St. Veronica Giuliani's Trip to Hell

One day the devil showed her a vision of hell. “It seems that the tempter showed my soul hell being opened, and that in fact he had placed it (her soul) in it, and that only a small push was needed to cast it inside. It seemed then that I heard screams and voices of lamentation from the damned. I only saw infernal monsters, many serpents, many ferocious animals, and an infernal stench and extremely hot flames, which were so big that their height could not be measured. I could only compare it to the distance between heaven and earth. As far as the size of the place, one could not see the beginning or the end. You could hear many blasphemies and curses against God. How sad. What torment this caused my soul.”
She was shown hell once more: “At that moment I was once again shown hell opened; and it seemed many souls descended there, they were so ugly and black that they struck terror in me. They all dropped down in a rush, one after the other, and once they had entered those chasms there was nothing to be seen but fire and flames.” This vision led Veronica to offer herself as a victim of Divine Justice: “My Lord, I offer myself to stand here as a doorway, so that no one may enter down there and lose You.” Then she stretched out her arms and said, “As long as I stand in this doorway, no one shall enter. O souls, go back! My God, I ask nothing else of You but the salvation of sinners. Send me more pains, more torments, more crosses!”

The Blessed Virgin Mary speaking to Veronica about her trips to hell told her, “When you were going around hell, you came across torments and tormentors at every step; but that time when you went by the seat of Lucifer, you were terrified at seeing so many souls were on the seat of Lucifer himself. This is in the center of hell and is seen by all the damned, by all the devils, and this sight causes all of them great suffering. I also let you know that, in the same way that the sight of God in Paradise constitutes Paradise itself; down there in hell, the sight of Lucifer is what constitutes hell.”

The Blessed Virgin Mary also told her, “Many do not believe that hell exists, and I tell you yourself, who have been there, have understood nothing of what hell is.”

- See more at: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2015/07/st-veronica-giuliani-extraordinary.html#sthash.KomNEvn2.dpuf

Perfection Series III Part Six

The Illuminative State would be obvious to other people who witnessed someone in this state. The person would exhibit wisdom from God and an unworldliness as well as a deep purity of soul and body. Like Bernard, Teresa and John of the Cross, these people would be totally centered on Christ and not themselves in any manner. They would be completely orthodox, in obedience to the Church in every way.

This state brings great gifts to the Church and one reason why the Church is so weak is that few allow God to purify them to the point where they can enter into this Illuminative State.  Purgation is painful. It is humbling, publicly so. Few want to give up self-love for the Divine Love which comes in the Illuminative State.

And yet, I think I have met some in this state. Most, but not all, have been young, very young, under forty.

They have exhibited a deep passion for Christ and His sufferings. They have exhibited wisdom beyond their years. These people are humble and unknown to the world. One works in a store, another is a housewife.  The love for God pours out of them and they love their neighbor as themselves. They are beyond their predominant faults. They have allowed God to purify their senses and their spirits. And, they have and are suffering.

One young woman of about thirty-three cannot have children. She is brilliant and loves God before all persons. Her husband allows her to pursue perfection. She is fortunate in her spouse. He is not jealous of her relationship with Christ.

Another woman prays almost constantly while serving her family of six children and a busy husband. Again, her husband supports her spiritual life and shares it with her. They are fortunate in each others' pursuit of the life of virtue. She is a humble person and does not see how much light she sheds in the lives of others.

I know many people in the Dark Night. They are learning humility and gaining self-knowledge. They fight their predominant faults daily and fight the good fight against temptations.

I do not think I have met anyone in the Unitive State. If I have, I have not recognized this. But St. Bernard describes it as he lived it. Like John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, he shares with us the focus of the Unitive State, the Mystical Marriage of the soul and Christ.

I have written on this in my posts in the first perfection series, especially with regard to St. Catherine of Siena.  Many saints have experience the unity of the Mystical Marriage.

One of my favorite paintings in the Co-Cathedral of St. John in Valletta is that of the Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine.

http://allaboutmalta.blogspot.com/2013/05/event-of-month-faith-and-humanity.html

to be continued....

St. Angela and Julian of Norwich

Having finally finished the book of St. Angela, I can state absolutely that her language and experiences are quite similar, if not exact, to those of Julian of Norwich.

Julian's statement that God is closer to us than our own souls is echoed in Angela's writings.

Julian's view of all the world and the universe as in God's view, in His plan, is also that of Angela's.

They both consider trust in Divine Providence as the root of holiness, as this trust brings with it humility.

They both rest in a peace which passes all understanding and all suffering.

We should be grateful that both women wrote down their experiences and insights.

We should be grateful that the Catholic Church has honored the holiness of women and seen female saints as worthy of honor.

We are unique in world religions in our honoring of women who let God find them while in the world.

The feminine touch is necessary in the Church, through these Brides of Christ, who were willing to show us their weaknesses and the strength of God.

When I get back to England, I shall visit Durham Cathedral, which I have never seen. This glass below is in this cathedral.

Perfection Series II: St. Angela Part Thirteen

Continuing with St. Angela, I can answer a question asked of me by several readers. Why is it, they want to know, that the life of the virtues can only come to fruition after the purgation of the Dark Night?

Two mains reasons, one of which I have written on in the Dark Night series last year, involve the same movement of the soul.

The first is the recognition of sin and the removal of all sin. This means one must resolve not to commit venial sin and allow God to take away imperfections.

The second reason rests in the long discussion of St. Angela on humility. Humility, which should come from the first stage of recognizing sin and repenting of sin, forms the basis for the life of the virtues.

