Paths to Contemplation - 56

Chapter 12 - Some Final Considerations

Special graces and the discernment of spirits

Many people think of mysticism and contemplative prayer in terms of visions of angels, saints kneeling in ecstatic prayer in the early morning hours, the glow from their bodies bright enough to read by, or someone oblivious to the world rising gently toward the ceiling.  If you look back on what you have read in this book up until this point, there is no mention of such phenomena, and for good reason.  They are by no means essential to contemplative prayer, and, when they do occur, which is very rarely, they are generally to be ignored.

We must always keep in mind that only God can change us into what God wants us to become.  Only God can bring us to union with God, and only God can give us the direct knowledge of himself, knowledge that begins with infused contemplation but which is not perfected until we see God face to face in heaven.

The transforming work that God is carrying on in us and for us does not depend on glorious visions, locutions(audible words spoken to us by God), or even infused contemplation for that matter.  God gives us the gifts we need to be united to him in love, not necessarily the gifts we want.  Those who have experienced ecstatic prayer that literally took them outside themselves, or have been levitated, rising into the air in front of their companions, have often prayed that these “wonders” would cease since they were a distraction both to themselves and others, and they made the one experiencing them the center of attention rather than God.  Great saints usually do not want to have attention called to themselves because they want others to give glory to God, deeming themselves unworthy of praise.

Holiness is centered in the choices we make, not in how we feel or the seeming miracles that surround us.  Satan can appear, as St. Paul tells us, to be an “angel of light.”  If a light show is what we want, Satan can provide one.  If we want to float in the air, Satan could arrange that too.  The devil is more interested in those who are serious in their search for God than bothering with those who care little about being responsive to God’s invitation to come to him in love.  Thus, if the devil can find a way to divert us from being open to God to focus on something that is not God, he will certainly do so. 

John of the Cross taught that if someone receives visions or locutions, she should ignore them.  God, John reminded his readers, is doing the work to transform us into what God wants us to become.  If someone experiences a vision or the like, whatever God wanted to achieve through that gift, assuming it is from God, has already taken place.  If we dwell on the experience, we risk becoming sidetracked, or, worse, we may believe that we are holier than others or more special in the sight of God.  Our prayer, instead, should be that God will continue to work in us, and that God will protect us from sin and the deceits of the devil.

But you might argue that God is trying to tell or teach you something that you need to know to better serve God, or so that you can inform others about what they need to know.  The Roman Catholic Church, for example, has recognized certain appearances of the Virgin Mary as genuine.  Perhaps God has given a vision or locution so that the one who receives it can gives others a message that God wants them to hear.

If God does convey some message to someone so that that person can proclaim it to others, then we have what is known as a special revelation.  God reveals something he wants others on earth to know.   Special revelations are outside the scope of this book because they are not concerned with contemplative prayer.  They are a communication from God, not the knowledge or experience of God in prayer.   

Moreover, a possible special revelation must be tested by the authority of the Church.  It is all too easy for someone to claim that God revealed something to him or her, not for his or her own benefit, but so that it could be proclaimed to the world as a message from God himself.  The danger for deception, even unintended, is great.  Moreover, no special revelation could be required for coming to union with God since all that is necessary in that regard has been supplied in and through Jesus Christ.  This is all we will say about special revelations since they are not contemplative prayer, even if genuine.

In sum, if special gifts such as vision and locutions or ecstasies come along with contemplative prayer, do not let them become the center of your attention, much less long for them instead of genuine union of your will with God’s will.   Such gifts can bring with them confusion and embarrassment as well as deep joy.

If such gifts are present, pray for God to protect you from being deceived.  You may even pray that such gifts cease since your utmost desire is to be united to God in love and not to enjoy unusual phenomena, even if they seem to come from God.  Once again, it is best to have a spiritual director to help you in your discernment concerning such gifts.  Always keep the goal in front of you.  You are continually to accept God’s invitation to be united to him and to be open to his transforming grace to bring about that union.  There are, unfortunately, many ways to be sidetracked from that one essential goal.