Unlocking the Power of Prayer - Lessons From the Greats

January 14, 2017

How I pray. (try to)

Very simple, fren. The best definition for heaven is not gold streets, no sorrow, no sickness, floating around high on dopamine, but it is the presence of God. Everyone wants to get to heaven, they just don’t want God to be there. (read the last bit again)

So the purpose of this life is getting to heaven, Heaven is God’s presence.

Believe it now or wait until we die. No 3rd option.

(Lvl 1 accomplished)

How do you get in? Multiple question answer:

Subjective positive asessment of self (i am good)
Repent + Relationship
Repent, Lots of good deeds and obedience (+ Relationship) (+Re-repent every time you go off track)

First one is wrong, although quite common for plebs. Now to decide on the winner statement, between the second and third one, we need to add a little element to our equation, called time.

If you die in the next 5 minutes, all you need is sincere repent. - due to the time constraint on your few seconds left, there is no time for deeds, obedience, improvement, relationship, reading bible, etc. (this scheme will not work if premeditated, I have considered it in my wisdsom.)

If you die only later today, tomorrow, or any day after, your deeds might contradict instead of support your verbal commitment to repent + relationship.

Final proof for 2nd point failure if time is added to the equation: ''A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘My son, go work today in the vineyard.’ He answered, ‘I do not want to,’ but later he regretted it and went. Then the man came to the second son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘Here I am, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of the father?'' (Matthew 21:28)

In the above scenario, we have proof that obedience and deeds void verbal statements and nullify them if they are in contradiction.

So the 3rd statement wins.

2. (Lvl 2 accomplished)

Now that we have the winning formula, we have to:

Option 1:

Ask ourselves what God wants from us and come up with a subjective structure that is composed of:

Childhood beliefs + Social Norms + Subjective Interpretation of what God's will SHOULD be + What Jesus teaches in the New Testament - Whatever we're not comfortable with - everything Old Testament related = God's Will

Option 2:

Read entire bible, check our own biases against God's definition of truth, and align all our definitions of good and bad to God's, and also filter them through the top 2 commandments: Love God and Love others, before acting.

If option 1 is correct, and it's all love, acceptance and personal interpretation of truth, riddle me this:

A man has a daughter, they love each other, decide to marry each other and have kids. They treat each other and others with love, and this marriage is a fruit of their love for each other. (nice)

You instinctively know it's not ok, but are not able to support your argument without going to the old testament. However, I can use Option 1 and state that this is ok because they love each other and they are not harming other people. It's however you interpret love at a subjective level, no?

In the end, however chooses subjective interpretation is crowning themselves as God and they are serving themselves, their wishes and opinions. If you make all the decisions and choices yourself, it would be only fair to ask you to save yourself on judgment day.

Exception make only those who in choosing subjective interpetation of the truht are by default perfectly aligned with God's will and interpretation of truth. However, the ultimate bias is that everyone believes they are. But they are surely not.

It's just a cover for their unwillingness to change opinions they held for a long time and might

Teresa of Avila

One of the great 'mystics', proficient in portraying a simple, step by step way to getting into deep relationship with Jesus, unlike anyone else.

Why Bother

With an uncommon approach to life, she views a multidimensional inner world, and through time spent alone, deprived of distractions that our modern life imposes on us, she enforces resilience upon herself, and goes about creating an Inner Castle, a fortress of the mind, which she uses as a double edged analogy to regaining purpose as creation.

Modest yet tough, she has the rare ability to draw others into a world viewed from the closest perspective to God's, which is the only reality that stands the test of time.

Immaculate if seen from the outside, she remains unspoiled by the corruption of desire, which she recognizes as weakness, a form of deployment for the ego.

Making great sacrifices comes as second nature, to the degree that they are turned upside down, and viewed as opportunities.

She even takes it further and becomes fortified by the very things which harm her, knowing fully well that she is encapsulated in God's view of her, and nothing else can subtract from that.

Teresa talks of immediate gratification, and the profound impact it has on our juvenile minds, the more she resists her impulses, the higher she soars.

Possessing a crisp understanding of her action's reverberating effects, she protects the sea of people against ripples from the hardest ship to sink, ignorance.

Biases

These are not her biases, they are yours, potentially, and it might help you recognize them, if nothing else. One cannot maintain a state of awareness while being subjected or imprisoned in a worldview delimited by borders called childhood, tradition or past experiences.

Extremism, if defined, would certainly pass your mind while reading her work, however, our modern securities and amenities that we take for granted have blurred our vision, and it hurts to fight desire, even if we are talking about entry level subjects, such as fasting.

Another misconception you might battle with is her adamant adherence to rules within her congregation, which seem to ground her, and always bring her back to a glacial, inhospitable cognitive process.

The vow to poverty establishes her reality over this world, and thus she cannot be tainted by worldly things, giving everything up elevates her to a higher dimension it seems, from where she cannot help but have compassion for the people still attached to worthless possessions around her, which, when described by her, seem completely out of touch with the tangible, authentic and genuine reality she resides in.

She certainly cannot be perceived by the ones that are content with average, as in contrast to her worldly poverty, the level to which she struggled to reach through time spent alone and resilience, cannot be accomplished without extraordinary ambition and zeal.

If Teresa had a billboard, this is what she would write on it:

It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.

The Good Stuff (Finally)

Creating a metaphor to better enable humanity to understand the intricate soul they posses, she presents it as a diamond castle, with multiple mansions.

Yes, the photo looks nothing like a diamond castle, so take that as an example of how your castle should NOT look like...

"Deep inside yourself, you find what in you competes with the voice of God"

The whole exercise of going through the mansions in this castle is finding out the dormant voices that our conscious mind can only hear in silence. It presents the castle as an impenetrable fortress of the mind, where one can always come in, and work on general issues, such as forgiveness, compassion or even just trying to be still, while dodging incoming thoughts.

''The goal is progress, not perfection! Have self compassion.''

Just go forward, and see how much you can fail. Just like a father is fascinated with the drawings of his child, presenting them to fellow humans as trophies, in the same way, God is delighted at how hard we try, regardless of outcome. (This only applies to initial stages, you are expected to succeed eventually.)

Another aspect of Teresa's life is the constant working towards surrendering her will to God's.

''The greatest ambition is surrender.''

Let this one sink in...

One devout defect we all share is our inherent trickery when it comes to getting God to marshal to our song's rhythm.

Simple kindness is hard to grasp for a human mind, so we must conceive some sort of ethical trade, that will make God do our will, whatever it may be we want.

''We have no memory of being humble, we try to control God and bribe him, force him into our reality and make Him bow down to us.'' - Caroline Myss

The 'Wow' factor comes with the realisation of how we often choose to 'not bother' God with our problems, needs, or trivial matters of day to day life. It's vexatious to be self aware and register this as a form of self-righteousness, and a running away from a shared life, like one would have with their spouse.

It would be way easier to hide, and say to yourself that you're doing God a favor by not pestering Him relentlessly with your choice of breakfast over lunch, however, the easy way is usually the wrong way, that's an easy way to tell wrong from right, agree?

Gold Nuggets

“It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.” - Teresa of Ávila

‘’All things obstruct us, while prudence rules our actions, we are afraid of everything, and therefore, fear to make progress. As if we could reach the inner chambers, while others make the progress for us.’’ - Teresa of Avila

The main emphasis here is cautiousness, and this passage deals with ‘inner game’, the journey inside will be like stepping into a new darkness, with one hand grabbing tight of our five senses, and the other fearfully trying to make out this new place and impose on it the ability to be read with our earthly sensory faculties.

Being aware of this desire to control and know, is the first step towards the realization that it is exactly what we are fighting on this less traveled road.

‘’When His Majesty wishes the mind to rest from working, he employs it in another manner, giving it a light, and knowledge far above any obtainable by its own efforts, and absorbing it entirely into himself. Then, though it knows not how, it is filled with wisdom, such as it could never gain for itself by striving to suspend the thoughts.’’ - Teresa of Avila

Evidently, it takes beyond faith and practice for a newbie to ‘suspend’ their thoughts for any substantial period of time, and that is why we are all still searching for the ‘How?’. She seems to know that all the answers are ‘there’, as in they exist, we only need to be still, and clean the hard drive for the download.

‘’The purpose of meditation is dealing with the issue of purpose.’’

