> [[at-sl-28|← Book III]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-30|B3 Ch. II Art. I →]] # Chapter I. The Simple Unitive Way 1303\. This Way is the state of fervent souls who habitually live in intimate union with God, without having so far received the gift of infused contemplation. Already accustomed to the practice of the moral and theological virtues, they strive to perfect these by the cultivation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Their mental prayer is simplified more and more, and becomes a prayer of simplicity or of simple recollection which goes by the name of contemplation improperly so-called, acquired or active. The existence of this state is shown by experience, by the distinction of the two kinds of contemplation, as well as by the difference between the active and the contemplative gifts. 1304\. 1° First of all, experience shows that there are, both in the cloister and in the world, truly fervent souls, living in habitual union with God, generously and perseveringly, and at times heroically practicing the Christian virtues, who nevertheless do not possess infused contemplation. These souls are docile to the Holy Ghost, habitually correspond to His inspirations, and from time to time are even the recipients of special inspirations, yet there is nothing that betrays either to themselves or to their spiritual director that they are in the passive state properly so-called.[1] 1305\. 2° The same conclusion flows from the distinction between acquired contemplation and infused contemplation. Traces of this distinction are found even in the writings of St. Clement of Alexandria[2] and Richard of St. Victor, and since the end of the seventeenth century it has become classical. Such souls as continue to practice acquired contemplation during a notable period of their life are in the simple unitive way. In order to avoid any misunderstanding we must state in this place that we do not say that there are two diverging ways; on the contrary, we admit that acquired contemplation is an excellent preparation for infused contemplation, whenever it shall please God to grant the latter. There are, however, numerous souls who do not receive it, although they remain intimately united to God. These remain therefore in the simple unitive way without any fault of their own.[3] 1306\. 3° What confirms this is that among the gifts of the Holy Ghost, some are given chiefly for action, and others chiefly for contemplation. Now, it happens that certain souls, endowed with a more active temperament and otherwise absorbed by more numerous occupations, cultivate more especially the active gifts and are thus less fitted for contemplation properly so-called. Father Noble[4] has this to say: “It is not midst the fatigue of labor, or the performance of tasks which are complicated and absorb our whole attention, that we can concentrate on our own thoughts and keep our eyes steadily fixed on spiritual and eternal realities. To be able to contemplate, one must not be harassed by persistent and fatiguing labors; at least one must be in a position to suspend them long enough to enable the heart and the mind to rise peacefully towards God.” These souls will not enjoy, at least habitually, infused contemplation; still, they will be intimately united with God and docile to the inspirations of the Holy Ghost. Such is the state which we call the simple unitive way. Since it is characterized 1° by the cultivation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and 2° by the prayer of simplicity, we shall treat successively of these two elements. ## Art. I. The Gifts of the Holy Ghost [1] We shall treat: 1° of the gifts of the Holy Ghost in general; 2° of each of them in particular; 3° of the share they have in contemplation; 4° of the fruits and the beatitudes which correspond to the gifts. ### § I. The Gifts of the Holy Ghost in General We shall explain: 1° their nature; 2° their excellence; 3° the manner of cultivating them; 4° how they may be classified. 1\. Nature of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost 1307\. We have spoken in no. 119 of how the Holy Ghost dwells in our soul and infuses, besides habitual grace, supernatural habits which perfect our faculties and enable them to perform supernatural acts under the impulse of actual grace. These habits are the virtues and the gifts. By bringing out the difference between these two kinds of habits we shall see more clearly in what the gifts consist. 1308\. 1° Difference between the Gifts and the Virtues. A) The fundamental difference does not come from their material object or field of action, since this is the same in both, but from the different manner in which they act in the soul. St. Thomas[1] tells us that God may act in us in two ways: a) by accommodating Himself to the human mode of action. This is what He does in the case of the virtues. He helps us to reflect, to seek the best means to reach our end. In order to supernaturalize these operations He gives us actual graces, but leaves us free to take the initiative according to the dictates of prudence or of reason enlightened by faith. It is therefore we who act under the impulse of grace. b) But, by means of the gifts, God acts in a supra-human way. He Himself takes the initiative. Before we have had the time to reflect and consult the dictates of prudence, He sends us divine intuitions, lights and inspirations which act in us, without deliberation on our part, but never without our consent. This grace, which sweetly invites and effectively obtains our consent, may be called operating grace. Under its influence we are rather passive than active; our activity consists chiefly in freely consenting to the operation of God, in allowing ourselves to be led by the Holy Ghost, and in promptly and generously following His inspirations. 1309\. B) By the light of this fundamental principle, we understand better the differences existing between the gifts and the virtues: a) The virtues incline us to act in accordance with the nature of our faculties: thus, with the help of the grace we receive, we inquire, reason and work as we do in actions of a purely natural order. The virtues are therefore energies that are primarily and directly active. The gifts on the contrary impart to us a docility and a receptiveness that enable us to receive and follow the motions of operating grace. This grace moves our faculties to act, without however taking away their liberty, so that the soul, as St. Thomas tells us, is more passive than active, “is not the mover, but the thing moved.”[2] b) In the case of the virtues, we act according to the principles and rules of supernatural prudence. We are obliged to reflect, deliberate, take counsel, make choices, etc. Under the influence of the gifts, we let ourselves be led by a divine inspiration which suddenly and without any reflection on our part vigorously urges us to do such or such a thing. c) Since the share of grace is far greater in the case of the gifts than in that of the virtues, the acts performed under the influence of the former are, all other circumstances being the same, more perfect than those performed under the action of the virtues. It is due to the gifts that the third degree of the virtues is practiced and heroic acts performed. 1310\. C) Divers comparisons are employed to give a better understanding of this doctrine. a) To practice virtue is to row, to use the gifts is to sail: in this latter way one advances more rapidly and with less effort. b) The child who with his mother’s help takes a few steps forward stands for the Christian who practices the virtues with the help of grace; whilst the child whom the mother takes in her arms to make him advance more rapidly stands for the Christian who makes use of the gifts by corresponding to operating grace. c) The artist who strikes the strings of a harp to produce harmonious sounds represents the Christian who practices the virtues; but, when the Holy Ghost comes Himself to touch the strings of the heart, the soul is then under the influence of the gifts. This is a comparison employed by the Fathers to picture the action of Jesus upon Mary’s soul: “A most melodious harp used by Jesus to delight the Eternal Father.” 1311\. 2° Definition. From what has so far been said, we can conclude that the gifts of the Holy Ghost are supernatural habits which impart such docility to our faculties that they promptly comply with the inspirations of grace. However, as we shall soon explain, this docility is at the outset but mere receptiveness which needs to be cultivated to attain its full development. Besides, it is never exercised, except when God bestows that actual grace which we call operating grace. On such occasions, the soul, whilst passive under the action of God, is most active in accomplishing His Will, and so, one may say that the gifts are at once “sources of suppleness and of energy, of docility and of power… which render the soul more passive under the Hand of God, and at the same time more active in His service and in the practice of good works.”[1] II\. Excellence of the Gifts This excellence will appear if we consider the gifts in themselves and in their relation to the virtues. 1312\. 1° That these gifts are excellent in themselves is evident. The more united and the more docile we are to the Holy Ghost, the source of all sanctity, the holier we are. Now, the gifts place us under the direct action of the Holy Ghost Who, living in our soul, enlightens our mind with His lights, points out clearly what we must do, enkindles our heart and strengthens our will to make us accomplish the good suggested. This union is therefore as close as it can be in this life. The effects are likewise priceless. It is the gifts that cause us to practice the third or highest degree of the moral and the theological virtues, and the same gifts inspire the performance of heroic acts. It is through them that, when God so wills it, the soul is raised to contemplation, the suppleness and docility they produce being the immediate disposition required for the mystic state. This is, then, the shortest way to the highest perfection. 1313\. 