Angela notes that faith, hope and love only come into being and are only fruitful when one is humble.

One realizes the need for faith and obedience to God, His Scriptures and the Church only in humility. One asks for faith in humility. Those who are still in rebellion and disobedient do not ask for faith, because they are not humble.

One realizes that one can hope for salvation and the final union with God in heaven only after one is humble. No proud person can experience real hope, as this person would be relying on his own achievements and talents.

Love flows out of humility and one of the most beautiful sections in the book by St. Angela reveals that only the humble can truly love.

Let me put her ideas in the form of rhetorical questions.

Do you want to serve the ill, comforting them, caring for their needs? If not, why not? The humble realize those who are ill rely on others, and the humble know empathy.

Do you want to serve the poor, befriending them, and taking a personal interest in their needs? If not, why not? Could it be that pride keeps you from seeing that except by God’s grace and bounty, you would be poor as well? Do you grieve with the poor and unfortunate, or judge them?

Do you understand the role of Mary, Our Mother, in the Church? If not, why not? Could it be that you do not want to identify with the most humble creature ever made?

The basis for the virtues is humility and those caught up in egoism will never experience the life of the virtues.

The basis of humility is prayer, prayer, prayer. St. Angela speaks to me personally when she writes that Christ gave us the example of praying for everything. “Pray if thou desirest faith; pray if thou desirest hope; pray if thou desirest love, or poverty, or obedience, or chastity; pray is thou desirest any virtue whatsoever.”

Constant and persistent prayer cannot be overlooked in the pursuit of perfection. Prayer must be the center of our lives. All of our energies and minds must be centered on Christ and His ways.

People say they have no time for prayer. I have no time for trivia.

To be continued….

Perfection Series II: St. Angela Part Eleven

St. Angela wrote before the Protestant Revolt. She would be intrigued and upset by the millions of Christians who do not see the value of redemptive suffering, but continually see suffering as only punishment from God.

That suffering is a direct result from sin is obviously true. But, too many of our separated brethren cannot see the value of following the afflictions of body and soul which Christ endured.

St. Angela states again and again that following Christ in the narrow way of suffering is the only way to heaven for us lowly sinners.

Those of us who struggle with giving up our self-wills to God understand the need for suffering. Those who flee from tribulation cannot see the madness of such activities as seeking constantly after comforts and happiness in this world.

The fact that God has given us a prime example of how to be holy in this world is a fact no Christian can ignore.

St. Angela states this: “For being vile simmers, not only do we refuse to take those sufferings upon us as a penance, but we do resist even when God in His supreme mercy and wisdom sendeth them upon us in order thereby to save us and purge us from evil; we do flee from them and refuse them impatiently, murmuring and lamenting grievously against them, eagerly seeking consolations and remedies whereby we may be relieved from these tribulations.”

Why is it so hard to understand that trials bring about the life of virtue?  When we have difficulties, we storm heaven and as St. Angela states, “…we do weary God and the saints with constant prayers, with promises and vows of fasting, pilgrimages, and atonements. Thus merely that we may be spared those pains and afflictions which are profitable unto us and are sent from God, we do all these and many other things which we would not do for the remission of our sins or the good of our soul.”

The heroic virtue of patience is thus set aside. The courage which comes from endurance is missed.  The chances to break away from pride and vainglory are passed by for

momentary comforts.

It takes a maturity to stop praying for relief of suffering and to accept it fully, facing all the hardships and necessities for us to be made perfect.

I am just learning this myself.  Having to phone homeless shelters to find out if there were any rooms smashed most, (not all), of my false pride in my own achievements and status. Being refused jobs which I could easily do and for which I have experience has shown me that God is the only door to success-not myself, nor even reliance on others.

“Put not your trust in princes,” has never been more true than now, after I have written to all those in power I could think of in order to return to the country I love the most.

St. Angela tells me to seek nothing else but suffering. One finally gives in to the mystery ways of God.

Now, if one does this merely to suffer, one is crazy. But the goal is this-union with the Beloved Bridegroom.

Is that not worth all discomfort and pain?

Returning to the Song of Songs, one sees, as I have noted on this blog before, the removal of the Bridegroom from the Bride. This is a necessary part of the purgation of the predominant fault. And, the only way is through suffering.

What makes all the difference is the glimpse of God, the hand of the Bridegroom on the doorknob, the small hint of love.  For the one who loves, the fight against self and the acceptance of suffering in absolutely worth it.

Would not anyone desire going down a difficult path if one knew Love was at the end of the road, waiting?

As St. Angela points out if people could find God through riches, jewels, status, only a few would be able to reach Him. But, as all humans suffer, so it is that all men can find Love.

The lights on this path are patience and cheerfulness.

Pray for those two gifts when you are in pain.

The only thing which makes suffering worthwhile is Love, and He is a Person.

To be continued…

Perfection Series II: Part Six on Saint Angela

The mystic saint I have been following notes that Christ did penance for us His entire life. He also took on the contempt of the world. Perhaps, the most difficult things about poverty and suffering is the resulting contempt brought upon one from others who stand back and judge.

Some people are afraid they will slip into poverty themselves, especially in this day of financial insecurity. To be afraid of falling off the edge is an understandable fear. But, as God is in charge of all happenings in our lives, either through His Perfect Will or through His Permissive Will, poverty is willed by God. He may not will suffering which is caused by the greed and selfishness of others, but He allows some to experience this purgation of poverty for the cause of perfection.