The most we can be submissive to God, if you had a dial and could turn it up to the max, is when we deny ourselves to the point where we keep the mind blank, and reject any incoming thoughts. This state is perplexing to our ego, which wants to ‘be’, to express itself, to exert itself before God, this juxtaposition separates us from the primordial sin, that caused Lucifer to believe that he could overthrow God and shifted his perspective to a ego-centered view of the world.

This view, for the fact that it focuses on being the centre, attracts everything to itself, causing an implosion as a standard reaction, to everything that is creation (yes, it does rhyme), that is why the creator alone can withstand to be the centre of everything. God is literally the only one who can take the burden of being the center, and servant to everyone else, and not implode. Did I just say servant there? Yes, to lead is to serve, by definition. People usually rank themselves by how many people serve them, God ranks you by how many people you serve.

So, quick recap, being alone with God, and learning to deny our own purpose or existence by thinking about nothing, and also blocking incoming thoughts, is training against the one thing that made such an elevated creature as Satan fall from the highest of heights, pride.

It is building trust with the creator, not for His sake, for He can never be overthrown, challenged or threatened, it is for our own sake, so that we might not turn against ourselves and fall into a false view of reality, where we become concerned with the ‘I’, and start moving the center of everything from God, towards ourselves, this path can only lead to the realization that we are not fit for the task, even if God willed it.

‘’He who reasons last and tries to do least, does most, in spiritual matters.’’ - Teresa of Avila

This one should be read before every prayer session, as a collision force with our ever conviction that we are not doing enough. The notion itself drives us crazy, because of the center being positioned inside us, like we created this world, and are responsible for it.

Reasoning is nothing more than forcing the information we are receiving to go through our five senses, and be submitted to them, in an orderly fashion, so that we might feel in control.

Anything that we are incapable of ‘decoding’ with our limited ‘powers’, is seen as a major cause of anxiety, as it brings a friend, the feeling that we are not the centre of our universe, that we are not supposed to be in absolute control.

It’s a wonderful release for the ones trapped inside a self-centered reality, and also the most frightening thing to do, it can easily be described as standing on the edge of a pitch dark abyss, with one hand holding onto a rope, and having to let go, and fall, with no promise of what’s next.

No wonder the way is open for everyone, and yet, so few find it. It’s the ultimate test of will, for the most available artifact that ever existed. It’s an amazing contrast that bends reality itself, it calls for everyone, rejects no-one, and accepts but one… the one that persists.

‘’Persistence and determination. These two alone are omnipotent.’’

Nothing and nobody can stop a man that is willing to go on, regardless of how many times he falls and to what degree he suffers. This alone will get you anywhere and open any door. It’s the ultimate meta-key if you will, that replaces all other keys and makes them redundant.

Add a dash of 'time', and you've got the ultimate recipe for success, that beats knowledge, wisdom and understanding, through sheer stubbornness, a moving photograph of a man hitting the same tree, in the same place, without end.

''I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.'' - Teresa of Avila

I'll leave this one for you to meditate on...

Not a Boring History

Born in 1515, she came as a gift of renewal to the Spanish people, and then, to the entire world.

She remained a devout Carmelite nun throughout her life, perpetuated a new era of intimacy with Christ, and explained this ascension as having four stages:

The First: Devotion of Heart - This is the beginner stage, where one would learn to recollect their wandering thoughts, and focus on God's presence for prolonged periods of time.

The Second: Devotion of Peace - This is a more advanced level, which has the will completely surrendered to God, however, all other mental faculties, such as reasoning and logic are still functioning and almost struggling to make sense of what's happening.

The Third: Devotion of Union - A rapture into God's presence, memory and imagination still powering on, like a vivid dream, while God pours liquid love inside one's spirit.

The Fourth: Devotion of Ecstasy - This is more like an out of body experience, where the spirit is intermingled with God's, and the body is often left in a perplexing state, not being able to join the party. Literal levitation is common while in this state. Teresa has been observed levitating during mass, on multiple occasions.

To draw a final conclusion, if a special award was to be given for literally the greatest, unparalleled, premier, top, foremost nun ever, she would not accept it, because of being to humble and pious! I think that says it all...

It's time to leave a comment!

Miguel de Molinos

Now, I know what you're thinking, this guy looks like the grand inquisitor, but I assure you, that through thorough research done 300 years after his existence, I have concluded that he is a gem in the dust, you're welcome!

Why Bother

If you ever wanted to reach the next level on your Christian journey, this is the absolute pinnacle of the ride, and once you understand his point of view, the struggle morphs into rest.

Biases

These are not his biases, they are yours, potentially, and it might help you recognise them, if nothing else. One cannot maintain a state of awareness while being subjected or imprisoned in a worldview delimited by borders called childhood, tradition or past experiences.

The first one you might consider is 'God is too busy to talk to me'. I used to think that there must be more to this Christian life than just church, fellowship and a short prayer every day. There is more, but you have to first believe that the God of the universe, would make time for you. It's hard to accept that He personally cares about you, I mean you understand it intellectually, but deep down, I think we all struggle with this.

Surely God cares, but not on a super small level as in: 'I am having a bad day because of someone else'. It just doesn't feel right to come to God with that, maybe we should save for something big, right? Wrong.

Being humans, guilty as charged, we operate in a world restricted by one action at a time.. If we do this, we can't do that, multi-tasking at best. So we project our own view of reality along with our limitations, on God. Also, we believe that if we pester Him with every day occurrences, He might somehow get bored or used up, like there is a limited amount, and we must use Him wisely, scarcity mindset all the way! (Sarcastic)

As Keith Green once said, if your two year old daughter comes crying and tells you that she lost her nickle, would you make fun of her insignificant problem?

That's why God is who He is, He cares about our life's nickle's compared to all of His Kingdoms and Universes. He is the God of the great and the small.

If Miguel had a billboard, this is what he would write on it:

Not to wait on God is the greatest idleness, idleness of the Soul is the business of the businesses of God.

The Good Stuff (Finally)

''By two ways one may go to God, the first by Meditation; the second by Contemplation.'' - Miguel de Molinos

Here is one of the most important statements ever spoken by a Christian, as it outlays the two telephone numbers that God always answers.

But before we break this down, let's define prayer:

''Prayer is a sallying out or elevation of the Mind to God. God is above all creatures, and the Soul cannot see him, nor converse with him, if it does not raise itself above them all.'' - Miguel de Molinos

So what is the difference between Meditation and Contemplation?

Meditation is more of a beginners stage, where one reasons and examines specific aspects of God's character, and slowly defines a personal view of the divine. This stage is essential in building stamina and exploring the depth of God using faith.

Contemplation is a next level skill, where one already knows the truth (Christ), and has no need for further considerations or proof. At this stage, the entire act consists of focusing the attention on Jesus, and is more like a prayer of faith, in complete silence and trust. No more words, just complete surrender in adoration.

A transition from prayer to meditation, then contemplation in the same session is quite normal, as the minutes go by, a natural adjustment. To rest in silence between the struggles of our humanity trying to grasp the infinite creator is where one finds purpose.

''Meditation operates with toil, and with fruit; Contemplation without toil, with quiet, rest, peace, delight, and far greater fruit. Meditation sows, and Contemplation reaps; Meditation seeks, and Contemplation finds; Meditation chews the Food, Contemplation tastes and feeds on it'' - Miguel de Molinos

Miguel goes on to treat the number one drawback when trying to execute contemplation. This is where most fail, even after a few minutes. The soul wants so badly to express itself, to not waste time, that after a short while, it will want to exist again, and will recall to memory reasons to ask for forgiveness, again... Maybe God is not over our sin, maybe that's why He's not replying sooner, surely it would be very efficient to first go back and apologize again, and only after come back to contemplation...

The mind will always find a way to 'exist' again.

Another common mistake is unbelief that God is present and trying. What if He's not actually aware that I'm waiting for Him? What if I'm not doing it right? A few moments pass, you think of something else, and then punish yourself on the way back while deciding you have to start over again.

Here is a great illustration that argues with our need to resubmit our intent in silence: If a jewel given to a friend is once placed in his hands, it is no longer necessary to repeat the act by daily telling him: '-Sir, I give you this jewel, I give you that jewel...!', but to let him keep it (depicting prayer without words), provided that you don't take it back.