2° If we compare the gifts with the virtues, the former are, as St. Thomas[1] says, more perfect than the moral and the intellectual virtues. God is not the immediate object of these, whilst the gifts direct the virtues to a higher plane where, blending with charity, they unite us to God. Thus, prudence perfected by the gift of counsel makes us share in the light of God; the gift of fortitude imparts to us, places at our disposal, God’s very strength. The gifts however are not superior to the theological virtues, especially charity, for charity is the most perfect of all spiritual goods, the source whence the gifts flow. Nevertheless, it may be said that the gifts perfect the exercise of the theological virtues. Thus, the gift of understanding renders our faith more vivid and more discerning by disclosing the inner harmony that exists among our dogmas; and the gift of wisdom perfects the exercise of the virtue of charity by making us relish God and divine things. The gifts are therefore with regard to the theological virtues as means to an end, but they impart to the virtues a further perfection. III\. Cultivation of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost 1314\. 1° Gradual Development. We receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost at the same time that we receive the state of grace. They are then merely supernatural faculties. When we come to the age of reason and our heart turns towards God, we begin, under the influence of actual grace, to use our whole supernatural organism, the gifts of the Holy Ghost included. It is indeed incredible that these gifts should remain unavailing and unavailable during a long period of our life.[1] However, in order that they may attain their normal and complete development, we must have previously practised the moral virtues during a notable period of time, varying according to the providential designs of God and our co-operation with grace. It is, in fact, the moral virtues, as we have said, that little by little make the soul tractable and dispose it to enjoy that perfect docility required for the full exercise of the gifts. In the mean time, the latter grow as habits, together with habitual grace, and frequently, unknown to us, join their energies to those of the virtues to make us perform our supernatural acts. There are even times when through His operating grace the Holy Ghost enkindles temporarily an unwonted fervor of soul which is a kind of passing contemplation. What fervent soul has not at times felt these sudden inspirations of grace when all it had to do was to receive the divine motion and follow it? It may have been while reading the Gospels or some devout book, on the occasion of some Communion or of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, at the time of some retreat or when making a choice of a state in life, at the time of ordination or religious profession, that it seemed to us that the grace of God sweetly and strongly carried us along. 1315\. 2° Means for the Cultivation of the Gifts. A) The practice of the moral virtues is the first requisite condition for the cultivation of the gifts. Such is the teaching of St. Thomas[2]: “The moral and the intellectual virtues precede the gifts, since man, through being well subordinate to his own reason, is disposed to be rightly subordinate to God.” Indeed, to acquire that divine docility which the gifts confer, one must needs have previously conquered one’s passions and vices and formed habits of prudence, of humility, of obedience, of meekness, of chastity. How can one discern, accept and follow with docility the inspirations of grace, when the soul is troubled by the prudence of the flesh, by pride, wilfulness, anger and lust! Before being led by divine impulses, one must needs have followed, first of all, the rules of Christian prudence; before obeying the motions of grace, one must needs have observed the commandments and triumphed over pride. Cajetan,[1] the faithful commentator of St. Thomas rightly says: “Let spiritual directors note this and let them see to it that their disciples are, first of all, exercised in the active life before proposing to them the heights of contemplation. One must, in fact, tame one’s passions by habits of meekness, of patience, etc., of liberality, of humility, etc., in order to be able, once the passions have been dominated, to rise to the contemplative life. In default of this previous exercise in asceticism, many who instead of walking rush along the ways of God, find themselves after having devoted a great part of their life to contemplation devoid of all the virtues, impatient, irritable, proud, if they are put to the least test. Such persons have neither had an active nor a contemplative life, nor the combination of the two, but have rather built upon sand, and would to God that this were a rare blunder!” 1316\. B) The gifts are likewise cultivated by combatting the spirit of the world, which is diametrically opposed to the Spirit of God. This is what St. Paul asks of us: “Now, we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God… But the sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, because it is spiritually examined.”[2] The better to combat this spirit of the world we must read and meditate upon the Gospel maxims and live according to them as perfectly as possible. Then indeed shall we be prepared to yield ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. 1317\. C) Next come the positive and direct means which place us under the action of the Holy Ghost: a) First of all, there is interior recollection or the habit of frequently thinking of God living not only near us but in us (n. 92). In this way one gradually comes to the point of never losing sight of God’s presence, even in the midst of the most absorbing occupations. Often one withdraws into the inner shrine of the heart, there to meet the Holy Ghost and hearken to His voice: “I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me.”[3] Then one realizes what the author of the Imitation says: “Happy is the soul which heareth the Lord speaking within her, and receiveth from His mouth the word of comfort.”[4] The Holy Ghost speaks to the heart, and His words bring with them light, strength, and consolation. 1318\. b) Since this Divine Spirit demands sacrifices, one must become accustomed to follow promptly and generously the least of His inspirations, whenever there is no doubt that it is He Who speaks: “For I do always the things that please Him.”[1] Otherwise, He would cease to speak, or at least He would speak much less frequently: “To-day if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts: As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me…”[2] If the sacrifices He demands seem difficult, let one not lose heart, but say with St. Augustine: “Grant, O Lord, what Thou commandest, and command then what Thou wilt.” What is important is never to resist deliberately His inspirations; for the more docile one is, the more will He be pleased to act on the soul. 1319\. c) We must even go to meet Him, and in union with the Incarnate Word, Who promised to send us His Spirit, in union with Her who is the most perfect Temple and the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, confidently invoke Him as did the Apostles in the Upper Room where they were persevering in prayer “with Mary, the mother of Jesus.”[3] The Church in her liturgy places at our disposal magnificent prayers for drawing unto ourselves the Spirit of God, such as the sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus, the hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus, and other invocations found in the Pontifical for the ordinations of subdeacons, deacons, and priests. These prayers have no doubt a special efficacy, and their content is so full of beauty that we cannot recite them without being moved by pious emotions. Another excellent practice is that of reciting before each one of our actions the antiphon, Veni Sancte Spiritus, and the adjoined prayer. In it we ask for Divine Charity, the source of the gifts, and the gift of wisdom, “recta sapere,” which, being the most perfect, contains all the others. This prayer, if recited with attention and fervor, cannot remain ineffectual. IV\. Classification of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost 1320\. The prophet Isaias in announcing the corning of the Messias declares that “the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness”;[4] and since by Baptism we are incorporated into Christ, we share in these same gifts, which according to Tradition are seven in number. They may be classified in various ways: A) From the point of view of perfection, fear of the Lord is the least perfect, and wisdom the most perfect. B) If we consider the faculties upon which they exercise their action, we may distinguish intellectual and affective gifts. The former are those which enlighten the mind: knowledge, understanding, wisdom and counsel. The latter are those which strengthen the will: piety, strength and the fear of the Lord. Among the intellectual gifts there are chiefly three which produce infused contemplation: knowlegde, understanding and wisdom. The others are called active gifts. C) If we examine the gifts in relation to the special virtues they perfect, the gift of counsel perfects the virtue of prudence; the gift of piety perfects the virtue of religion as related to the virtue of justice; the gift of strength perfects the virtue of fortitude; the gift of fear perfects the virtue of temperance; the gifts of knowledge and understanding perfect the virtue of faith; the gift of fear is connected with the virtue of hope, and the gift of wisdom with that of charity. This is the division we follow, because it shows us better the nature of each gift, by placing it side by side with the corresponding virtue. ### § II. The Seven Gifts in Particular I. The Gift of Counsel 1321\. 1° Nature. A) The gift of counsel perfects the virtue of prudence by making us judge promptly and rightly, as by a sort of supernatural intuition, what must be done, especially in difficult cases. By the virtue of prudence we reflect, and we carefully seek out the best means of attaining a certain end, profiting by the lessons of the past and putting to advantage our present knowledge, in order to reach a wise decision. With the gift of counsel it is otherwise. The Holy Ghost speaks to our heart and in an instant makes us understand what we must do. Thus is fulfilled the promise made by Our Lord to His Apostles: “But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak.”[1] This is exactly what we see in the conduct of St. Peter after Pentecost. Arrested by order of the Sanhedrin and forbidden to Preach Jesus Christ any longer, he replies immediately: “We ought to obey God, rather than men.”