Perfection Series II: Manning and Angela

The reading of Cardinal Manning is like a cool, sea breeze on a stifling hot day. His clarity of mind and intense spirituality leads one into meditations on the Holy Ghost and the attributes of God. One moves from meditation on the Scriptures to contemplation of the nature of God as much as possible through grace.

St. Angela, as I have noted, is called the “Teacher of the Theologians”, was given infused knowledge as to the attribute of God, as well as details of the Passion.

One can see that see moved from the Dark Night into the Illuminative and then the Unitive States. All the insights of Garrigou-Lagrange apply to this great mystic.

But, remember, all Catholics are called to these stages, one by one, not skipping anything, in order to have union with God as much as possible while on earth.

This union is not for the benefit, merely, of the person sharing this, but for the building up of the Church.

One of the great insights from St. Angela which is worthy of reflection is the great objectivity towards all men and all women, as seen from God’s point of view. This insight astounds one. God sees and loves all humans, past, present, and future, damned and saved in one great objective view. No sinner can “hurt” God. No hatred affects Him. Christ sufferings in eternity have passed away into glory. This will be our heritage, if we love God and His ways.

St. Angela is one of the earliest saints to write and have experiences of the Eucharist in Adoration. I would call her the Patron Saint of Adorers, if I could. She could see all eternity in the Eucharist and all creation. Her gifts in Adoration span the centuries.

I cannot recommend her writings enough, and have not gone into her lengthy sections of Illumination and Union in ecstasy. I am resolved not to dwell on these stages until God lets me experience these myself. It is dangerous to read beyond where one is in the spiritual life. And, as a beginner in the Dark Night, I know my limitations.

I would like to mention that her encounter with the Crucified One, as she calls Christ, is perhaps the most intense and moving part of her writings. She notes that Christ suffered in each part of His Body for her sins using that part of her body.

To be confronted with vainglory, with pride of eye, with wastefulness and seeing each of these sins, among many connected with a specific pain of Christ provide a terrible witness of my sins. 

Imagine Christ stating that the nails in His Hands were from the sins of the hands of one person. Or the pain of His being stripped of all, even clothes, was owing to one's sins of wealth, the saving or the spending?

I encourage all my readers to read The Book of Divine Consolation of The Blessed Angela of Foligno.

And again, thanks to my friend Angela for the book, which I have now passed on to a priest.