St. Angela writes of three levels of poverty in Christ's life, freely chosen, freely willed by Him. The first level is that of complete material poverty. As the saint notes, Christ did not own a vineyard, land, silver, gold or other things. He allowed Himself to feel thirst and hunger. He did not eat delicate or gourmet food. His clothes were the rough clothes of a working man, a carpenter.

When Christ went into His public vocation, He left His house and all His furniture, His few belongings, and became peripatetic. Matthew 8:20,  "And Jesus saith to him: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests: but the son of man hath no where to lay his head."

This is not a romantic way to live, but one of fatigue and stress.

The second level of poverty, according to St. Angela, was that Christ deprived Himself of excellent company. He did not engage in stimulating conversations over wine and cheese with close friends, with idea men or with the powerful. Although The King, He did not converse with kings.

His chosen apostles, as we see clearly, were not the creme de la creme of society. Some seem downright stupid, or at least, dense.

This second type of poverty may be one of the worst for some to endue. He did not even allow Himself, as the mystic points out, the comfort of His Foster Father, who died before Christ's public life. There was no one to discuss His apostolate with among His companions. Christ was not understood or accepted by His relations, as we see in the Scriptures. Only His Mother was close to Him in thought and word, and for three years, Christ denied Himself her wonderful, holy, blessed company.

I shall write about the third level of poverty later.

This information should be meditated upon and contemplated.

to be continued...

Christ in Constant Penance: Perfection Series II Part Five St. Angela

St. Angela writes that Christ's entire life was one of penance.

This seems obvious after one points this out. God on earth must have suffered constantly.

I was thinking last night, as I was suffering intensely, of the great Desert Fathers, who endured the torments
of the devils, seeing these creatures, being tempted by them, being taunted by them.

I was in a situation surrounded by some evil and I could not get away. I just prayed to Abbot Anthony and Abba Poeman and  Abba Ischaryus over and over. Something insteresting happened. The evil did not go away, but I was protected, as it was blunted.

Christ did not allow himself to have evil "blunted" against Him. He was constantly aware of the sins of men. He was constantly aware of those who turned  against Him daily.  He was aware of the denial of the Incarnation, Himself, daily.

Christ suffered more in the Garden, seeing all the sins of all the humans who ever existed. He suffered more on the Cross, taking all that punishment due to sin on Himself.

Stop complaining. Look towards the One Who suffered without a break.

Perfection Series II: St. Angela of Foligno 2

Perfection Series II: St. Angela

Continuing with Angela of Foligno, one sees the progression of her road to holiness. This saint admits that she had lived a loose life. She is sharing insights concerning the siren call of the world as one who escaped, through the grace of God, from the world.

Angela clearly writes that the men of the world fall into damnation by pursuing status, riches, comfort. She notes that this wisdom of the world revolves around the immediate and not the eternal.

As one who is writing from the Illuminative State, and finally, the Unitive State, Angela warns us that only the illumination from God regarding our sins and the falsity of worldly goals can keep us on the path.

This Illuminative State, which has been described here in the perfection series, is a gift for those who accept the humiliation of poverty and nothingness.

I have heard priests state that humility is not the same as humiliation. Angela (and I, from experience) assures us that this idea is false. To desire humility, one must be ready for humiliations, over and over again.

These humiliations happen according to the Mind of God. He allows some people to experience more humiliations than others for the sake of their souls. When humiliations come, one is inclined to see these as punishment from God. Some may be punishments for sins, a purgatory on earth.

Some humiliations are simply opportunities for growth. One cannot look for reward, as this is vainglory.

Angela admits that she was extremely impure on her road to perfection, by thinking she was holier than she was. God took her and showed her vainglory and pride.

Pride, the number one sin, gets in the way of holiness, and must be crushed. Angela of Foligno warns us all against these things, in her own words.

“…in order that our minds may be the better fixed upon God it is needful that we should cast off all perverse and useless habits, all superfluous familiarity with men and women of whatsoever nature, all superfluous knowledge and the desire to hear many new things, all superfluous labours and occupations. And, briefly, it is needful that man should put away from him all things which do distract his mind.”

Poverty takes care of many distractions. When one is poor, one cannot afford cable television, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, going out to plays, going on vacations,  or even books.

One cannot afford dinners out, or needless socializing. One can barely afford the basics necessary for life, which creates a gratitude, as one realizes that all one has is really from God and not from one’s own worth, value, efforts.

Focusing on God is not an automatic response of the poor, but not having other distractions helps to clear the mind of trivia.

Our model is Christ Crucified.  As Angela notes,  regarding the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, “….he (the sinner) must take heed that never forget this great benefit.”

To fix one’s mind totally on Christ demands the simplicity of life, and poverty provides this simplicity.

Ask yourselves today these simple questions:

How much time do I spend watching useless programs, or playing distracting computer games?

How much time do I fill my imagination with decorating the house, or planting more flowers, or fixing elaborate meals?

How much time do I waste on line reading copious comments, tweets, or news items, not necessary for my work or salvation?

The call to poverty should be cherished. Those who hate those of us who are poor fear facing the real poverty, which is the poverty of the soul.

To be continued…

Perfection II: Angela Part Four

Perfection Series II yet again and again

Angela of Foligno writes that the worst poverty, abject poverty, is knowing one’s sins are the cause of the suffering of Christ. Such poverty is that which should be sought by all Catholics.

Why?

Unless one is emptied of self, one cannot love God as He desires to be loved.

Unless one allows purgation, one cannot come to know the Bridegroom.