[2] Many Saints have enjoyed this gift of counsel. St. Antoninus had it to such a high degree that posterity bestowed on him the title of good counsellor, Antoninus, the Counsellor; for he was consulted not only by the simple faithful, but even by statesmen, particularly by Cosmo de Medici, who on several occasions chose him as his ambassador. We see this gift admirably exemplified in St. Catherine of Sienna, who, though very young and without having as yet pursued any studies, gave wise counsels to princes, Cardinals, and to the Sovereign Pontiff himself. We behold this gift also in St. Joan of Arc, who, unskilled in the art of war, planned a campaign that astonished the best generals of the time. She tells us whence she drew her wisdom: “You have held your council and I have held mine.” 1322\. B) The proper object of the gift of counsel is the right ordering of particular acts. The gifts of knowledge and understanding furnish us with the general principles, but the gift of counsel enables us to apply these to the thousand and one particular cases which present themselves. The light of the Holy Ghost then shows us what must be done at the time, at the place, and in the circumstances in which we are, and, if we are charged with the direction of others, what advice we must give to them. 1323\. 2° Necessity. A) This gift is necessary to all in some of the more important and difficult situations, in which salvation or sanctification are concerned, for example, in matters of vocation, or in certain occasions of sin encountered even in the discharge of duty. Human reason being fallible and uncertain in its ways and able to proceed only slowly and with caution, it is of importance to receive in the decisive moments of our life the lights of this Divine Counsellor, Who with a single glance takes in all, and Who at the opportune moment makes us see with certainty what we must do in such or such difficult circumstances.[1] “With the gift of counsel,” says Mgr. Landrieux, “the soul is able to discern the means; it sees its way; it goes along with assurance, be the way steep, deserted and forbidding… and it knows how to wait for the acceptable time.”[2] B) This gift is especially necessary to superiors and to priests, both for their own sanctification and for that of others. a) At times it is so difficult to know how to reconcile an interior life with one of zeal, or the affection due to souls with perfect chastity, or the simplicity of the dove with the prudence of the serpent, that a special light from the Holy Ghost is none too much to show us what line of conduct to pursue. b) Likewise Superiors who must see that the rule is faithfully observed and retain at the same time the confidence and affection of their subjects, need great tact to combine due strictness and kindness, not to multiply orders and reprimands, and to have the rule observed through love rather than fear. c) Spiritual directors above all stand in need of special enlightenment in order to discern what suits their various penitents, to know their defects and select the best means to effect their reformation, to decide their vocations and to lead them to that degree of perfection or to that manner of life to which they are called. 1324\. 3° Means of cultivating this gift. A) The cultivation of this gift requires, first of all, a deep sense of our weakness and frequent recourse to the Holy Ghost so that He may teach us His ways: “Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.”[1] He will not fail to come to enlighten us in one way or another, for He stoops down to the humble; and He will not fail us, especially if we take care to ask His help in the morning for the entire day, at the beginning of the principal actions of the day, and particularly in all difficult cases. B) Further, we must accustom ourselves to listen to the voice of the Holy Ghost, to judge all things by His light without allowing ourselves to be influenced by human considerations, and to follow the least of His inspirations. Then, finding our soul open and docile, He will speak to the heart still more frequently.[2] II\. The Gift of Piety 1325\. 1° Nature. This gift perfects the virtue of religion, which is a virtue related to that of justice, by begetting in our hearts a filial affection for God and a tender devotion towards those persons and things consecrated to Him, in order to make us fulfil our religious duties with a holy joy. The virtue of religion is acquired only through effort, whilst the gift of piety is communicated to us by the Holy Ghost. A) This gift makes us see in God not merely our Sovereign Master, but the best and most loving Father: “You have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry Abba (Father).”[1] It fills the soul with confidence and love without endangering the reverence due to God. It fosters in us a threefold sentiment: 1) filial respect towards God, which makes us adore Him with a holy joy as our most beloved Father. Then our spiritual exercises, instead of being an arduous task, become a need of the soul, a longing of the heart for God; 2) a generous and tender love that leads us to sacrifice self for God and God’s glory, in order to please Him: “I do always the things that please Him;”[2] hence, it is not a selfish piety, which seeks consolations, nor an inert piety, which remains inactive when it should act, nor yet a sentimental piety, which but looks for emotional satisfaction and loses itself in idle dreams; but it is a virile piety, which expresses its love by complying with the Will of God; 3) an affectionate obedience, which sees in the commandments and in the counsels the wise and paternal expression of the Divine Will in our regard; hence results a holy abandonment into the hands of this loving Father, Who knows far better than we do what is good for us and Who tests us only to purify us and unite us to Himself: “To them that love God all things work together unto good.”[3] 1326\. B) This same sentiment makes us love those persons and things which have a participation in the Divine Being and in His perfections. 1\) Thus, we love and venerate the Blessed Virgin, because she is the Mother of God and our Mother (n. 155-156); and so we refer to her some of the veneration and some of the love we have for God, since of all creatures she best reflects His perfections. 2) We likewise love and revere in the Angels and Saints a reflection of the divine attributes. 3) Holy Writ is for us the Word of God, a letter from Our Heavenly Father, communicating to us His thoughts and His designs in our regard. 4) Holy Church is for us the Spouse of Christ, born of His Sacred Heart, perpetuating His mission upon earth, and invested with His own infallible authority; she is for us a holy mother who has brought us forth to the life of grace and nourished us with her sacraments. We are therefore interested in whatever concerns her, in her successes and her humiliations; we espouse all her interests and are glad to further them; we sorrow at her sorrows; in a word we bear her a filial love. To this we add a sincere obedience, well knowing that when we submit to her injunctions we yield obedience to God Himself: “He that heareth you heareth me.”[4] 5) The head of this Church, the Sovereign Pontiff, is for us the vice-regent, the visible representative of Jesus Christ upon earth. We therefore offer him the veneration and love we hold for the Invisible Head of the Church, and we delight in obeying him as if he were Christ Himself. 6) We entertain these same sentiments towards our superiors in whom we love to see Jesus Christ: “I look upon my superior as upon the likeness of Christ;” and if God confides subjects to our care, we have for them the same fatherly tenderness which God shows towards us. 1327\. 2° Necessity. A) All Christians stand in need of this gift if they are to fulfil joyfully and readily their duties of religion towards God, of respectful obedience towards their superiors, and of condescension towards their inferiors. Without it they will act towards God as towards a master, prayer will be a burden rather than a comfort, and God’s providential trials will appear as severe or even unjust punishments. Under the influence of this gift, on the contrary, God appears to us as a Father; it is with child-like joy that we render Him our homages, and with a sweet resignation that we kiss the hand of Him Who strikes us only to cleanse us and unite us even more closely to Himself. 1328\. B) This gift is even more necessary to priests, to religious and to all who strive to live a perfect life in the world. a) Without it, the numerous spiritual exercises which form so great a part of their life would soon become an intolerable burden; for no one can abide long in the thought of God, except he love Him. It is this very gift of piety which, united to charity, infuses into the soul those sentiments of filial tenderness towards God, that transforms our exercises of piety into sweet communion with Our Heavenly Father. Doubtless, aridity comes at times to disturb this intimate colloquy, but it is patiently, nay, joyfully accepted as coming from a Father Who hides Himself only to make His child seek Him; and since we entertain but one desire, to please Him, we are content to suffer for Him: “When one loves, one labors not.” b) This gift is no less necessary in order to treat with kindness and love those persons who do not naturally appeal to us, to entertain for those whom God deigns to confide to our care a paternal tenderness, and to share the sentiments of St. Paul, who wanted to beget Jesus Christ Himself in the souls of his disciples: “My little children, of whom I am in labour again, until Christ be formed in you.”[1] 1329\. 3° Means of cultivating this gift. A) The first means is frequent meditation upon the beautiful texts of Holy Scripture which portray the goodness, the paternal mercy of God towards men and particularly towards the just (n. 93-96). It is by the name of Father that He is pleased to be known and loved, especially under the New Dispensation. We must then have recourse to Him in all our difficulties, with all the eagerness and confidence of children. We shall thus perform our exercises of piety with love, seeking first and foremost the good pleasure of God and not our personal consolation. B) The second means is that of transforming our ordinary actions into acts of religion, doing these actions in order to please Our Father Who is in Heaven (527). In this way our entire life becomes a prayer and consequently an act of filial piety towards God and of fraternal piety towards the neighbor. We fulfil perfectly the words of St. Paul: “Exercise thyself unto godliness… for godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”[2] III\. The Gift of Fortitude 1330\. 