''That kind of prayer is not only the easiest, but the most secure; because it is abstracted from the operations of the Imagination, that is always exposed to the tricks of the devil, and the extravagances of melancholy and rationalization, wherein the Soul is easily distracted, and being wrapped up in speculation, reflects on itself.'' - Miguel de Molinos

When God intends to guide the soul in the school of the divine in an extraordinary manner, He first makes it go through a period of dryness and darkness, for two essential reasons. First is to get us to let go of ourselves, by realizing that we are helpless, the second is to increase our perception of how much we need Him.

God cannot be reached by rationalizing, or by trying to decode mysteries using our own wisdom, that would be an insult, just like a dog cannot grasp a human's thoughts, it's the human that makes a decision to reveal himself to the lesser creature, as far as the dog is able to comprehend. With God, it's a little different, as He can also give us the ability to understand what He wants us to, unfortunately, we cannot do that with our pets.

''Not to wait on God is the greatest idleness, idleness of the Soul is the business of the businesses of God'' - Miguel de Molinos

The gardener places more esteem on the plants that he sows in the ground, than the ones that spring up by themselves, so God favors the virtues that He places in our soul while we wonder through aridity and desert, over all others that the soul pretends to acquire by it's own strive and endeavors.

''But all Hell will conspire against thee, seeing one single Soul inwardly retired to its own Presence, makes greater War against the Enemy, than a thousand others that walk externally.'' - Miguel de Molinos

Striving in prayer through darkness and dryness may be compared to children who work for their father and at the end of the day receive no wage, but at the end of the year receive more than they can bear to hold.

''The greater the nakedness, and quietness in God are, the greater sweetness and strength received by the Soul, which ought to endeavor to become so pure and simple, that it should have no other support, but in God alone.'' - Miguel de Molinos

''God is much displeased with those Souls, which in helping others before the time, defraud themselves, suffering themselves to be transported by indiscreet zeal, and vain complacency.'' - Miguel de Molinos

The above statement is of high importance, as there is so much spiritual vanity in being a busy bee for the kingdom, it's one of the most common traps for high level believers! Covering sin with extra kingdom work shifts is a trade-off that relieves anxiety, and helps to forgive ourselves. If life is hectic, and 'no time for God today' is everyday, then extra toil and effort for the ministry gives us a false sense of holiness, of balancing out the sins.

Even worse, an intelligent person might find an apparent loophole in the system, and instead of actually getting rid the sin left in their life, just focus on helping others live godly. Then, they rationalize their piety in putting others before themselves, even when it comes to fighting personal sin. There's no time for yourself if you're just helping everyone, right? How can that be wrong?

A wise man once said that there are two types of procrastination: The basic type, where one puts off something that has to be done, for an activity that brings pleasure or comfort. For example, watching TV instead of learning for tomorrow's exam.

And then there is virtuous procrastination, where one delays an important activity for something that is also crucial, but just not as important. For example, you have an exam tomorrow, and instead of learning for the exam, you are helping your mother with the dishes.

Because you are involved in an act of kindness, some advanced mental gymnastics, and voila! You are already forgiving yourself for not doing what you know you have to do. This is an example where you win, but you lose, because the enemy is yourself.

This becomes a far greater problem when instead of helping yourself spend real time with Jesus every day, or getting rid of the sin in your life, you are virtuously procrastinating by bringing others to Christ. This is a fine example of doing the right thing, at the wrong time, or just in the wrong order. For example, I feel good about writing this, knowing that it will help you, even though I know I should be spending time with God, and I am currently running away from that, and helping myself with a portion of holiness and forgiveness by creating this instead. I will not do well on judgment day if I keep this up!

''It should concern thee more to be quiet and resigned in a holy case, than to do many and great things, by thy own judgment and opinion ..., he that does the Will of God, does all things! This thy Soul ought to comprehend and hold firm to.'' - Miguel de Molinos

It can give great satisfaction to bring others to Christ, but it should never be done as a cover up for our personal spiritual struggle. It's just another form of running away, an escape if you will, as spending considerable time alone with God doesn't just come, it's real work. Not that to spend time in God's presence is work, it is surely rest, but the decision to go there in the first place is not very attractive, at least at the beginning of the journey.

''Thou’lt think and with great confidence too, that thou art in a condition, to guide Souls in the way of the Spirit, and perhaps, that may be secret Vanity, spiritual Pride, and plain Blindness;'' - - Miguel de Molinos

For the few that like to see the world in black and white, I have to mention that this does not mean you shouldn't bring others to Christ, you still have to do that, just not when it's done as a means of receiving extra forgiveness through additional toil, or when it replaces time spent in God's presence. This was a legal spiritual disclaimer, for when I get to heaven, I like to cover all my bases.

Gold Nuggets

''Mystical knowledge proceeds not from Wit, but from Experience; it is not invented, but proved; not read, but received.'' - Miguel de Molinos

''O how are, in a manner infinite numbers of Souls to be pitied, who from the beginning of their life to the end, employ themselves in mere Meditation, constraining themselves to Reason, although God Almighty tries to deprive them of rationalization, that He may promote them to another State, and carry them on a more perfect kind of Prayer, and so for many years they continue imperfect, and in the beginning, without any progress or having as yet made one step in the way of the Spirit; beating their Brains about the frame of the Place, the choice of the Minutes, Imaginations, and strained reasonings, seeking God without, when in the mean time, they have him within themselves.'' - Miguel de Molinos

''Lay this down as a firm ground in thine Heart, that for walking in the inward Way, all sensibilities should first be removed; and that the means God uses for that is dryness.'' - Miguel de Molinos

''The greatest Temptation is to be without Temptation.'' - Miguel de Molinos

''There are three kinds of silence; the first is of Words, the Second of Desires, and the third of Thoughts. The first is perfect; the second more perfect; and the third more perfect. In the first, that is, of words, Virtue is acquired; in the second, to wit, of Desires, quietness is attained to; in the third of Thoughts, Internal Recollection is gained. By not speaking, not desiring, and not thinking, one arrives at the true and perfect Mystical Silence, wherein God speaks with the Soul, communicates himself to it, and in the Abyss of its own Depth, teaches it the most perfect and exalted Wisdom.'' - Miguel de Molinos

''He calls and guides it to this inward Solitude, and mystical Silence, when he says, That he will speak to it alone, in the most secret and hidden part of the Heart. Thou art to keep thy self in this mystical Silence, if thou wouldst hear the sweet and divine Voice.'' - Miguel de Molinos

Not a Boring History

Miguel was the leader of a movement called Quietism, in the 17th century Spain.

Because of the 'new' doctrine he was promoting, he was brought before a tribunal of the 'Holy Office of the Inquisition' and asked to explain his teachings, after which he was sentenced to life in jail, where he passed away after nine years.

The opposition of the Catholic church at the time gives him a lot of credibility in my books. I mean if you're teaching Christ and you get a life sentence from the Inquisition squad, you know you're doing it right!

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John of the Cross

That's the best photo I could find of him, in the spirit of full disclosure, the aura around his head was photoshopped, yet his life was nothing short of a miracle, and certainly a gift to us.

Why Bother

There is no mystic who gives a more powerful impression of an absolute mastery of his subject, intimacy with God. No mistiness, vagueness or indecision clouds his writing. He is as clear-cut and definite as can be.

Biases

He may look like an over-pious monk that likes to take it too far, but is the border a limit imposed by us in order to preserve our current state and to protect ourselves from change? Nobody likes rework, any new information that extends us outside of our cosiness, even if positive, is not welcomed without some reluctance.

Maybe shaving his head in a form of a halo is the definition of taking it too far, I have no good arguments in his favor on this one, we'll conveniently blame it on the social pressure of his dedicated peers. I do wonder if they ever complemented each other on the roundness of the halo, or if it made them walk more upright, like they were almost floating, from so much piety, or if they would just walk into the local barber shop, and with a straight face, ask for a 'halo'...

That's enough, let's get into it.

If John had a billboard, this is what he would write on it:

“If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.”

The Good Stuff (Finally)

The ascension to union with God is depicted as a dark night, broken into three stages.

The first one deals with depriving the body of all sensual desires, cleaning the vessel, the second stage hinges on a wish to keep on going, through faith, and the third is complete union with God.