Angela notes: “ …in order to raise man up again from out of this adverse poverty, the most high God, Christ Jesus, the most rich in all thing, did make Himself poor for our sake; how He, the most beatific and most joyful, did make Himself most wretched in order that through His infinite suffering He might redeem man and save him from everlasting and unspeakable pain.”

The more we meditate on the Crucifixion, the more we see and understand this great sacrifice of God Himself.  Angela explain, “ For the more clearly the soul doth know God and His exaltedness, His mercy and infinite goodness and worthiness…and the more clearly it beholdeth the wretchedness of man, his faults, is unworthiness, his ingratitude, infirmities, and vileness, the more deeply is it moved towards the love of Christ and the grief of His Passion, and is transformed into the likeness thereof, wherein consisteth all the perfection of man”

One cannot, absolutely cannot, become perfect without being transformed into Christ Himself, the Christ Who is on the Cross.

May I add that this meditation of Christ on the Cross is not merely a devotion, but a lifestyle. What I mean by this is that the contemplation of God as the Suffering Servant cannot be merely something which happens now and then, but daily, in order to conform one’s self to Christ.

The problem is that people honestly do not believe in the Suffering Christ.

To be continued….

Perfection Series II. Angela Part Three

Those who are poor endure many sufferings, which if accepted, join one to the sufferings of Christ. People who can avoid suffering poverty, should and rejoice in the gifts of God. But, they absolutely must not look down or scorn those who are not so blessed.

The blessings of wealth come completely freely from God, and despite the feelings or convictions of those who are wealthy, these gifts do not come from our own efforts, but from God’s Providence.

Angela of Foligno reminds us that only in realizing our own wretchedness can we find God. I have moments of joy, but not consistently, as I am so far from perfection, when people revile me. “Why don’t you get a job?” (I have applied to so many, I have lost count.) “Why don’t you buy a car to get to a job?” (Banks do not give car loans to people without incomes. And, I could not afford to keep a car.)  “Why don’t you move in with some man to pay your way?” (No answer to that one.., which I heard last week.)  “Why does not son not leave the seminary to help you? (He does not exist for my happiness, but for God, to Whom he belongs. And, he would merely join the 50% of the unemployed of his age group.) “Why don’t you move back to Europe?” (Ummm…again, no answer to that one.) “Why don’t you apply for HUD housing?” (There is an eight year waiting list in this city and a ten year waiting list across the River.)

For those who have never faced their own wretchedness, the idea that to know one is nothing and to know that one is helpless in the face of poverty can be freeing is completely mysterious. The freeing of one’s self from the opinions of others brings an objectivity about grace and sin. Angela writes this and I paraphrase-that all knowledge of God comes from knowledge of self.  The self is a prison which keeps us from the Love and Mercy of God.

There is only one way to achieve both the knowledge of God and knowledge of self. This is the way of meditating, contemplating on the Crucifixion of Christ.

Thinking about the Passion of Christ reveals many things to one’s self. If one cannot do this, one is running away from suffering. If one can meditate on the sufferings of Our Lord, He begins to join His sufferings with ours.  One begins to enter into His suffering by this invitation.

We know we love someone when we want to share in their sufferings and not run away from these pains.  To focus on the sufferings of Christ is to be reminded that He actually chose to endure these pains so that we can join Him in eternal bliss.

St. Angela states that if one wants to become perfect, one must accept suffering, penance, disdain...

Such is love….

To be continued…

St. Angela of Foligno

Perfection Series II: Angela of Foligno

The Book of Divine Consolation of The Blessed Angela of Foligno provides another help for those seeking perfection. The perfection series will continue with some of her thoughts this week.

One of the most important points which the saints make is the absolute importance of poverty. Sadly, especially in America, the teaching of poverty has been suppressed by priests, who hardly ever mention this way to holiness.

In fact, I have heard sermons wherein priests have denied that Christ, while on earth, was poor. Of course, this liberal teaching, which emphasizes that Christ was “middle-class” is ludicrous, anti-historical, and against 2000 plus years of Church teaching. In fact, one cannot understand the Incarnation without an understanding of the deep poverty which God allowed His Son to endure by giving up for a time, the power of God. We see this in the Temptation of Christ, a lesson in deep humility. We see this in the beautiful hymn in Ephesians.

Angela of Foligno writes this: “Verily, God spake thus unto me: ‘If poverty had not been a most noble thing…I myself would not have assumed it.’ Certain it is that pride only exist in those who do possess something. For this reason, because they did believe themselves to be possessed of something, came the pride and fall  of the first man and the angel; neither the angel nor the man did possess anything in themselves of themselves, for God alone hate this, and humility is found along those who are poor and who are persuaded that they do possess nothing. Wherefore is poverty a most excellent thing, and God Himself did cause His dearly beloved Son to be more poor than any man ever was before or will be hereafter…”

To deny the poverty of Christ is to deny His Incarnation.

That poverty bring humiliation is something those of us who have experienced poverty can attest is a truism. Especially in the States, where poverty seems to be connected with sin and failure,  all left-over fallacies from Calvinism, which has infected the Catholic Church.

Those who see the value of poverty, notes Angela of Foligno, freely give up things and status. The nuns and monks who give up owing their own personal things, give up any chance of being seen as worthwhile in the world. But, these good people do not care, as they see the goal of finding God and clinging to Him in their nothingness.

Part of being poor is losing confidence in one’s own abilities and self. But, again, this is the truth of our situation in life-that all we have is from God and not ourselves.

Sadly, Catholics do not help the poor, or rarely, passing the job demanded by God for holiness to the State, which neither cares about the poor but only merely wants to create a dependent under-class. To help the poor is to try and confer dignity on those who are poor, so that they can live within their means, but with their own means.