1° Nature. It is a gift which perfects the virtue of fortitude, by imparting to the will an impulse and an energy which enable it to do great things joyfully and fearlessly despite all obstacles. It differs from the virtue of fortitude in that it is not the outcome of our efforts, but of the action of the Holy Ghost, Who takes hold of the soul and gives it a singular dominion over the lower faculties and over exterior difficulties. The virtue of fortitude does not relieve us of a certain amount of hesitancy, of a certain apprehension with regard to obstacles or failures. The gift of fortitude brings with it determination, assurance, joy, the certain hope of success, and thus effects greater results. Thus, St. Stephen was said to be full of fortitude because he was full of the Holy Ghost: “And Stephen, full of grace and fortitude… being full of the Holy Ghost…”[1] 1331\. To act and to endure, even midst difficulties of the most arduous nature, and at the price of heroic effort are the two acts to which the gift of fortitude leads us. a) To act, that is to say, to undertake without hesitation or fear the most arduous tasks, for example, to practice perfect recollection in the midst of tireless activity, as did St. Vincent de Paul and St. Theresa; to remain humble when surrounded by honors, like St. Louis; to face dangers, weariness, labors, and death itself, as St. Francis Xavier did; to trample under foot human respect, to contemn honors, like St. John Chrysostom, who feared but one thing, sin. b) No less strength is required to endure long and painful maladies, as did St. Ledwina, or moral sufferings such as are endured by certain souls in the course of the passive trials; or to observe faithfully throughout life all the prescriptions of a rule. Martyrdom is considered the highest act of this gift, and rightly so, since we thereby surrender to God our most cherished possession, life; yet, to shed our blood drop by drop by spending ourselves completely for souls, as so many humble priests and devout laymen do, following the example of St. Paul, constitutes a martyrdom hardly less meritorious, and one which is within the reach of all. 1332\. 2° Its Necessity. It would be useless to insist at length upon the necessity of this gift. We have already said (n. 360) that in many an instance we must do the heroic in order to preserve the state of grace, and it is precisely this gift of fortitude that enables us to perform in a spirit of generosity these difficult acts. This gift is even more necessary in the discharge of duty imposed by certain professions or vocations in which health and even life itself are endangered. Such is the case with the physician, the soldier and the priest. 1333\. 3° Means of cultivating fortitude. A) Since our strength is not from ourselves, but from God, we must evidently look for it in Him, by humbly acknowledging our weakness. Providence makes use of the weakest instruments, provided they be conscious of their own weakness and rely upon Him Who alone is able to make them strong. Such is the meaning of the words of St. Paul: “But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong… that he might bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his sight.”[1] It is principally in the reception of the Holy Eucharist that we can seek from Jesus the strength we need in order to overcome all obstacles. St. Chrysostom speaks of the Christians returning from the Holy Table as having the strength of lions, since they share in the very power of Christ.[2] 1334\. B) We must likewise carefully use the thousand and one circumstances wherein, by reason of the continuity of the effort, we can exercise ourselves in fortitude and in patience. This is done by those who from morning to night submit joyfully to a rule, who strive to be attentive at their prayers, and recollected all day long, who keep silence when they feel inclined to speak, who avoid the sight of such objects as excite curiosity, who suffer without complaint the unseasonableness of the weather, who show kindness to those towards whom they feel a natural antipathy, who accept humbly and patiently the reproaches made to them, who accommodate themselves to the tastes, desires, and temperaments of others, who stand contradiction without irritation, in a word, who strive to vanquish their own petty passions and to conquer themselves. To do all this, not once in passing, but habitually, to do so not merely patiently, but joyfully — this is already heroic virtue, and when later on grave circumstances present themselves, heroic action will not prove too difficult:[3] for we shall then have the strength of the Holy Ghost Himself: “You shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me.”[4] IV\. The Gif of Fear 1335\. 1° Nature. It is not question here of that fear of God which, caused by the remembrance of our sins, disturbs, saddens and troubles us. Nor is it question of the fear of hell, which suffices to bring about a conversion, but not to achieve our sanctification. Here it is question of a filial and reverential fear, which causes us to dread every offence against God. The gift of fear perfects the virtues of hope and temperance. It perfects the former by inspiring us with a fear of displeasing God and of being separated from Him. It perfects the latter by detaching us from the pleasures that could bring about that separation. Hence, it may be defined as a gift which inclines our will to a filial respect for God, removes us from sin, displeasing to Him, and gives us hope in the power of His help. 1336\. It comprises three principal acts: a) a vivid sense of God’s greatness, and therefore extreme dread of the least sin that may offend His infinite Majesty. “Know you not,” said Our Lord to St. Catherine of Sienna, “that all the sufferings a soul undergoes or could undergo in this life are not sufficient punishment for even the slightest fault. The offence done to Me, the Infinite Good, demands an infinite satisfaction. This is why I want you to know that all the sufferings of this life are not a punishment, but a correction.”[1] The Saints understood this well: they reproached themselves bitterly for their slightest faults, and they never thought that they had done enough to atone for them. b) A lively sorrow for the least faults committed, because they have offended an Infinite God, Who is infinitely good. From this sorrow is born an ardent and earnest desire of atoning for sin by multiplying acts of sacrifice and of love.[2] c) Vigilant care in avoiding occasions of sin as one avoids a serpent: “Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent;”[3] and hence, a great concern to know at all times God’s good pleasure in order to conform our conduct thereto. Acting in this wise, we evidently perfect the virtue of temperance by avoiding all forbidden pleasure, and that of hope by lifting up our eyes to God with filial trust. 1337\. 2° Its Necessity. A) This gift is needed in order to avoid an excessive familiarity with God. Some are tempted to forget God’s greatness and the infinite distance that separates us from Him, assuming towards Him and towards holy things an unbecoming familiarity, speaking to Him with too much boldness, and treating Him as an equal. No doubt, God Himself encourages certain souls to a sweet intimacy, to an astounding familiarity with Him; but it is for Him, not for us, to take the initiative. Besides, filial fear in no way excludes that tender familiarity that we witness in certain Saints.[1] B) This gift is no less useful for preserving us in our relations with others especially our inferiors, from the haughty and proud manner that is more in accord with the pagan than with the Christian spirit. The reverential fear of God, Who is their Father as well as ours, will make us exercise our authority in a modest way, as befits those who hold authority not of themselves but of God. 1338\. 3° Means of Cultivating this Gift. A) We must frequently meditate upon God’s infinite grandeur, His attributes, His sovereignty, and reflect upon the nature of sin, which, no matter how slight, constitutes an offence against the infinite Majesty of God. We cannot help, then, conceiving a reverential fear of Our Sovereign Master, Whom we continually offend: “Pierce thou my flesh with thy fear: for I am afraid of thy judgments;”[2] and when we come into His presence, it is with a humbled and contrite heart. B) In order to abide in this sentiment, it is well for us to perform with care our examinations of conscience, striving rather to stir up compunction in our hearts than to seek a detailed knowledge of our faults: “A contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”[3] To secure a greater purity of heart, it will be well to unite ourselves more and more with the Penitent Christ; for the more we share in His hatred for sin and in His humiliations, the fuller will be our pardon. V. The Gift of Knowledge 1339\. Remarks on the three intellectual Gifts. With the gift of knowledge we come to treat of the three intellectual gifts which bear more directly upon contemplation; the gift of knowledge, which makes us form a sound judgment of creatures in their relation to God; the gift of understanding, which discloses to us the intimate relations which exist among revealed truths; the gift of wisdom which makes us appreciate, prize and relish these truths. The three possess this in common, that they furnish us with experimental or quasi-experimental knowledge; for, they acquaint us with things divine, not through any process of reasoning, but by means of a higher light which makes us grasp them as though we had actual experience of them. This light communicated to us by the Holy Ghost is, no doubt, the light of faith, but it is now more active, more illuminating than it ordinarily is, and gives us a sort of intuition of these truths, similar to that which we have of first principles[1]. 1340\. 