''These three parts of the night are all one night; but, after the manner of night, it has three parts. For the first part, which is that of sense, is comparable to the beginning of night, the point at which things begin to fade from sight. The second part, which is faith, is comparable to midnight, which is total darkness. The third part is like the close of night, which is God, this part now being closest to the light of day.'' - John of the Cross

The First Stage

This initial stage deals mostly with external issues afflicting the soul, such as desires and conflicting thoughts.

''For slavery can have no part with liberty; and liberty cannot dwell in a heart that is subject to desires, for this is the heart of a slave. But it dwells in the free man, because he has the heart of a son.'' - John of the Cross

Desires complete the circle of illusion, which promotes the idea that we are in control. Desires are a way to reach out, and feel if something is still there, inside us.

They enslave us, and we gladly accept, because letting go would mean losing ourselves, understandable. But Jesus thought that however loses his life, will gain it, there is nothing eternal to be had from clinging on to our limited selves.

''For this cause God commanded that the altar whereon the Ark of the Covenant was to be laid should be hollow within; so that the soul may understand how completely empty of all things God desires it to be, that it may be an altar worthy of the presence of His Majesty. '' - John of the Cross

''And He permits and wills that there should be only one desire where He is, which is to keep the law of God perfectly, and to bear upon oneself the Cross of Christ. And thus nothing else is said in the Divine Scripture to have been commanded by God to be put in the Ark, where the manna was, apart from the book of the Law, and the rod of Moses, which signifies the Cross. For the soul that aspires nothing else than the keeping of the law of the Lord perfectly and the bearing of the Cross of Christ will be a true Ark, containing within itself the true manna, which is God, when that soul attains to a perfect possession within itself of this law and this rod, without any other thing whatsoever.'' - John of the Cross

Keeping the law (Torah) and intimacy with Jesus is what makes a complete Christian, it's the dynamic duo.

''The reason for this is that, as the philosophers say, the soul, as soon as God infuses it into the body, is like a smooth, blank board upon which nothing is painted; and, apart for that which it experiences through the senses, nothing is communicated to it, in the course of nature, from any other source. And thus, for as long as it is in the body, it is like one who is in a dark prison and who knows nothing, apart from what he is able to see through the windows of the said prison; and, if he saw nothing through them, he would see nothing in any other way. And thus the soul, apart for that which is communicated to it through the senses, which are the windows of its prison, could acquire nothing, in the course of nature, in any other way.'' - John of the Cross

The above paragraph deals with our limited input in terms of our five senses, which dictate our reality. Apart from what we receive through these senses, and is further than a few planets away from us, we cannot perceive, literally. I mean, someone could be standing right next to us, and we wouldn't know it, if light would not reflect their form. Without being able to see them, they would have to try to reach us by sound, using words, which are symbols, fractions of what we actually want to express. If this doesn't work, we've got touch and smell. Wow, so advanced!

However, with all this poverty, we are quick to define and require to comprehend the divine, instead of letting the one that created us reveal Himself.

''And it is this that desire does to the soul, kindling its strong sexual desire and dazzling its understanding so that it cannot see its light. For the cause of its being thus dazzled is that when another light of a different kind is set before the eye, the visual faculty is attracted by that which is interposed (sexual desire) so that it sees not the other; and, as the desire is set so near to the soul as to be within the soul itself, the soul meets this first light and is attracted by it; and thus it is unable to see the light of clear understanding, neither will see it until the dazzling power of desire is taken away from it.'' - John of the Cross

This is more of a proximity issue, talking about sexual desire as being obviously super strong, and interposing between us and God's light. We see the first one, and just forget to look further, like a hungry child eating a piece of bread outside the bakery he doesn't know he owns. Not cool.

''Through this obscurity, the thread which guides the soul is that of ‘emptiness’ or ‘negation’. Only by voiding ourselves of all that is not God can we attain to the possession of God, for two contraries cannot co-exist in one individual, and self-love is darkness, while God is light, so that from any human heart one of the two cannot fail to drive out the other.'' - John of the Cross

''The necessary self-emptying may be accomplished in two ways: by our own efforts, with the habitual aid of grace, and by the action of God exclusively, in which the individual has no part whatsoever. '' - John of the Cross

We all have a real problem with letting go and trusting God, it's easier to struggle and get a mental reward for going through the pain, rather than letting go, and letting God do it Himself, with no effort on our part.

The problem with 'no effort' is that we are smart enough to know that the one who works for it, gets the praise and the glory, and as bad as it sounds, we want some of that, whether it be from God, ourselves, or fellow humans. We are socially wired to put in the work, and then expect the pat on the back, the recognition.

When it's given to us on a silver platter (through rest in God's presence), and we have to give God the recognition for even the work that we weren't able to do, it doesn't quite add up in our mind, so we just go back to working for it, with little to no advancements. Resting in God's presence without words or strife is the hardest and quickest way to Him. It's a struggle at first, the mind just does not want to comprehend it, it's too simple and plain.

Maybe God has something more extravagant on the menu, a special formula, that we can put off for being too complicated. I mean, this one is so easy, that we could start right now, and do it from anywhere, no matter the circumstances... No, no, there has to be another way, we just can't procrastinate with this one, it can't be the way to God! (Sarcastic)

''For these are souls who, instead of committing themselves to God and making use of His help, rather hinder God by the indiscretion of their actions or by their resistance; like children who, when their mothers desire to carry them in their arms, start stamping and crying, and insist upon being allowed to walk, with the result that they can make no progress; and, if they advance at all, it is only at the pace of a child.'' - John of the Cross

The Second Stage

Congratulations, you've leveled up! At this level, one fights with complete darkness and leaves reasoning behind, powering through sheer faith. The first stage is seen as lower, dealing with more external issues, namely desires, while this second stage is higher, as it deals with hidden parts in us, as we await in pure faith.

Quick recap, first stage was all about getting rid of main interference such as strong desires and pressing life problems, so that we may relax in God's presence and enter a stage of meditation, where the mind is finally clear.

This second stage is a 'darker' part of the journey, this is also where most give up.

All rivers flow to the sea, because it stays low. God wants you to go even lower, and discard yourself of any power or hope you have left, so that He can finally come and reside in you.

The first night deals with our soul, which is made up of our mind, emotions, memories and beliefs, while the second night deals with our spirit.

A prayer of complete silence and faith will now engulf us in darkness for multiple reasons:

For starters, we don't even know where we're going or what's happening, and thus, we are not susceptible to any attacks from the enemy, or rationalising, trying to comprehend what is happening.

This journey in faith absolves us of all impurities while we climb the ladder of faith towards God, and our spirit goes on, while our soul(mind and emotions) remains with the devil and temptations at the bottom of the ladder, for they cannot climb higher.

To want to rationalize or understand this stage is basically making yourself go back down to the bottom of the ladder every time, for that is where your soul and mind are left.

God does this for our benefit, so that we cannot be tricked or stopped by ourselves or the devil. We must only go forward and not stop, and cling on to faith, which could be compared to a sail that we lifted in the wind, and it always finds it's own way to God.

The darkness is so deep in order for us to be concealed from everything that may distract us, and nobody but God knows where we are, and what is happening. It's a way of letting go in trust, and allowing God to catch us.

''For, in order that one may attain supernatural transformation, it is clear that he must be plunged into darkness and carried far away from all contained in his nature that is sensual and rational. For the word supernatural means that which soars above the natural self; the natural self, therefore, remains beneath it.'' - John of the Cross

Explained in a more practical manner, this is the stage where doubts start creeping in, such as:

- This is a complete waste of time!

- What am I even doing here?!

- What if God is not paying attention?

- How long is this going to take?

- I wonder how many minutes passed...

This is the testing ground, and the mind will pull out every trick in the box to get you to do something, to run away from this stillness, it's absurd to the rational mind, which would very much like to 'exist', in any way.

''A blind man, if he is not totally blind, refuses to be led by a guide. And, since he sees a little, he thinks it better to go in whatever happens to be the direction which he can distinguish, because he sees none better; and thus he can lead astray a guide who sees more than he, for after all it is for him to say where he shall go rather than for the guide. In the same way a soul may lean upon any knowledge of its own, or any feeling or experience of God, yet, however great this may be, it is very little and far different from what God is; and, in going along this road, a soul is easily led astray, or brought to a standstill, because it will not remain in faith like one that is blind, and faith is its true guide.'' - John of the Cross

The Third Stage

This stage is to be experienced, as natural wisdom cannot comprehend what God emanates from His substance, in the purest of ways, through intimacy with our spirit.

