The interim period is our time of preparation for his second coming, in which Jesus Christ will attempt divine communion with all of creation, (also called the general judgment), so that “God may be all in all”, (1Cor 15:28). No one need wait for the second coming of Christ to make this divine communion, it is offered at an individual level now.
The end of creation, and the beginning of eternity and the fulfillment of God’s great project, is the second coming of Christ, which is described in Revelation chapter 21. Chapter 21 speaks of a new divine order in which there is no more death or corruption, and a new Heaven and a new earth. This is the end point of creation, and the start point of eternity. From Revelation 21:1-4;
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”
This new order of creation is the result of Jesus Christ making communion with all of creation, so as to bring about the highest fulfillment of what he has created. Jesus Christ is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”, (Rev 22:13). Christ is the source of all creation, and the communion of all creation. Heaven and the resurrection are the very person of Christ.{10}
Jesus Christ will attempt communion with all creation, all goodness will make the communion; the evil left behind is Hell.
This end of creation and the beginning of eternal existence will be done within the very person and divinity of Jesus Christ. Every person and thing (except Hell) will exist as a dimension of Christ, the Son of God. As the apostle Peter says, “…we will participate in the divine nature [of Christ].”, (2Pet 1:4).{11}
The preceding is an outline of the history of spiritual advancement and God’s plan for humanity, from creation through human virtue, to divine inclusion. What follows is a summary of the techniques of spiritual advancement.
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Let’s make a rule for spiritual advancement right away. We will study it for the remainder of the book.
Any activity, be it action, thought or will, must be stripped of illegitimate selfish content. Those wishing perfection must strip it even of legitimate self interest. What remains of the action must have its origin and end in Christ.
Illegitimate selfishness makes for a sinful act, and it’s fairly easy to identify. Legitimate self interest is not as easy to identify, because it is legitimate (but not perfect); but for those seeking spiritual perfection, even legitimate self interest must go.{12} Any idea that may be prefaced with the word “self” — self satisfaction, self accomplishment, self interest — must go. God has no enmity toward prosperity, but if we want to move beyond this limited life, we must detach from all that is not Christ.
What remains of the action must come from, and go to Christ, for the end purpose of participation in Christ. Perfection is arrived at when the student is no longer his own person, but an instrument of Christ, because he is a member of Christ; but the student may not become Christ if he remains self.
We might observe spiritual advancement as being a three stage process. It is just a rewording of God’s plan for humanity, discussed a few paragraphs ago, but now on an individual level.
The purgative stage has the student mastering the heavy, sensual failings. The illuminative stage has the student practicing a life of moral and religious virtue; the student is adept in living a life of virtue. The unitive stage has the student reforming his unknown selfishness which is hidden in legitimate action and even in virtue and religion. This is the means of the unitive stage; the end is to enter into full divine union with Jesus Christ.{13}
Spiritual writers term this unitive stage, “the dark night of the soul”, and it happened to the biblical Job. Job had perfected his human virtue; he did not know it, but he had done so according to his own terms. Job’s legitimate self interests had to go, these interests were not evil, but nor was Job yet perfect. Job emerged from the trials into a final perfection.
Had Job lived after the coming of Christ, he would have made complete divine inclusion into Christ, (after his final purgation). Christ would have encountered no hidden resistance in making union with Job.{14}
The saints who have made the journey no longer ate, slept or worked as they pleased, but as Christ pleased, and the further their advancement, the more important the fine details became. In the end they had truly become instruments of Christ. Their participation was such that they were hands, hearts and minds of the person of Christ.
Later chapters will examine each of the three stages of spiritual advancement; the purgative, illuminative and unitive stages, and the dear night of the soul.
In the next chapter we will study the means by which we share in the very person of Jesus Christ by sanctifying grace, which is given to us at baptism. The purpose of spiritual advancement is to fully cultivate this sanctifying grace to its full divine indwelling.