1° Its Nature. The knowledge of which we speak here is not philosophical knowledge acquired through the exercise of reasoning; nor is it theological knowledge, acquired by applying reason to the data furnished by faith; but it is the science of the Saints, whereby we rightly judge of creatures in their relation to God. Hence, we may define the gift of science as a gift which, by the illuminating action of the Holy Ghost, perfects the virtue of faith, and thereby gives us a knowledge of created things in their relations to God. Father Olier[2] tells us that God “is an Omnipresent and All-pervading Being. He manifests Himself in all external things. In the heavens as well as upon the earth He reveals something of what He is in Himself… Therefore, in all creatures, which are as it were sacraments, visible signs of the perfections of God, we must adore what they represent… This we should have done easily if the grace given to Adam had not been taken away from us…, but sin despoiled us of it, and it is restored through Jesus Christ to only those pure souls to whom faith reveals God’s Majesty wherever it appears… This light of faith is properly called the science of the Saints. Without the instrumentality of the senses, without the aid of reason, it makes known to the soul the dependence of each creature upon God. This knowledge is acquired instantly and without labor. At a glance one discerns the cause of all things, and in each of these one finds food for prayer and for perpetual contemplation.” 1341\. The object of this gift of knowledge is therefore created things, inasmuch as they lead us to God. a) If we consider them in their origin, they tell us that they come from the Hands of God, their Creator and Preserver: “He hath made us and not we ourselves.” If we examine their nature we see therein a likeness or a reflection of God. Their end and purpose is to bring us to God; they are steps, as it were, by which to rise unto Him. It is in this way that the Saints, particularly St. Francis of Assisi, looked upon created things. He looked upon all creatures as sharing a common relationship with the one and same Father of all, and each was to him a brother in the great family of the Heavenly Father—the Sun, the crystal waters, the flowers of the field, the birds of the air: “When he felt the immovable firmness and strength of the cliffs and rocks, he directly felt that God is strong and is to be trusted. The sight of a flower in the silence of the early morning, or of the mouth of a little bird confidently opened, revealed to him the pure beauty of God and His purity and the endless tenderness of the Creator. This feeling filled Francis with a constant joy in God, an uninterrupted tendency to thankfulness.”[1] b) This gift of knowledge likewise enables us to perceive quickly and rightly what concerns our own sanctification and the sanctification of others. Thus it enlightens us as to the state of our soul, as to its secret motions, their source, their motives, and the effects that may result therefrom. It teaches us how to deal with others in view of their salvation. By it the preacher knows what he must say to his hearers in order to do them good; the spiritual director, how he must lead souls according to their particular spiritual needs and the attractions of grace, and this, in virtue of a light that enables him to see into the depths of the heart. This is the infused gift of discernment of spirits. Thus it was that some Saints, enlightened by Him Who searches the hearts and reins knew before the telling the most secret thoughts of their penitents. 1342\. 2° Its Usefulness. It is evident that this gift is of great help to the faithful, but especially to priests and religious. a) It detaches us from creatures, by showing us how empty and fleeting they are, how incapable of making us happy, nay how dangerous they are, since they tend to pervert us by alluring us, by enslaving us, by turning us away from God. Being detached from all these, we can more easily rise unto God Who alone Can satisfy the longings of our heart, and we cry out with the Psalmist: “Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest? Lo, I have gone far off, flying away; and I abode in the wilderness.”[2] b) It helps us to make a right use of creatures, by prompting us to use them as so many means by which to rise as by a ladder to Almighty God. We instinctively long to enjoy creatures and we are tempted to make them our end; but under the influence of this gift we no longer see in them anything except what God has placed in them, and from this imperfect reflection of the Divine Beauty our mind turns to Infinite Beauty Itself, and with St. Augustine we say: “Too late have I known Thee, Beauty ever old and ever new, too late have I loved Thee.”[1] 1343\. 3° Means of Cultivating this Gift. a) The great means is always to look upon creatures with the eyes of faith. Instead of tarrying in the contemplation of such fleeting shadows, must we not rather look beyond to the First Cause Who deigns to impress upon them a likeness of His perfections, and must we not cling to their Author and contemn all the rest? This is precisely what the Apostle St. Paul did, who, overcome by love for Christ, wrote: “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ.”[2] b) Animated by this spirit we shall know how to deprive ourselves of whatever is useless, and even of some things that are useful. We shall know, for instance, how to forego at times looking at beautiful objects, reading some interesting book, enjoying some delicious food, and the like, in order to make a sacrifice to God. In this manner we shall gradually detach ourselves from creatures, and see in them only that which can lead us to their Maker. VI\. The Gift of Understanding 1344\. 1° Its Nature. The gift of understanding differs from that of knowledge in that the object of the former is by far more extensive. Its scope is not limited to created things; it extends to all the revealed truths. Furthermore, its insight is much deeper; it enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths. It does not, of course, give us an understanding of mysteries, but it enables us to see that, despite their obscurity, they are credible, that they are in accord one with the other and with reason. It may be defined as a gift which, under the enlightening action of the Holy Ghost, gives us a deep insight into revealed truths, without however giving a comprehension of the mysteries themselves. 1345\. 2° Its Effects. This gift produces in us three principal effects: A) It enables us to penetrate into the very core of revealed truths in six different ways, says St. Thomas:[3] 1\) It discloses to us the substance hidden beneath the accidents, for example, Jesus Christ under the eucharistic species. This is what moved the peasant, of whom the Cure of Ars speaks, to say: “I look at Him, and He looks at me.” 2\) It explains to us the meaning hidden beneath the words. This is what Our Lord did in disclosing to the disciples on the way to Emmaus the meaning of the prophecies. The Holy Ghost often makes known to interior souls the depth of meaning contained in one or other passage of Holy Writ. 3\) It makes manifest the mysterious signification of sensible signs. Thus, St. Paul shows us in Baptism by immersion the symbol of our death to sin, of our spiritual burial and our resurrection with Christ. 4\) It makes us lay hold of the spiritual realities contained beneath the outward appearances, showing us the Creator of the world in the artisan of Nazareth. 5\) By it we see the effects contained in their cause, for instance, in the Blood of Christ shed on Calvary we see the purification of our soul and our reconciliation with God; in the pierced side of Jesus we see the birth of the Church and the source of the Sacraments. 6\) Lastly, by it we see the cause in its effects, for instance, the action of Providence in external events. 1346\. B) This gift shows us the truths of faith under so full a light, that, though we do not comprehend their very nature, we are confirmed in our belief. This is what St. Thomas tells us: “We know that whatever be the outward appearances, they do not contradict the truth… we ought not to depart from matters of faith.”[1] In a higher degree, this gift enables us to contemplate God, not indeed through a positive, immediate intuition of the Divine Essence, but by showing us what God is not, as we shall explain later.[2] C) Finally it brings us to the knowledge of a greater number of truths, by aiding us to draw from revealed principles the theological conclusions therein contained. Thus, from the text, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us,” nearly all our teaching concerning the Incarnate Word is deduced; and from the words, “From whom was born Jesus Who is called the Christ,” we draw all the teaching regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. This gift, so advantageous to all the faithful, is especially useful to priests and theologians, in order to gain an understanding of the revealed truths they are to explain to others. 1347\. 3° The Cultivation of the Gift of Understanding. A) The main disposition required to obtain this gift is a lively and simple faith which humbly implores divine light, the better to lay hold of revealed truth: “Give me understanding, and I will learn thy commandments.”[3] It was thus that St. Anselm was accustomed to act. He would make a lively act of faith before searching into the mysteries of our faith, in accordance with his maxim: “Faith seeking reason;” for it is through faith that we come to an understanding of supernatural truths. B) Once this act of faith has been made, we should accustom ourselves to go to the very heart of the mystery, not in order to comprehend it, which is impossible, but in order to grasp its meaning, its bearing, its relation to reason. After studying a number of mysteries, we should compare them, one with the other, for such a comparison will often throw, much light upon each one of them. The relations of the Word to the other two Persons of the Most Blessed Trinity, for instance, enable us to understand better the mystery of His union with a human nature and His work of redeeming mankind. The Incarnation and the Redemption, likewise, throw light upon the Divine Attributes and the relations existing between Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The better to grasp these truths however, we must love them, we must study them, even more with the heart than with the mind, and above all with a humble spirit. Our Lord Himself tells us this in the following beautiful prayer to His Father: “I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to little ones.”