As a general rule, we are concerned about the journey, the destination is beyond expectation and human comprehension, just get there, is what I'm trying to say.

This journey may also be compared to Solomon's temple, which had three areas, the outer court, the inner court, and the Holy of Holies, which in oral Jewish tradition were known as the way, the truth, and the life, a.k.a. Yeshua (Jesus), it's a beautiful depiction of our inner journey to God.

Gold Nuggets

''All the virtues grow through the practice of any one of them, and all the vices grow through the practice of any one of them likewise'' - John of the Cross

The Five Evils (according to John of The Cross)

The first evil is vanity, pride, vainglory and presumption; for a man cannot rejoice in his works without esteeming them. And hence arise boasting and like things, as is said of the Pharisee in the Gospel, who prayed and congratulated himself before God, boasting that he fasted and did other good works.
The second evil is usually linked with this: it is our judging others, by comparison with ourselves, as wicked and imperfect, when it seems to us that their acts and good works are inferior to our own; we esteem them the less highly in our hearts, and at times also in our speech. This evil was likewise that of the Pharisee, for in his prayer he said: ‘I thank Thee that I am not as other men are: robbers, unjust and adulterers. So that by one single act he fell into these two evils, esteeming himself and despising others, as do many nowadays, saying: I am not like such a man, nor do I do this and that, as does such or such a man. And many of these are even worse than the Pharisee. He, it is true, not only despised others, but also pointed to an individual, saying: ‘Nor am I like this tax collector.’ But they, not satisfied with either of these things, go so far as to be angry and envious when they see that others are praised, or do more, or are of greater use, than themselves.
The third evil is that, as they look for pleasure in their good works, they usually perform them only when they see that some pleasure and praise will result from them. And thus, as Christ says, they do everything and work not for the love of God alone.
The fourth evil follows from this. It is that they will have no reward from God, since they have desired in this life to have joy or consolation or honour or some other kind of interest as a result of their good works: of such the Saviour says that herein they have received their reward. And thus they have had naught but the labour of their work and are confounded, and receive no reward.

There is so much misery among the sons of men which has to do with this evil that I myself believe that the greater number of good works which they perform in public are either vicious or will be of no value to them, or are imperfect in the sight of God, because they are not detached from these human intentions and interests. For what other judgment can be formed of some of the actions which certain men perform, and of the memorials which they set up, when they will not perform these actions at all unless they are surrounded by human respect and honor, which are the vanity of life...

In these good works which some men perform, may it not be said that they are worshiping themselves more than God? This is certainly true if they perform them for the reason described and otherwise would not perform them at all.

Some wish to be praised, others to be thanked, others enumerate their good works and desire that this person and that shall know of them, and indeed the whole world... This is the sounding of the trumpet, which, says the Saviour in the Gospel, vain men do, and for this reason they shall have no reward for their works from God.

In order to flee from this evil, such persons must hide their good works so that God alone may see them, and must not desire anyone to take notice of them. And they must hide them, not only from others, but even from themselves. That is to say, they must find no satisfaction in them, nor esteem them as if they were of some worth, nor derive pleasure from them at all.

It is this that is spiritually indicated in those words of Our Lord: ‘Let not thy left hand know what they right hand doeth. Which is as much to say: Esteem not with thy carnal and temporal eye the work that thou doest spiritually. And in this way the strength of the will is concentrated upon God, and a good deed bears fruit in His sight; so that not only will it not be lost, but it will be of great merit.

The fifth of these evils is that such persons make no progress on the road of perfection. For, since they are attached to the pleasure and consolation which they find in their good works, it follows that, when they find no such pleasure and consolation in their good works and exercises, which ordinarily happens when God desires to lead them on, by giving them the dry bread of the perfect and taking from them the milk of babes, in order to prove their strength and to purge their delicate appetites so that they may be able to enjoy the food of grown men, they commonly faint and cease to persevere, because their good works give them no pleasure.

In this way may be spiritually understood these words of the Wise Man: ‘Dying flies spoil the sweetness of ointment.’ For, when any subduing of desires comes to these persons, they die to their good works and cease to practice them; and thus they lose their perseverance, wherein are found sweetness of spirit and interior consolation.

Poem to ponder on:

''Strive always to prefer, not that which is easiest, but that which is most difficult;

Not that which is most delectable, but that which is most unpleasing;

Not that which gives most pleasure, but rather that which gives least;

Not that which is restful, but that which is wearisome;

Not that which is consolation, but rather that which is disconsolateness;

Not that which is greatest, but that which is least;

Not that which is loftiest and most precious, but that which is lowest and most despised;

Not that which is a desire for anything, but that which is a desire for nothing;

Strive to go about seeking not the best of temporal things, but the worst.'' - John of the Cross

Not a Boring History

John of The Cross was a Spanish mystic born in 1542, he fought a battle of redeeming the moral values and principles of the monasteries in order for them to shine a light on the people they were serving and being a role model for.

He joined forces with Teresa of Avila and raised the standards of what following Christ would look like. They loved their rules and regulations, but they also stayed loyal to Jesus until the end, through many hardships, which gives them and A++ for raising the bar and not letting themselves fall on the long journey.

Limited only by his time and circumstances, he was well beyond his era in terms of knowledge of the divine, and his ability to expose the inner path to God in one of his greatest books, Ascent of Mount Carmel, is nothing short of epic.

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Francisco De Osuna

Francisco de Osuna has a God given gift of making plain the way towards perfect communion with Jesus. Looking at what seems to be the only photo we have of him on Google, it can't begin to depict his loving heart and depth of intimacy with Jesus.

Why Bother

A clear way to God is presented where communion with Him is possible in this life through cleansing one's conscience, entering one's heart, resting in loving stillness, and then rising above the heart to God alone.

He is a way maker, with ideologies before his time, provided not by the theology of his era, but by the creator, no middlemen.

Biases

These are not his biases, they are yours, potentially, and it might help you recognize them, if nothing else. One cannot maintain a state of awareness while being subjected or imprisoned in a worldview delimited by borders called childhood, tradition or past experiences.

One might think of him as redundant, old-school, or even a closed-minded, outdated version of Christianity. This could not be further from the truth, his insight is pure, and received directly from God in the sacred act of intimate prayer.

Maybe his allegiance to some version of Catholicism without modern upgrades makes him quite limited from our perspective, however, his stern allegiance to discovering Jesus for himself, and the process of mapping the way to Him is priceless.

If Francisco had a billboard, this is what he would write on it:

Be warned, brother: solder your heart and adorn it; join the pieces, which are your cares, so that with all your faculties you may draw near to God. Cover the vase of your heart lest the dust of idle thoughts should fall into it.

The Good Stuff (Finally)

His book begins with a powerful statement, and is the basis of his valuable works.

''Friendship and communion with God are possible in this life of exile, and that in no small degree, but with a closer and stronger bond that has ever existed between brethren, or mother and child.'' - Francisco de Osuna

A true Stoic, Francisco presents the human heart as an ever turning wheel, controlled by the four main impulses that affect it: Joy and Sorrow, Hope and Fear. These four forces are chiefs as they include all other feelings and impulses, and are connected to the four winds and the four cardinal directions of the earth. The person that wishes to make spiritual progress must punish and dominate them, lest they divide his heart between them. Stoicism 101...

The author presents our mind to be Jerusalem, our spiritual building. Before we can even begin construction, we must first block wandering thoughts and learn to recollect our mind.

''I can only say of you, especially when you are at the Divine Office, or at mass, that you remind me of Satan, who intruded himself among the sons of God. When God, knowing his restlessness and turbulence, and that he was never still, nor collected his thoughts, asked him. ''Where are you coming from?'' Satan answered shamelessly: ''I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.''

You are like him, for when you are among the sons of God, the angels and just men, if they asked you on what your mind was bent and from whence you had come, that is, what preparation you had made beforehand, you would be obliged to reply with Satan that you had been round about the whole world with your wandering thoughts, for you had rejected no vain imaginations. No one questions you regarding religion, for your material, common-place mind is occupied solely with senseless, wrong-headed subjects.'' - Francisco de Osuna

An ever wandering, restless mind is a sign of a person that is running away, it's the opposite of faith in God, who is rest for those that find Him.