Two aspects of poverty, as pointed out by Angela of Foligno, show us the way to perfection.

One is that people who are poor no longer can be deceived by demons. Why? Because the demons hate the humility which comes from those who no longer rest in their own talents, but rely entirely on God.

The second point clarifies that one who is poor “receive a clear and perfect comprehension and hath a most enlightened understanding of all the matters of this life, so that it can never be deceived the whiles it doth posses this truth. Wherefore do I know that poverty is the mother of all virtues and the revelation of the divine wisdom.”

BTW an Angela sent me this book by Angela of  Foligno, a book rich in wisdom on the way to perfection.

To be continued…

Doctors of the Church 2:47

St. Bernard tells us,

"What folly is this that we have have left great things should now cling with such detriment to small ones."

Little things get in the way of perfection.

The monks give up status, money, success, sex, houses, families, their wills...

and maybe, cling to their favourite bench...

One's favourite seat in the church..... one's favourite silver spoon, a picture, a book, a candle, anything can become a distraction, an obsession, a matter of pride.

A room with a view, a quilt, a chair, a space heater, a mug...can cause disruption in a community  in a family, in a relationship.

And, any small thing in a family, community or relationship which is "mine" and no one else can use it is a danger to one's soul.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Any desire, no matter how small plugs up the heart.

The heart must be empty to accept the simple things.

The heart must be empty to receive the big things.

The big thing for which the heart should be emptied is Love.

And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3 DR

Thank you, St. Bernard. To be continued....

Doctors of the Church 2:46

Thursday, 21 February 2013

DoC Series--St. Bernard of Claivaux: "They run quicker to death than we do to life"

Posted by Supertradmum

As those of you who read my blog know, St. Bernard of Clairvaux is my favourite saint. I discovered him when in a particularly Romantic period of my life was unfolding and he captured my imagination as well as my intellect. His words pierce into my soul, like arrows of love.

I hope in the next few days, when I cover this Cistercian giant, that I can honour him as he deserves, and that you, too, come to appreciate his holiness.

All his brothers and his sister,
(who I wrote about here http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/saints-of-february-continuedhumbeline.html ),
are Blesseds, as is his father. What an amazing family! Some of my notes on this section of the series were taken when I was in the monastery at Cobh.

Where does one start? With a picture, of course. Bernard was apparently considered a very handsome man in his day, as someone commented on at the time, but it is hard to see from the paintings. I assume his soul shone through his eyes.

Let me start this section of the series with a few brief quotations:

Would, O brothers, that we were as desirous of spiritual goods as seculars are of temporal? We aught, indeed, to desire them more, by how much the more precious they are.  would that we might but equal them! for it is a great, a very great confusion to us to find that they desire pernicious things more ardently than we do things so beneficial. They run quicker to death than we do to life."

Sermon 36 "de Divers"

"Amo ut intelligam", "I love that I may understand" And, note, I already wrote about St. Anselm, but he  said, "Credo ut intelligam",  "I believe that I may understand."  Faith comes first, then Hope, and then, Love. Bernard, shows us the perfection of understanding.

To be continued.............

Saint of Love Two Re-Post

Sunday, 19 August 2012

Second part of the mini-series on St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Posted by Supertradmum

Can you imagine in the cold and damp monastery of Clairvaux, in the refectory or monastery church, St. Bernard reading to his monks an exposition of The Song of Songs? I wonder at his audacity as well as his mystic insights. What must the monks have thought of his intense descriptions of the Love of Christ for each soul of the monk there in the twilight?

One of the sermons, Number 20, is called the "Three Qualities of Love". I would like to share part of this beautiful meditation with you. The saint begins with the realization that we are all called to love God and that we all fall short of doing this. But, this monk is on fire with real love.

Turn toward yourself, O God, this little that you have granted me to be; take from this miserable life, I beg you, the years that remain. In place of all that I lost in my evil way of living, O God, do not refuse a humble and penitent heart. My days have lengthened like a shadow and passed without fruits I cannot bring them back, but let it please you at least if I offer them to you in the bitterness of my soul. As for wisdom -- my every desire and intention is before you -- if there were any in me, I would keep it for you. But, God, you know my stupidity, unless perhaps it is wisdom for me to recognize it, and even this is your gift. Grant me more; not that I am ungrateful for this small gift, but that I am eager for what is lacking. For all these things, and as much as I am able, I love you.

He continues referring to the fact that Christ's suffering in His Passion is the great sign of His Love given freely.

As St John said: "Not that we had loved him, but that he first loved us." He loved us even before we existed, and in addition he loved us when we resisted him. According to the witness of St Paul: "Even when we were still his enemies we were reconciled to God through the blood of his Son." If he had not loved his enemies, he could not have had any friends, just as he would have had no one to love if he had not loved those who were not.

St. Bernard gives his monks and us three qualities of love: the first is that it is tender or sweet. We do not use this word so much in 2012. Tenderness means sweetness, a kindness and an appropriate compassion. Christ taking on our humanity in the Incarnation is the sign of sweet love for St. Bernard. Because of the Incarnation, men and women can have a loving relationship with Christ. Bernard calls Christ his Friend. But, He is also Lover. The tender concern of a lover is a sign of love.

The second is wisdom, like the wisdom with God has given us in Confirmation and perfected in prayer and fasting, as well as practising virtues. But it is also the wisdom of God to allow Christ to suffer and die for us. In the plan of God, the Passion is necessary. Bernard sees this, of course, as love and zeal.