[1] VII\. The Gift of Wisdom[2] We shall explain its nature, its effects, and the means of cultivating it. 1348\. 1° Its Nature. Wisdom is a gift which perfects the virtue of charity, and which resides at once in the intellect and in the will, since it infuses light and love into the soul. Hence, it is rightly considered as the most perfect of all the gifts, the one which embodies all the others, just as charity embodies all the virtues. A) St. Bernard calls this gift the knowledge which relishes things divine. The gift of wisdom therefore contains a twofold element: 1) a light which illumines the mind, and enables it to judge aright of God and of created things by relating them to their first principle and last end. It enables us to estimate things according to their highest causes and to gather them into one grand synthesis; 2) a supernatural taste which acts upon the will and enables it to relish divine things as by a sort of natural attraction. A comparison may serve to set forth more clearly this twofold role of the gift of wisdom. It is like the sunbeam, a ray of light illuminating and delighting the eyes of the soul, and a ray of heat that warms the heart, inflames it with love, and fills it with joy. 1349\. B) Wisdom, then, may be defined as a gift which perfects the virtue of charity by enabling us to discern God and divine things in their ultimate principles, and by giving us a relish for them. It differs therefore from the gift of understanding, which enables us to know the divine truths in themselves and in their mutual relations, but not in their ultimate causes, and does not make us relish them directly; whilst wisdom makes us both love and relish them: “Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.”[1] It was this gift which enabled St. Paul to see at a glance the divine plan of Redemption, with the glory of God as its principal, final cause, the Incarnate Word as its meritorious and exemplary cause, the happiness of the elect as its final, secondary cause, and divine grace as its formal cause. It was this gift which brought forth from the depths of his soul this prayer of thanksgiving: “Blessed be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”[2] With the aid of this gift, St. John makes the whole of theology to converge in the mystery of the Divine Life, of which love is both the principle and the end: “God is love.” By the assistance of this same gift, St. Thomas sums up his entire Summa in this one thought: God is at once the first principle whence all creatures proceed, the last end whither they return, and the way they must follow to reach Him.[3] 1350\. 2° Effects of the Gift of Wisdom. Besides the increase of charity produced in the soul, this gift perfects all the other virtues. a) It renders faith unshakable because of the quasi-experimental knowledge it gives us of the truths of revelation; thus, after tasting for some time the joys of Holy Communion, how can we harbor doubts as to the Real Presence? b) It steadies our hope; having understood and relished the dogma of our incorporation into Christ, how can we fail in hope, since He Who is our Head is already in Heaven, and the Saints who reign with Him in the heavenly city are our own brethren? c) It enables us to practise the moral virtues in their highest degree; for when we have once tasted the joys of divine love, those of earth hold no relish for us; we love the Cross, mortification, effort, temperance, humility, meekness, because these are so many means of becoming more and more like the Beloved and of returning His love. This, then, is the difference between the gift of wisdom and that of understanding, the latter is a view taken by the mind, while the former is an experience undergone by the heart; one is light, the other love, and so they unite and complete one another. Wisdom, withal, remains the more perfect gift; for the heart outranges the intellect, it sounds greater depths, and grasps or divines what reason fails to reach. This is particularly the case with the Saints, in whom love often surpasses knowledge. 1351\. 3° Means of Cultivating this Gift. A) Since wisdom is one of the most precious gifts, we must long for it ardently, beg for it insistently, and pursue it with untiring efforts. This is the advice given us in the Book of Wisdom. The Sacred Author would have us espouse Wisdom, choose her as our lifelong companion, and he offers us a beautiful prayer to win her: “God of my fathers, and Lord of Mercy,… who by thy wisdom hast appointed man, that he should have dominion over the creature that was made by thee, that he should order the world according to equity and justice… give me wisdom that sitteth by thy throne, and cast me not off from among thy children: for I am thy servant and the son of thy handmaid, a weak man, and of short time, and falling short of the understanding of judgment and laws… Send her out of thy holy heaven, and from the throne of thy majesty, that she may be with me, and may labour with me, that I may know what is acceptable with thee. For she knoweth and understandeth all things, and shall lead me soberly in my works, and shall preserve me by her power. So shall my works be acceptable, and I shall govern thy people justly, and shall be worthy of the throne of my father.”[1] B) Since wisdom refers all to God, we should strive to see how all the truths we study proceed from Him as their first principle, and tend towards Him as their last end. We must, then, acquire the habit of referring all things to their principles, without losing ourselves in details; of reducing all things to unity, by making a particular synthesis of what we have studied, thus preparing the general synthesis of all our knowledge. 1352\. C) Since this gift makes us relish divine things, we must seek to love and enjoy these things by recalling that all knowledge is vain that does not lead to love. And indeed, how can we help loving God, Who is Infinite Beauty and Infinite Goodness? “Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.”[2] How can we help loving divine things, in which we see a participation in God’s beauty and God’s goodness; we cannot love and enjoy God, and not love those things which share in His perfections. ### § III. Role of the Gifts in Prayer and Contemplation From what has been said, it follows that the exercise of the gifts is of great help to us in prayer. 1353\. 1° From the moment we begin cultivating the gifts, and therefore, even before they have reached their full development, they add their light and their action to that of the virtues in order to facilitate prayer. Without introducing us into the passive or mystic state, they dispose the soul and render it more docile to the action of the Holy Ghost. This is the common teaching of theologians. Father Meynard summarizes it thus. After noting the opinion of a few authors who thought that the gifts of the Holy Ghost are limited to the performance of heroic acts and have no part in the practice of ordinary virtue, he adds: “Their action extends as well to a multitude of circumstances in which the Will of God demands of us a certain readiness and docility, for example, when it is question of overcoming vice, of subduing the passions, of resisting the temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil. This is especially true if the weakness and the frailty of the person in question require more abundant and more effective help, and therefore a higher principle of activity. This view, which we believe to be the true one, is based upon the fact that the gifts do not produce results peculiar to themselves and distinct from those of the virtues, but simply come to facilitate the practice of the various virtues.”[1] Now, if the gifts of the Holy Ghost exert an influence upon the exercise of the ordinary virtues, they also facilitate the exercise of prayer, which is an act of the virtue of religion and one of the most effective means of practicing the virtues. These gifts, therefore, act in a hidden manner, so that it is not possible to distinguish their action from that of the virtues. At times, however, they act in a more evident way by imparting to us passing intuitions which move the soul more strongly than do reasonings, and by giving rise to impulses of love loftier than those we habitually experience. 1354\. 2° These gifts aid us even more in active contemplation, which is a sort of loving gaze on truth. In fact, the proper function of the gifts of understanding and of wisdom even before their complete unfolding in the soul, is to facilitate this simple view of faith, by making our thought more penetrating and our love more ardent.[2] Without introducing us as yet into the mystic state, their action is already more frequent and more affective than in ordinary prayer; and this fact explains how our soul is able to dwell more at length and more affectionately upon one and the same truth. 1355\. 3° But, it is above all in infused contemplation that the gifts play an important part. Having attained their complete development, they impart a wondrous docility to the soul, which fits it for the mystic or contemplative state. A) Three of the gifts, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, unite in a special manner in contemplation. Let us explain: a) It is our higher faculties of intellect and will as perfected and transformed by the theological virtues and the gifts, and set in motion by actual operating grace, which are the principles that produce contemplation. The gifts are grafted on our faculties, and consequently, faculties and gifts act as one in the production of the same act. These faculties, thus transformed, constitute the principles which call forth contemplation, that is to say, they are the proximate cause whence flow, under the influence of an operating grace, the acts of contemplation. Thus, the intellect perfected by the virtue of faith is the principle which produces acts of faith. b) All theologians recognize the gifts of understanding and wisdom as the principles which call forth contemplation, but some few do not attribute this function to the gift of knowledge. We believe with the majority of authors that there is no reason to exclude it, for contemplation at times takes creatures as its point of departure and then the gift of knowledge acts to enable us to see the image of God in creatures. St. John of the Cross says that “God created all things and left in them some semblance of Himself, not only by creating them out of nothing, but also by endowing them with innumerable graces and qualities. He even increased their beauty by the admirable order and the unfailing dependence that unite them one to the other… Creatures have preserved a trace of the passage of God, that is to say, the imprint of His majesty, His power, His wisdom, and His other divine attributes.”