''No one pours liquid into a cracked and broken vase that can hold nothing. Your heart is divided into as many pieces representing the cares you hold: each care is a broken piece; and do you think that God will pour His grace into such a useless vessel? Ask the wise man, who says: ''The heart of a fool is like a broken vessel, and no wisdom at all shall it hold.'' - Francisco de Osuna

''Be warned, brother: solder your heart and adorn it; join the pieces, which are your cares, so that with all your faculties you may draw near to God. Cover the vase of your heart lest the dust of idle thoughts should fall into it.'' - Francisco de Osuna

Recollection of thoughts and stillness are the basis of intimacy with God, and the journey begins with learning to be still before Jesus, and repressing the cares of this world, going into a numb-like (but still aware) state, so that we may be worked on.

God is the sea, and we are the rivers, if we are to keep on flowing abundantly, we must return ourselves to the source, and we do that by giving thanks.

''All the rivers run into the sea; they return, to flow again.'' - Francisco de Osuna

Being thankful is an act of remembering what we have received, to show God that we treasure it, and we complete the circle, by bringing it back, and imitating Him (in a lesser manner), who gave it away.

The importance of remembering to live a thankful life is brought up as an essential part of preparing for an encounter with the divine.

''Let us remember, brothers, that it is important for us to know what we have received; as the gifts increase, so does the debt... Let us begin in this way to repay to the giver of all our goods little by little the vast sum we owe Him. By one act of thanksgiving we shall effect two things: first, we shall pay our debt, and then we shall deserve greater gifts.'' - Francisco de Osuna

Another important aspect of his works regards the double life that many of us live quietly.

''He goes two ways on the earth who does the works of the flesh and thinks he will sanctify his spirit by fear, so does he who works for God outwardly while seeking worldly gain in his mind.'' - Francisco de Osuna

Two habits are described in this paragraph, first is the one who continues in sin but mitigates the outcome by constant repentance, not wishing to end the root of the problem, but devising a circle where sin is kept, and repentance and feeling sorry is kept as well.

It's a constant game of hot potato, but never actually willing to just place it on the ground, it's just thrown from one hand to the other, with a brief cool-down period while in the air.

The second destructive pattern is being caught up in the man made systems and rankings established by different denominations, and ending up working for recognition and getting up the ranks, and forgetting the real reason we're all doing this. The ones that grew up in church often struggle with this, because it takes the special and unique part out of it, it's a blessing and a curse in disguise. Blessing in the sense that they are lucky enough to have been presented with the truth and accepted in a community that shares and promotes the same beliefs, and a curse, for the fact that it all becomes so natural, that it slips into redundant, a faded blank canvas on which they paint their real life with more vivid colors.

Francisco de Osuna summons an interesting concept in his works, namely, that riches or blessings are not a direct sign that God is favorably disposed towards someone. It could just be a debt he is settling, while they forfeited their reward.

''God sometimes gives the grace of devotion, as he gives worldly honors and riches, as a reward to those who have rendered him slight services and whom he will afterwards condemn. God thus rewarded the Romans, who, through very virtuous, did not deserve heaven because they attributed their virtues to themselves. Lest they should receive no recompense, God in return made them masters of the world for five hundred years as a temporal repayment for their labors. He acts in the same way now towards many people...'' - Francisco de Osuna

This last statement makes you question everything, as it would be easy to leave a delusional life, being lukewarm, always half-way there, never focused, but jumping from sin to grace, switching before the first one gets too hot, and the second one too boring.

Periods of hunger are always followed by a time of dryness, and that is where discipline must kick in, to bridge the journey until the next well to refresh us.

Blessings in this life are not to be trusted as a sign of God's favor, it is important to remember that God is much closer to us when he hides and doesn't reply, than when he showers us with earthly riches.

To live an abundant life is the wish of our heavenly father, to have excess of everything is the norm in heaven, but here on earth, due to so much lack and scarcity all around, having wealth may easily be mistaken for God being pleased and on good terms with us.

So the compass to which we must guide ourselves is always ONLY our daily amount of time spent ALONE with God, not working for God, but being with God, two very different matters.

Blessings or no blessings, a time of outlandish hunger that cannot be explained or a complete dryness where even a few minutes of stillness in His presence seem an insurmountable task, the constant, daily communion with God is the only reassurance we should give ourselves that we are in good standing order.

''Each day should produce it's own fruit, like a slave who earns by the day for this master, and if one day is missing, it is lost forever.'' - Francisco de Osuna

The definition of recollection is presented as recalling the man to his own self, merging all wondering thoughts into one, like a magnifying glass that becomes focused, it now has tremendous power and efficacy.

''The reason for calling this exercise recollection is that as regards the exterior, it recalls the man to himself, for clearly he is divided into as many parts as the interests he is engaged in.'' - Francisco de Osuna

Preachers are most in need of this type of prayer, for they are like a man who waits at a table, and feeds others while starving themselves.

It's quite understandable how this type of prayer (recollection of thoughts) can seem such a waste of time compared to verbally communicating with God. Even believing that this type of prayer is at all effective may be a struggle for most.

However, even when David fought Goliath, he saw his armor as an impediment in battle, even though it would have helped and given courage to others in his place.

''This is the case with many who are untrained in this exercise; they think it loses time and prevents them from saying their prayers, though in fact it is a divine thing which helps and incites those who practice it to do great deeds, and is as great in reality as it is insignificant in seeming to those who are mistaken about it.'' - Francisco de Osuna

Five things are likely to disturb or prevent recollection of thoughts, while praying through meditation, and resting in God's presence:

The first one is our five senses. The solution for this is a closed space, with as little noise as possible, or input from the outside world.

The second one is worldly affairs and day to day problems, of which there is no end. A very practical solution to this one is setting a timer before prayer at the beginning stages, which helps provide some control over the situation, as it's comforting to know that after 30 minutes, for example, the timer will go off and we can come back to our busy little world. It makes it easier to disconnect, knowing that we have a clear time frame in which we must do our best. Type A personalities would greatly benefit from this, or people who have a hard time not being in control.

The third one is composed of the four passions of the heart: Joy, Fear, Hope and Sorrow. The four medicines prescribed against the four forces are: Justice - to control Joy; Prudence - to oppose Sadness; Temperance - to control Hope; Fortitude - to moderate Fear.

The forces (Joy, Sadness, Hope, Fear) must be repressed by these virtues (Justice, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude) in order for the heart to no longer be dispersed and divided.

The fourth enemy on the road to recollection is our memory, that springs up thoughts and goes from one to another, right to wrong, being more active as we relax our mind and our physical state, and the fifth one is our physical state, which when ill, or in pain, make it that much harder to relax in perfect stillness.

The solution for these last two is practice and willpower. With constant exercise, the mind can block anything and forget even about it's own existence in perfect recollection. It's always good to remember that God makes a perfect, custom built way to reach Him for each one of us, all He requires is our will combined with constant action over time. Highs and lows come and go, coffee helps and fasts help as well, but being constant is what God wants regardless of our present state.

Gold Nuggets

''A secure mind is like a continual feast.'' - Francisco de Osuna

''The worst evil is that they seem to set no value on celestial joys, since they do not try to win them. I believe they fancy, or at least they act as though they fancied that heaven will be offered them cheaply and that God will beg them to accept it, as though He were tired if it and had no one else to whom to give it.'' - Francisco de Osuna

''Strife within the mind comes from not guarding its entrance.'' - Francisco de Osuna

Not a Boring History

A Spanish mystical teacher that lived between 1527 and 1559, his life was strictly dedicated to prayer and meditation, a proficient master, who was nothing short of obsessed about intimacy with God.

He is beyond able and certified to break down the way of perfect union with the divine. A prime example of someone who wasted his entire life in order to gain it, a very wise waste of time!

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Francis of Asisi

One Sentence Intro before Photo

Here is yours truly, posing for the painter, a man exceedingly pure by all accounts, summarized succinctly in the saying: "A rising tide floats all boats."

Why Bother

To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders... Such is the case with this lovely mirror of divinity.