The third characteristic of love is strength. We see this in the psalms, which the monks say and said then, daily. Love is as strong as death. Bernard writes:

He is the one who conquered all things, even death, and tricked the serpent, the seducer of the world, with a holy deception. He was more prudent than the one, more powerful than the other. He took to himself a true body but only the likeness of sin, giving a sweet consolation to weak men in the one and in the other hiding a trap to deceive the devil. To reconcile us to the Father he bravely suffered death and conquered it, pouring out his blood as the price of our redemption. His divine majesty would not have sought me in chains unless he had loved me so tenderly, but he added wisdom to his affection by which he deceived the serpent. Then he added patience with which to appease his divine Father who had been offended...So love the Lord your God with the full and deep affection of your heart, love him with your mind wholly awake and discreet, love him with all your strength, so much so that you would not even fear to die for love of him. As it is written: "For love is strong as death, jealousy is bitter as hell." Your affection for your Lord Jesus should be both tender and intimate, to oppose the sweet enticements of sensual life. Sweetness conquers sweetness as one nail drives out another. No less than this keep him as a strong light for your mind and a guide for your intellect, not only to avoid the deceits of heresy and to preserve the purity of your faith from their seductions, but also that you might carefully avoid an indiscreet and excessive vehemence in your conversation. Let your love be strong and constant, neither yielding to fear nor cowering at hard work. Let us love affectionately, discreetly, intensely. We know that the love of the heart, which we have said is affectionate, is sweet indeed, but liable to be led astray if it lacks the love of the soul. And the love of the soul is wise indeed, but fragile without that love which is called the love of strength.

We are all called to an intimate relationship with Christ, either through celibacy or marriage. Let us not be afraid of love. I like to think of myself in that cold chapter house listening to the warm words of the saint, looking out at the stones and grass, knowing that I, too, can return that Love for Love.

to be continued.

The Saint of Love, One

A re-post...................................
Sunday, 19 August 2012

The Saint of Love--a mini-series

Posted by Supertradmum

St. Bernard of Clairvaux is my favourite saint and Dante puts him high in heaven, Beatrice leaving Dante in the hands of the mystic saint. St. Bernard is, in my mind, the Saint of Love. He asks Mary, Queen and Mother, to allow Dante the Poet to see the Beatific Vision. I am placing the entire section of the Canto here.
Over the next two days, I shall look at St. Bernard's views on Love, Who is a Person.

Here are the verses from The Divine Comedy:

"O virgin mother, daughter of thy Son,
humble beyond all creatures and more exalted;
predestined turning point of God's intention;

Thy merit so ennobled human nature
that its divine Creator did not scorn
to make Himself the creature of His creature.

The Love that was rekindled in Thy womb
sends for the warmth of the eternal peace
within whose ray this flower has come to bloom.

Here to us, thou art the noon and scope
of Love revealed; and among mortal men,
the living fountain of eternal hope.

Lady, thou art so near God's reckonings
that who seeks grace and does not first seek thee
would have his wish fly upward without wings.

Not only does thy sweet benignity
flow out to all who beg, but oftentimes
thy charity arrives before the plea.

In thee is pity, in thee munificence,
in thee the tenderest heart, in thee unites
all that creation knows of excellence!

Now comes this man who from the final pit
of the universe up to this height has seen,
one by one, the three lives of the spirit.

He prays to thee in fervent supplication
for grace and strength, that he may raise his eyes
to the all-healing final revelation.

And I, who never more desired to see
the vision myself that I do that he may see It,
add my own prayer, and pray that it may be

enough to move you to dispel the trace
of every mortal shadow by thy prayers
and let him see revealed the Sum of Grace.

I pray the further, all-persuading Queen,
keep whole the natural bent of his affections
and of his powers after his eyes have seen.

Protect him from the stirrings of man's clay;
see how Beatrice and the blessed host
clasp reverent hands to join me as I pray."

The eyes that God reveres and loves the best
glowed on the speaker, making clear the joy
with which true prayer is heard by the most blest.

Those eyes turned then to the Eternal Ray,
through which, we must indeed believe, the eyes
of others do not find such ready way.

And I, who neared the goal of all my nature,
felt my soul, at the climax of its yearning,
suddenly, as it ought, grow calm with rapture.

Bernard then, smiling sweetly, gestured to me
to look up, but I had already become
within myself all he would have me be.

Little by little as my vision grew
it penetrated faintly through the aura
of the high lamp which in Itself is true.

What then I saw is more than tongue can say.
Our human speech is dark before the vision.
The ravished memory swoons and falls away.

As one who sees in dreams and wakes to find
the emotional impression of his vision
still powerful while its parts fade from his mind -

just such am I, having lost nearly all
the vision itself, while in my heart I feel
the sweetness of it yet distill and fall.

So, in the sun, the footprints fade from snow.
On the wild wind that bore the tumbling leaves
the Sybil's oracles were scattered so.

O Light Supreme who doth Thyself withdraw
so far above man's mortal understanding,
lend me again some glimpse of what I saw;

make Thou my tongue so eloquent it may
of all Thy glory speak a single clue
to those who follow me in the world's day;

for by returning to my memory
somewhat, and somewhat sounding in these verses,
Thou shalt show man more of Thy victory.

So dazzling was the splendor of that Ray,
that I must certainly have lost my senses
had I, but for an instant, turned away.

And so it was, as I recall, I could,
the better bear to look, until at last,
my Vision made one with the Eternal Good.

Oh grace abounding that had made me fit
to fix my eyes on the eternal light
until my vision was consumed in It!