[1] Now, the proper function of the gift of knowledge is to raise us from the creature to the Creator, to show us God’s beauty hidden beneath visible symbols. 1356\. B) These three gifts support one another and either lend a united action, or act one after the other in the prayer of contemplation. a) The gift of knowledge lifts us up from creatures unto God in order to unite us to Him: 1) It is accompanied by an infused light whereby we see clearly the nothingness of all that the world prizes, honors, riches, pleasures; the value of suffering and of humiliations as means of reaching God and of glorifying Him; the reflection of the divine perfections hidden in God’s creatures. 2\) This light is attended by a grace that acts upon the will in order to detach it from creatures and to aid it in using them solely as steps by which to attain God. b) The gift of understanding gives us a still deeper insight by showing us the hidden harmony that exists between our soul and God, between revealed truths and our deepest aspirations, as well as the relations existing among those truths themselves; it centers our mind and our heart upon God’s intimate life, upon His immanent operations, upon the mysteries of the Trinity, of the Incarnation, of grace, and makes us contemplate them in themselves and in their mutual relations. Indeed, it attaches us to these great truths in such a way that we find it difficult to turn our mind and heart from them. Ruysbroeck[1] compares it to the light of the sun, which by its radiance fills the air with pure light, illuminating every form and figure, and bringing out every shade of color. So, this gift permeates the intellect, producing therein a singleness of vision, through which rays of a singular clearness penetrate. Then we are indeed capable of receiving the knowledge of those sublime attributes of God, which are the source of all His works. c) The gift of wisdom, by causing us to appraise all things according to their relation to God, and to relish things divine, centers our mind and heart more lovingly still on the object of our contemplation. Ruysbroeck thus describes the savor produced by this gift: “This savor is so intense that it seems to the soul that heaven and earth and all that they contain would dissolve and be absorbed in its unfathomable depths. These delights reach above and below (that is to say the higher and the lower faculties), within and without, and have encompassed and penetrated the entire domain of the soul. Thus, the mind contemplates the single principle whence all these delights flow. In virtue of this fact, enlightened reason begins to ponder, though it realizes full well that such incomprehensible delights must ever escape its knowledge; for the consideration of them is made by the aid of a created light, while its joys know no bounds. This is why reason fails in this consideration; but the intellect, which is transformed by this marvelous light, contemplates and finds the incomprehensible bliss of beatitude.”[2] 1357\. C) The other four gifts, though not playing such an important role in contemplation, have nevertheless a share in it, and that in two ways: a) They fit us for it in that they themselves contribute to make our soul more responsive and more docile to the action of the Holy Ghost; b) they co-operate in this work by arousing in our heart pious affections which sustain contemplation. Thus, the gift of fear stirs within us sentiments of compunction and of detachment from creatures; the gift of piety, sentiments of filial love; the gift of fortitude, sentiments of generosity and constancy; the gift of counsel enables us to apply both to ourselves and to others the lights we have received from the Holy Ghost. It is therefore evident that each one of these gifts plays its own part in contemplation. NOTE: THE FIVE SPIRITUAL SENSES AND THE GIFTS 1358\. Some of the Fathers and theologians and many mystical writers speak of five spiritual senses,[1] analogous to the five imaginative senses of which we have already spoken in number 991. St. Augustine describes them in this beautiful text: “What do I love, O my God, when I love Thee?… It is a kind of light that I love, and melody, and fragrance, and meat, and embracement of my inner man: where there shineth unto my soul what space cannot contain, and there soundeth what time beareth not away, and there smelleth what breathing disperseth not, and there tasteth what eating diminisheth not, and there clingeth what satiety divorceth not. This is what I love when I love my God.”[2] What must we understand by these spiritual senses? It would seem that they are but functions or operations of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, notably of the gifts of understanding and of wisdom. Thus the spiritual senses of sight and of hearing refer to the gift of understanding, which makes us see God and things divine (n. 1341), and hear God speaking to our heart. The other three senses refer to the gift of wisdom, which causes us to relish God, to breathe the fragrance of His perfections, and to enter into contact with Him by a sort of spiritual embrace which is nothing else than an experimental love of God. In this way one can harmonize the teaching of St. Augustine and St. Thomas, of Father Poulain and Father Garrigou-Lagrange concerning this matter. ### § IV. The Fruits of the Holy Ghost and the Beatitudes With the gifts come the Fruits of the Holy Ghost and the Beatitudes, which correspond to and complete them, as well as the charisms, which have a certain relation to them (n. 1914). I. The Fruits of the Holy Ghost 1359\. When a soul corresponds faithfully to the actual graces which set in motion the virtues and the gifts, it performs acts of virtue, at first imperfectly and with difficulty, then more perfectly and with greater relish, so that the heart is filled with holy joy. These are the fruits of the Holy Ghost, and they may be defined as acts of virtue which reach a certain degree of perfection and fill the soul with holy joy. St. Paul enumerates nine such fruits, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, temperance.[1] It was not his mind to give a complete list, and St. Thomas rightly notes that this number is symbolic, and in reality designates all those acts of virtue wherein the soul finds spiritual consolation: “The fruits are any virtuous deeds in which one delights.”[2] 1360\. These fruits differ from the virtues and gifts in the same way as acts differ from the faculty which produces them. Moreover, the designation of fruit does not correspond to every act of virtue, but only to such as are attended by a certain spiritual sweetness. At the outset, acts of virtue often demand great effort and are at times distasteful to us. But once we have grown accustomed to the practice of virtue, we acquire facility and perform these acts without great difficulty, nay, rather with pleasure such as we take in the acts which we perform as the result of an acquired habit. It is then that we call them fruits. It is therefore through the cultivation of the virtues and the gifts that the fruits are obtained; and through these the beatitudes, which are a prelude to eternal bliss. II\. The Beatitudes 1361\. The beatitudes put the final touch to the divine work in us. Like the fruits, they are acts, but possessed of such perfection that they seem to flow from the gifts rather than from the virtues;[3] they are fruits, but fruits of such mature perfection that they already furnish us with a foretaste of heavenly happiness; hence, their name, beatitudes. In the Sermon of the Mount, Our Lord reduces them to eight: poverty of spirit, meekness, tears, hunger and thirst for justice, mercy, purity of heart, and patience in the midst of persecution. One may say however that this number is also symbolic and is not meant to set a strict limit. These beatitudes do not connote absolute and perfect bliss; they are rather effective means of reaching eternal happiness; for if one joyfully embraces poverty, meekness, purity, humiliation; if one has attained such mastery of self as to pray for one’s enemies and to love the Cross, one is faithfully following the example of the Master and making great strides in the ways of perfection. 1362\. Conclusion. Through the cultivation of the gifts of the Holy Ghost we are introduced into the unitive way. 1) They cause us to practice all the virtues, moral and theological, in their highest degree, and thus unite us to God, making us gradually grow like unto Him by the imitation of His divine perfections. 2) They impart to our soul that responsiveness, that docility, that enables the Holy Ghost to take possession of it and to act therein with perfect freedom. It is even under the hidden influence of these gifts, and at times under their evident influence, that the prayer of simplicity is made. ## Art. II. The Prayer of Simplicity [1] 1363\. The prayer of simplicity, called thus by Bossuet, was well known before him, and was given various names which it is well to recall. 