Francis is simply beyond comprehension, pushing the limits of human understanding by himself, giving us a much-needed push as humanity. He is so pure, that he appeals to all religions and backgrounds, crossing borders unsurmountable, far beyond his grave.

Biases

The high esteem he had for poverty could be mistaken for archaic, or even an uncivilized, outdated version of Christianity, with no regard for success and material prosperity.

His allegiance to poverty confirms his reality over this world and its pleasures. Thus, he cannot be stained by worldly things or its enticements. He gave everything up which brought him to a higher dimension and walk with God.

The Good Stuff

Francis lived in the time of the crusades, which were adamant toward acting as God’s holy revenge on Muslims and later also Jews… An army 30.000 strong marched on Constantinople (Istanbul - Turkey today), easily captured it and then did the same with Jerusalem. This was under direct orders from the Pope, which should have supposedly been a role-model for Francis.

However, in spite of the fact that Muslims were considered to be a huge enemy, in 1219, at the height of the conflict, Francis ventured into Muslim territory to visit the caliph of Egypt, which was so impressed by his simple devotion and acute understanding of the divine, that he offered him safe passage on his way back, having been marked by this encounter. Not only did Francis show a different side of Christianity, but he portrayed the correct way, God’s way of reaching others, without falsely taking what we perceive to be God’s judgment (when it’s our own), acting violently on impulse, and calling God to bear the shame for it, for generations to come. (Basically what the crusades did.)

In the eyes of Francis, we don’t pray to acquire a relationship with God as praying to gain something that did not previously exist. Rather, we pray to simply reveal the image of God in which we are created, the God within us, that is, the one in whom we are created and in whom lies the seed of our identity.

We pray so as to discover what we already have—“the incomparable treasure hidden in the field of the world and of the human heart” (Clare of Assisi, Third Letter to Agnes of Prague). We pray not to “ascend” to God but to “give birth to God”—to allow the image in which we are created to become visible.

The God of Francis was: a God “who delights to be with the simple and those rejected by the world” (Thomas of Celano, First Life, 12.31).

As Jesus, Francis draws the entire humanity forward, by simply walking the entire road to the end. Even more simply put: Transformed people transform people.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” — George Bernard Shaw

People are only afraid of death, as long as they do not know who they are. But once you know you are objectively a child of God, you are already home, and your inheritance is given to you ahead of time. Your false self, must die before you die. Only then, can we sincerely say with Francis: Welcome, sister death! I have faced the first death, and I lost nothing that was real, so the second death can do me no harm. (Richard Rohr, Eager to Love)

You do not think yourself into a new way of living, you live yourself into a new way of thinking…

After Francis’s death, Louis the 4th, King of France, embarked on a pilgrimage to visit the holy places of the world. His desire was to see a certain Friar Giles, one of the first companions of Francis, located in Italy. He disguised himself as a commoner, with few companions, arrived at the door of the friary, and asked to see brother Giles. God revealed to friar Giles who the man at the door was, and how He would use him. He quickly ran to the door to meet him.

Without words, they kneeled and embraced each other for a long period of time, as with old friends. After this, King Louis departed, and friar Giles returned to his cell, still without exchanging a word…

Amazed, the companions of brother Giles enquired who his friends were, and upon hearing that it was the King of France, who he never previously met, they were perplexed.

Friar Giles explains:

‘’Dear brothers, marvel not, for neither I to him nor he to me could utter one word, since, no sooner had we embraced each other, than the light of wisdom revealed and manifested his heart to me and mine to him. And thus, by divine power, as we looked in each other’s breasts, we knew better what I would say to him and he to me than if we had spoken with our mouths; and greater consolation had we than if we had sought to explain with our lips what we felt in our hearts. For, because of the defect of human speech, that cannot express clearly the mysteries and secrets of God, words would have left us inconsolable rather than consoled; know, therefore, that the king departed from me marvelously glad and consoled in spirit.’’

Words are merely symbols and the source of real poverty when it comes to communication. They will become your greatest hindrance in prayer, as you develop proficiency. So, should we end the habit of praying with words? Of course not, we should just NOT stop praying when words end....

“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” - Francis of Assisi

Francis understood the value of treading lightly on this earth, portrayed best in a vision he interpreted for brother Leo:

Friar Leo was raptured in a vision and led in spirit to a mighty torrent, wide an raging. As he was observing those crossing it, he noticed them carrying burdens, while entering into the stream. Some made it to the middle, some two-thirds of the way, and few almost reached the shore. However, because of the heavy burdens they were carrying, all were eventually overthrown by the fierce waves and drowned.

Then, he saw another group of people bearing no burdens or load of any kind, and these passed over to the other side without peril.

According to Francis, the burdens are riches and vain acquisitions, anything that brings glory and exalts the self.

Less is more, more or less.

God will acknowledge you in proportion to your capacity to vanish as an end, and remain purely as a means.

“The everlastingness of things - an ironic commentary upon your claims to ownership”. - Dag Hammarskjold

Gold Nuggets

“Some people dread the impossible and then make the mistake of forsaking what is necessary.” - Francis of Assisi

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.

He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.

He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” - Francis of Assisi

“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” - Francis of Assisi

“For it is in giving that we receive.” - Francis of Assisi

‘’Yearning for a new way will not produce it, only ending the old way will do that. The old will defy the new, the old will deny the new.’’ - Francis of Assisi

“True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.” - Francis of Assisi

“We should seek not so much to pray but to become prayer.” - Francis of Assisi

Not a Boring History

Francis of Assisi lived from 1181 to the age of 45 years old, during which he changed the face of Christianity, impacting not only a generation but all after him.

Born to a life of riches and pleasure, he pursued a life of intimacy with Christ above all other, begging the question: Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?

Madame Guion

One Sentence Intro before Photo

Come, hungry hearts, who can find nothing that pleases, and you will be fully satisfied!

Why Bother

Biases

The Good Stuff

‘’Nothing is so easily gained as the possession and enjoyment of God. God is more in ourselves than we are in ourselves.’’ - Madame Guyon

Two ways are introduced for beginners in prayer, the first one being spiritual reading. This pertains to slowly reading a few sentences, then stopping to digest and taste the vibrancy of the truth without any pressure to go on.

‘’Those who read quickly are like a bee that skims over a flower without stopping and extracting the nectar.’’ - Madame Guyon

To welcome God within requires both a strong spiritual desire to seek God and absolute surrender to find His path. Guyon names this spiritual reality ‘annihilation’, in which God destroys everything that becomes an idol in the person’s life.

‘’But the misfortune is that people wish to direct God instead of resigning themselves to be directed by Him.’’ - Madame Guyon

Know this fundamental truth as you begin [praying]. When Jesus prays for God’s Kingdom to come, remember that He said, ‘the kingdom of God is within you’...

‘’But to all who sincerely wish to give themselves to God, I pray, my dear ones, whoever you are, that you understand that once you have given yourself, you cannot take yourself back. Remember, a gift once given is no longer at your disposal.’’

Abandonment is the key to the interior, leading quickly to perfection. We must continue steadfast in our way of abandonment, and not listen to the voice of reasoning and self-reflection. Great faith produces great abandonment; we must trust in God, hoping against hope.

God is our centre. The centre always exerts a very powerful attractive quality, similar to gravitation… The more passive and tranquil the soul remains, and the freer it remains from self-direction, the more rapidly it advances towards the centre.

God gives an infused love, which is the beginning of ineffable happiness.

The human does not believe anything is being accomplished unless he can feel, distinguish and know all of its operations. However, as the operations of God become more abundant, they overwhelm and envelop the soul more and more while absorbing the actions of the person. Some call this a prayer of silence, but they are wrong…

This appearance of inaction is indeed not the consequence of sterility but of abundance. They should know that they have a fruitful silence, indeed a full and rich silence, caused by abundance.

Two kinds of people keep silence. One has nothing to say, while the other has too much, with the excess causing the silence. In a similar way, to die of drowning and to die of thirst are both caused by water. Abundance destroys in one case, and want in the other.

But what happens to the infant that peacefully drinks in the milk without motion? Who would believe that without exertion the baby receives nourishment? The more rest, the more nourishment is received. What happens, I say, to the child? The babe drops asleep on its mother’s bosom. So the tranquil soul, resting peacefully in prayer, sinks frequently into a mystic slumber where all the powers come into being in this state. You see that this soul is led here naturally without discomfort, effort, struggle or study.