I saw within Its depth how It conceives
all things in a single volume bound by Love,
of which the universe is the scattered leaves;

substance, accident, and their relation
so fused that all I say could do no more
than yield a glimpse of that bright revelation.

I think I saw the universal form
that binds these things, for as I speak these words
I feel my joy swell and my spirits warm.

Twenty-five centuries since Neptune saw
the Argo's keel have not moved all mankind,
recalling that adventure, to such awe

as I felt in an instant. My tranced being
stared fixed and motionless upon that vision,
even more fervent to see in the act of seeing.

Experiencing that Radiance, the spirit
is so indrawn it is impossible
even to think of ever turning from It.

For the good which is the will's ultimate object
is all subsumed in It; and, being removed,
all is defective which in It is perfect.

Now in my recollection of the rest
I have less power to speak than any infant
wetting its tongue yet at its mother's breast;

and not because that Living Radiance bore
more than one semblance, for It is unchanging
and is forever as it was before;

rather, as I grew worthier to see,
the more I looked, the more unchanging semblance
appeared to change with every change in me.

Within the depthless deep and clear existence
of that abyss of light three circles shown -
three in color, one in circumference;

the second from the first, rainbow from rainbow;
the third, an exhalation of pure fire
equally breathed forth by the other two.

But oh how much my words miss my conception,
which is itself so far from what I saw
than to call it feeble would be rank deception!

O Light Eternal fixed in Itself alone,
by Itself alone understood, which from Itself
loves and glows, self-knowing and self-known;

that second aureole which shone forth in Thee,
conceived as a reflection of the first -
or which appeared so to my scrutiny -

seemed in Itself of Its own coloration
to be painted with man's image. I fixed my eyes
on that alone in rapturous contemplation.

Like a geometer wholly dedicated
to squaring the circle, but who cannot find,
think as he may, the principle indicated -

so did I study the supernal face.
I yearned to know just how our image merges
into that circle, and how it there finds place;

but mine were not the wings for such a flight.
Yet, as I wished, the truth I wished for came
cleaving my mind in a great flash of light.

Here my powers rest from their high fantasy,
but already I could feel my being turned -
instinct and intellect balanced equally

as in a wheel whose motion nothing jars -
by the Love that moves the sun and other stars.

Just so you know how much I like Bernard

And, there are more on this blog--re-post and take time to appreciate one who I think truly is one of the greatest saints of our Church.Tuesday, 20 August 2013

A Compendium of Supertradmum on St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Etheldredasplace: DoC and Perfection: Bernard of Clairvaux Part 57 ...

26 Feb 2013

I am sure that readers can tell by now that I cannot write enough on my favourite male saints, Bernard of Clairvaux. I hope you have received his insights and experiences of God with the pleasure and amazement with which I ...

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Etheldredasplace: St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the Knights Templar

20 Mar 2013

St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the Knights Templar. Posted by Supertradmum · http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/religion/monastic/bernard.html. Prologue TO HUGH, KNIGHT OF CHRIST AND MASTER OF CHRIST'S MILITIA: ...

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Etheldredasplace: Part 49: DoC: St. Bernard of Clairvaux and ...

23 Feb 2013

Therefore, when I read St. Bernard of Clairvaux and some of his commentators, one of the things which comes across very clearly is that he understands the progress of holiness as explained in these few words. Know, love ...

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Etheldredasplace: Part 47: DoC: St. Bernard of Clairvaux, continued ...

22 Feb 2013

Part 47: DoC: St. Bernard of Clairvaux, continued, and perfection. Posted by Supertradmum. Those of us who are workaholics have the hardest time with meditation and contemplation. But, was there ever a man busier than St.

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Words for the Papabile from St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Part 51: DoC

24 Feb 2013

Words for the Papabile from St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Part 51: DoC. Posted by Supertradmum. If I remember, the subject of my discourse. to your Excellency was to be Consideration. And certainly. the matter to which I have ...

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Second part of the mini-series on St. Bernard of Clairvaux

19 Aug 2012

Can you imagine in the cold and damp monastery of Clairvaux, in the refectory or monastery church, St. Bernard reading to his monks an exposition of The Song of Songs? I wonder at his audacity as well as his mystic insights ...

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Etheldredasplace: St. Bernard and the Four Steps of the Cloister ...

23 Nov 2012

The reason I encourage reading is that is the first step on the chair to Contemplation as taught by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. We must read the right books, however. Some people get bogged down in conversion stories. That is ...

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Etheldredasplace: A Quick Note from St. Bernard:Part 60 on the DoC ...

28 Feb 2013

I know I started the postings on St. Augustine, which will continue on Friday, but today I was reading in the sermon of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Detraction. I am only going to refer to two ideas, both repetitions on this blog.

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Etheldredasplace: St. Bernard and St. Mary Magdalen

23 Nov 2012

Here is the quotation from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, from a homily of his at Easter. "We look for God where He is not to be found, or rather, we do not look for Him where He is chiefly to be found; hence, all the confusion, all the ...

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Etheldredasplace: Part 44: DoC Series--St. Bernard of Claivaux ...

21 Feb 2013

As those of you who read my blog know, St. Bernard of Clairvaux is my favourite saint. I discovered him when in a particularly Romantic period of my life was unfolding and he captured my imagination as well as my intellect.

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Etheldredasplace: Part 52: DoC: Bernard of Clarivaux and the ...

24 Feb 2013

Part 52: DoC: Bernard of Clarivaux and the Perfection of Love. Posted by Supertradmum. From St. Bernard of Clairvaux on Love from Sermon 83 on the Canticle of Canticles. Love is sufficient of itself, it gives pleasure by itself ...

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Etheldredasplace: Part 56: DoC and Perfection: Bernard on the ...

26 Feb 2013

Posted by Supertradmum. On this blog, I have already referred to the sermons of St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the Song of Songs, or. Canticle of Canticles. These sermons may be considered his masterpiece as a Doctor of the ...

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Etheldredasplace: Bernard on Peter and John

29 Aug 2012

St. Bernard of Clairvaux has a fascinating sermon on two aspects of love regarding St. John and St. Peter. St. Bernard, in St. Peter and St. John, XLI, In Joannic Evang; Tract CXXIV. Bernard says the Peter loved Christ more ...

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Etheldredasplace: Why perfection? One reason out of many....freedom

20 Jan 2013

St. Bernard of Clairvaux would have made an excellent 21st century psychologist He understood human nature and nurture. He understood the workings of the soul, the psyche. He understood the need for the seeking of ...

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Etheldredasplace: On the Love of SS. John and Peter

23 Dec 2012

As the year comes to an end soon, and the Feast of St. John is upon us after Christmas, I want to revisit a strange saying of St. Bernard of Clairvaux He has a fascinating sermon on two aspects of love regarding St. John and ...

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Etheldredasplace: Saints of February continued...Humbeline

04 Feb 2013

All the members of St. Bernard of Clairvaux's immediate family are either Blesseds or Saints, including his father and mother. Here they are listed, plus a cousin and in-law.

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Etheldredasplace: Ministries in the Church are not just vocations ...

07 May 2012

St. Bernard of Clairvaux created a movement of love outside himself, because he was in love with Christ. So too were St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila. St. Maximilian Kolbe and many, many other witnesses to the Faith.

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Etheldredasplace: Christ Within Us, Two

21 Nov 2012

Bernard of Clairvaux's famous sermon on the meeting of Christ and Mary Magdalen in the Garden highlights the theme I have here and in the previous post on the Presence of Christ within us. Bernard states that Mary was ...

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Etheldredasplace: A Help on the Perfection Series

07 Apr 2013

Some commentators, like my friend CK, wanted a simple version of the perfection series and I have finally found a good description from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, my favourite saint. He describes in his sermon "On the Different ...

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Etheldredasplace: On Perfection Part One

29 Jan 2012

I do not have my works of St. Bernard of Clairvaux with me, but I can paraphrase one of his sayings: There is rejoicing in heaven when a bad man becomes good, but how much more rejoicing is there when a good man ...

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Etheldredasplace: Being single and being on retreat two

27 Aug 2012

I have been reading the Sermons of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, specifically on the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Without going into great detail, one of the points St. Bernard makes, which has been made by many saints, is that ...

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Etheldredasplace: The Saint of Love--a mini-series

19 Aug 2012

St. Bernard of Clairvaux is my favourite saint and Dante puts him high in heaven, Beatrice leaving Dante in the hands of the mystic saint. St. Bernard is, in my mind, the Saint of Love. He asks Mary, Queen and Mother, to allow ...

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Etheldredasplace: Thoughts on Idolatry

12 Dec 2012

St. Bernard of Clairvaux in his great sermons on the Bride in the Song of Songs, notes that the Church is Christ's Bride. Many of the so-called womynpriests are also liberals in other ways. The Anglican Church, which has ...

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Etheldredasplace: The Benedictine Doctors of the Church; Part 33 ...

18 Feb 2013

Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, Bede the Venerable, Peter Damian, Gregory the Great, and the reformer of the Benedictine Order, Bernard of Clairvaux. So, although the Franciscans claim they have the most, I count more ...

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Etheldredasplace: Being single and being on retreat

27 Aug 2012

Like the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, or Augustine, the writings of Bernard of Clairvaux give us endless spiritual milk to drink on these points. In his sermon, On Humility and Patience, Bernard writes this, “Some endure ...

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Etheldredasplace: It is better to be small and unknown-a challenge

15 Feb 2013

St. Bernard of Clairvaux and his family were in the highest echelons of their society. They owned great tracts of land, at least on castle, and had labourers, as well as house staff and so on. St. Bernard gave up his inheritance, ...

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Etheldredasplace: Pray for vocations, please

28 Dec 2012

Bernard of Clairvaux had seven-hundred monks and lay brothers at the peak of the monastery's history, which allows for a steady stream of visitors. We need more vocations to the religious life. There are two young ones in the ...

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Etheldredasplace: Perfection Series continued-Prayer is a Necessity ...

04 Dec 2012

St. Bernard of Clairvaux cooperated with grace. So did St. Paul and St. Peter. Yesterday was the feast day of St. Francis Xavier, a saint who learned the Ignatian method of prayer. Pray that God's Perfect Will be done in your life ...

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Etheldredasplace: Do you want to be perfect?

09 Dec 2012

St. Bernard of Clairvaux writes that great men ask God for great things. Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, and many others asked God for great things, including the revelation of the Glory of God. We do not ask because we are ...

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Etheldredasplace: We Are All Called To Be Brides of Christ

20 Jul 2013

2 comments: Corax said... Dear Supertradmom How do guys like myself relate to this whilst still being masculine? 20 July 2013 00:12 · Supertradmum said... Read SS. Bernard of Clairvaux and John of the Cross. Good night.

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Etheldredasplace: The Last Perfection Post

07 Jun 2013

9) Christ the Bridegroom calls us to the stages of understanding that each one of us must experience, as explained, for example, by Bernard of Clairvaux; these stages are knowing one is a child of a loving Father; that one is ...

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