We enter this interior Royal Kingdom of peace by love and not by storm or violence. If any will pursue the path I have described, it will lead them to infused prayer. God demands nothing too extraordinary or too difficult. To the contrary, God is greatly pleased by this simple and childlike method.

Oh that you would take the journey! What is it you fear? What risk do you run by trusting God and abandoning yourself entirely to God? Ah, God will not mislead you, except for giving you an abundance beyond your highest hopes. Those who expect to do it by themselves may hear the rebuke of God through Isaiah: “You have wearied yourselves in the multiplicity of your ways and have not said, let us rest in peace” Isa 57:10

Inward silence precedes the hearing of God’s voice.

“Hear me, all you whom I carry in my bosom and bear within my womb” Isa 46:3

“Listen, my daughter! And consider, and incline your ear; forget also your father’s house; so shall the king greatly desire your beauty” (Ps. 45:11-12)

“I will lead her into solitude, and there will I speak to her heart” (Hos 2:14)

‘’Believe, love, and follow God through a total annihilation with its smallness and nothingness. Do not cling to anything and you will be fine. God alone, God alone, God alone!’’

‘’God both draws close and then withdraws, leaving the person to bear their personal cross. If the believer consents to bearing their cross, it will, in turn, bear him or her and lead the believer to the desired goal.’’

Guyon was inspired by Francis de Sales, who shows how a person may find the necessary courage to love God for who God is, rather than the gifts that God gives.

The main rewards for inward recollection is new insights while enjoying the presence of God.

‘’Through the vehicle of personal experiences, God reveals the divine heart to the human one. She also made clear that everything that happens to the person has a purpose. Because of this, the encounter with the divine happens in the midst of life and not separated from it.’’

-the immense interior change takes many years to complete

‘’She states that humans frequently misunderstand difficult experiences and fail to see them as the crucifying operations of God. These difficult experiences are a needed time of trial in which God tests the person’s love. The person may mistakenly believe that God has judged them harshly or even rejected them.’’

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‘You have dug for yourselves cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jer 2:13)

‘I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may be rich. (Rev 3:18)

Come hungry hearts, who can find nothing that pleases, and you will be satisfied. Come you ignorant, who think yourselves incapable or prayer. You are particularly called and suited for prayer.

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All those who want to pray can. Prayer is the key to perfection and ultimate happiness. Through prayer we find deliverance from vice and claim virtues for ourselves. God tells us, ‘’Walk in My presence and be perfect’’ (Gen 17:1). Prayer alone can give you that presence and give it to you constantly.

You must learn interior prayer that you can do at all times, even when you are engage in outward employment. Everyone may practice this form of prayer: princes, kings, judges, soldiers, children, laborers, women and sick people. Everyone can do this.

The point of prayer is not the mind but is the heart. The mind of a human being is so limited that only one thought may be had at a time. Yet the prayer of the heart is not interrupted by all the affairs of the mind. This prayer of the heart includes understanding, love and trust. Nothing can interrupt these passionate affections of the heart. When once we have tasted God and the divine sweet love, we will find it impossible to delight in anything but God.

Nothing is so easily gained as the possession and enjoyment of God. God is more in ourselves that we are in ourselves. God desires to give the divine heart more that we wish to possess it. You can live in God as easily and continuously as you live in the air you breathe. Is it not a crime to not learn to pray? I hope you will learn this method of prayer, which is very easy.’’

HOW TO READ

Those who read quickly are like a bee that skims over a flower without stopping and extracting the nectar. To take advantage of spiritual books, read this way: Read little, slowly, half a page and fixate on two or three lines that speak out. Go no further while you retain any taste of the vibrant and engaging quality of the truth. When this sense of vitality subsides, then take up the book and proceed as before. Alternatively, close your eyes and while meditating on the truth you received, allow the Father to speak out directly to your soul.

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FIRST DEGREE OF PRAYER (INTERIOR PRAYER (basically without words)

Leaders teach about the purpose of creation, but they do not teach to find joy in their purpose. Should they not also give them instruction in how to attain it? (purpose)

In this method the person begins with profound adoration and annihilation before God. Closing the body’s eyes, the person tries to open the eyes of the soul. They should then collect themselves inwardly. By a lively faith that God dwells within them, they pierce into the diving Presence. They do not allow their powers and senses to wander around outside but hold them in adoration as much as possible.

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ON HEALING

We may also look to God as our Physician and present our wounds for healing. We always do this without effort and in silence while decreasing our action. The time of the silences may be extended and our own effort lessened. Eventually, by continually yielding to God’s presence, the silence and presence gain complete ascendancy over us.

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SECOND DEGREE OF PRAYER (also called prayer of simplicity)

After becoming used to the form of interior prayer, the soul becomes enabled to approach God with effortlessness. Prayer becomes easy, sweet and pleasant. The person knows that this is the way of finding God. The person senses the fragrance of God’s perfume. The method now must be changed. This will require courage and faithfulness to encounter the challenges that we will encounter.

First, when the soul by faith places itself in the presence of God and becomes recollected before God, let the person remain in profound and respectful silence. If the soul feels some pleasing sense of divine Presence, then taste this and cherish the sensation while it lasts. As soon as it ends, the will may be excited by some tender affection toward a sweet peace where it rests. The will as a smothered fire must be gently fanned, yet as soon as it is kindled, we must cease the effort so that we do not extinguish this by our own effort.

It is also crucial that the person go to prayer with courage that is a pure and disinterested love. Seek nothing from God but the ability to please God and to do the divine will. Remember that a servant who only works for the master in the hope of a reward make himself unworthy of being rewarded.

ON EXERTION AND IMPATIENCE

God has a full desire to give the divine spirit to the loving soul. Yet at times God will be absent in order to awaken the soul to seek the divine wholeheartedly with faithfulness and love. With what abundant goodness will God then bless the beloved soul! And how sweetly are these apparent withdrawals of God succeeded by loving caresses!

In times of aridity, we are tempted to seek God by our own strength and activity. We believe that our own exertion will cause the Beloved to visit us again speedily. No, believe me, my dear souls, this is not the right conduct of the second degree. You must await with humble and patient love the return of the Beloved. You will see, in this way, that God in the only one you love. It is written, ‘’Do not be impatient in the time of dryness and obscurity; suffer the delays of the consolations of God; cling to God and wait upon God patiently that you life may increase and be renewed.’’ (Sir. 2:2-3). Watch for God with profound silence and a peaceful yet passionate affection.

Be patient, then, in prayer, even though all you do in life is to wait in a spirit humiliated, abandoned, resigned, and happy for the return of the Beloved!

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Do not imitate those who give themselves to God and take themselves away in another. They gave themselves because they desired God’s caresses, yet when a crucifixion came, they went in search of creature comforts. They ended their trust in God and turned to created things in an attempt to find comfort.

Gold Nuggets

“Some people dread the impossible and then make the mistake of forsaking what is necessary.” - Francis of Assisi

Not a Boring History

Madame Guyon was born into an aristocratic, wealthy family that had supported various political figures at the French royal court, during the times of Versailles. Her parents were good friends of Henriette Marie de France, queen consort of England, which after visiting her parents, asked to adopt Madame Guyon, which was only eight at that time, her father declined.

At sixteen, she was forced to marry a wealthy aristocrat, which died when she was 28 years old, pregnant with her fifth child. She never remarried, implemented effective means of keeping her wealth, while her active, single life broke social norms for women common in that era.

When she was 39 years old, ‘Quietism’ was declared heretical by the Vatican. This movement which emphasized a personal relationship with the divine, without the need for middlemen, was becoming increasingly popular, threatening the role of the clergy in society.

If mankind would learn that each one can approach God in silence, without any requirements whatsoever, there would be no need for the hierarchical structure of the church, acting in the place of Jesus, instead of pointing people to him…

She was imprisoned for more than 8 years in the famous prison of Bastille and suffered much injustice at the hands of the clergy. Her advice: ‘’Do not cling to anything, and you will be fine. God alone, God alone, God alone!’’

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Teresa of Avila

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Miguel de Molinos

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If Miguel had a billboard, this is what he would write on it:

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John of the Cross

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If John had a billboard, this is what he would write on it:

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Francisco De Osuna

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Francis of Asisi

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Madame Guion

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