1\) St. Theresa calls it the prayer of recollection. This must be understood of active recollection in contradistinction to passive recollection, of which we shall speak in the second chapter. In this prayer the soul gathers its various faculties to concentrate them upon God, to listen to Him, and to love Him. 2\) Many authors call this the prayer of simple regard, of the simple Presence of God, of the simple committal to God, or of the simple view of faith, because the soul fixes its affectionate gaze on God, remains in His presence, yields itself to His action, and through a simple and unreasoned faith, gazes upon God and loves Him. 3\) Bossuet calls it the prayer of simplicity, because it causes us to simplify all: the reasonings and affections of prayer, and even our whole life. 4\) The Carmelites, and with them many authors since the seventeenth century, call it acquired contemplation to distinguish it from infused contemplation. We shall explain: 1° the nature of this prayer; 2° its advantages; 3° how to make it; 4° its relation to contemplation properly so-called. ### § I. Nature of the Prayer of Simplicity 1364\. Bossuet has given an excellent description of this kind of prayer: “One must accustom oneself to nourish the soul by a simple, loving gaze on God and on Jesus Christ; to attain this result, one must gently free the soul from reasonings, from arguments and from the multitude of affections, in order to keep it simple, respectful and attentive and thus have it draw closer and closer to God, its first principle and its last end… Meditation is excellent in its proper time, and highly profitable at the outset of the spiritual life; but one must not linger there, since the soul by its fidelity in mortifying and in recollecting itself, ordinarily becomes the recipient of a purer and a more intimate kind of prayer which one may call the prayer of simplicity, and which consists in a simple view, regard, or loving thought on some divine object, be it God Himself, or some of His mysteries, or any other Christian truth. The soul puts aside reasoning and employs a gentle contemplation that keeps it at peace, attentive and docile to the divine operations and impressions which the Holy Ghost communicates; it does little and receives much; its labour is sweet, yet very fruitful; and since it approaches nearer to the source of all light, of all grace, and of all virtue, it receives a still greater share in all these gifts.” This prayer, therefore, comprises two essential acts: contemplation and love; to contemplate God or divine objects in order to love them, and to love them, the better to contemplate them. If we compare this kind of prayer with discursive or affective meditation, we discover a threefold simplification which well justifies the expression employed by Bossuet. 1365\. 1° The first simplification consists in the diminution and then in the suppression of reasoning, which occupied such a large place in the meditation of beginners. Obliged to acquire profound convictions, and little accustomed to making pious affections, beginners needed to reflect at length upon the fundamental truths of religion and their relation to the spiritual life, upon the nature and necessity of the principal Christian virtues and the means of practising them, before their heart was able to bring forth sentiments of gratitude, love, contrition, humiliation and firm purpose of amendment, and to send up long and ardent petitions, a) But the moment comes when those convictions are so grounded in our soul that they form, so to speak, part of our habitual state of mind, and but little time is required to recall them. Then the pious affections of which we have spoken spring forth readily and easily, and prayer becomes affective. 1366\. b) Later on, another simplification is effected: the short space of time given to reflection is replaced by an intuitive intellectual gaze. We thereby come to understand first principles without effort, as by an intuition. After we have meditated for a long time upon the fundamental truths of the spiritual life, they become to us as certain and as clear as first principles, and at one glance we grasp them with ease and delight, without recourse to a detailed analysis. Thus, the idea of father applied to God, which at the outset required lengthy reflections before we could grasp its meaning, now appears to us at a glance so rich and so fruitful that we linger with it lovingly in order to relish its manifold elements. c) It even happens at times that the soul rests content with but a vague vision of God or of divine things, which view however keeps it sweetly and affectionately in God’s presence, and renders it more and more docile to the action of the Holy Ghost. Then, without multiplying the acts of the intellect or of the will, it abandons itself to God in order to receive His commands. 1367\. 2° The affections undergo a similar simplification. At the outset they were manifold and varied and followed one another in quick succession: love, gratitude, joy, compassion, sorrow for sin, desire of amendment, petition for help, etc. a) But soon one and the same affection is prolonged during five or ten minutes: the idea of God Our Father, for example, excites in the heart an ardent love which, without expressing itself in a multiplicity of words, completely absorbs the soul for several minutes, penetrates it, and gives birth therein to dispositions of generosity. No doubt, this one idea will not suffice to occupy the entire time of prayer, and it will be necessary to pass on to other affections so as to avoid falling into distractions and into a sort of idle day-dreaming; still, each successive affection will last longer, and so there will be no need as before of multiplying their number. 1368\. b) One of these affections will finally become predominant and recur continually to our mind and heart, while its object will become like a fixed idea towards which, no doubt, other ideas gravitate, but in small number and in subordination to the dominant affection. For some, it will be the thought of Our Lord’s Passion, accompanied by the sentiments of love and sacrifice that it arouses: “He loved me, and delivered himself for me.”[1] Others will make Jesus living in the Eucharist the center of their thoughts and affections, and they will continually repeat the words: “Devoutly I adore Thee, O my Hidden God.” Others, again, will be possessed by the idea of God abiding in their souls and they will think only of glorifying Him all the day long: “We will come to him will make our abode with him.” — “The temple of God is holy which you are.” — “Glorify and bear God in your body.”[1] This is explained very well by Father Massoulié:[2] “When the soul considers that not only is she privileged to be in the presence of God, but that it is her happiness to possess that presence within herself, such thought pierces her to the quick and causes her to enter into a deep state of recollection. She contemplates this God of love and of majesty, and the Three Divine Persons, Who deign to enter within her and dwell there as in Their temple. She beholds the Godhead with the keenest joy, she delights in the bliss of her possession, and she finds therein an unspeakable rest, seeing all her longings fulfilled in so far as they can be upon this earth; for what greater thing can the soul long and hope for than the possession of God?” 1369\. 3° The process of simplification soon extends to our whole life. “The practice of this kind of prayer,” says Bossuet, “must begin with our first conscious moment of the day, by an act of faith in God Who is everywhere, and in Jesus Christ Whose eyes are ever upon us, were we buried in the depths of the earth.” It persists all the day long. While we devote ourselves to the performance of our ordinary actions, we unite ourselves to God, and contemplate and love Him. While engaged in liturgical and vocal prayer, we think rather of the presence of God living within us than of the particular meaning of the words, and we seek above all to show Him our love. The examinations of conscience are likewise simplified: a rapid glance shows us the faults we have committed, and we regret them immediately. Study and works of zeal are done in the spirit of prayer, under the eye of God, with the ardent wish of glorifying Him: “To the greater glory of God.” There are no actions, even the most commonplace, that are not permeated by the spirit of faith and of love and that do not thus become so many repeated sacrificial offerings to God: “To offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God.”[3] ### § II. Advantages of the Prayer of Simplicity 1370\. The great advantage of this prayer is that it gives to our whole life a unity of purpose and makes it more and more like unto God’s own life for the greater glory of God and for the spiritual welfare of the soul. 1° God is glorified during the entire day. This habitual and loving gaze of the soul on God makes Him better known and better loved than He would be in virtue of mere considerations: we forget self, and, with greater reason, creatures, or at least we see them only in their relation to God, under the influence of the gift of knowledge (n. 1341). Life becomes a protracted act of the virtue of religion, an act of thanksgiving and of love, and we repeat with Mary: “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” 1371\. 2° Thus, our soul is sanctified. a) By concentrating our attention upon one truth during a notable period of time, we gain a better knowledge of God, and since this contemplation is accompanied by love, we love Him more intensely and unite with Him in a more intimate way, thus drawing to ourselves the divine perfections and the virtues of Our Lord. b) Detachment then becomes easier. When we habitually think of God, creatures appear but as so many steps by which to reach the Creator. Full of imperfections and misery, they have no value except in the measure in which they reflect the divine perfections and urge us to rise to the Source of all good. c) Humility also becomes easier: by the divine light, we clearly see our nothingness and our sins, and we rejoice at being able, by the humble avowal of our faults, to give glory to Him Who alone is worthy of all honor and glory: “To God alone honor and glory, unto me humiliation and shame.” Instead of preferring ourselves to others, we consider ourselves as the worst of sinners, ready to suffer out of love all kinds of trials and humiliations. One may therefore say in all truth that the prayer of simplicity helps us in a singular manner to give glory to God and to sanctify our soul. 1372\. Solution of Difficulties. a) At times an objection is made to this kind of prayer on the grounds that it fosters idleness. St. Theresa thus makes answer:[1] “But to return to those who discourse with the understanding: these I would advise not to spend all their time in this exercise; for though it be very meritorious, yet as prayer is so sweet, they think there will be no Sunday nor any season wherein they will not be obliged to labor, and therefore they immediately suppose all that time is lost; whereas I think that loss is great gain. But let them (as I have said) represent themselves to be in the presence of Christ; and without tiring the understanding, let them speak and regale themselves with Him, and not be fatiguing themselves in composing discourses, but only present their necessities, and acknowledge themselves unworthy to be allowed to appear in His presence. Some of these considerations may be used at one time and some at another, that so the soul may not grow tired of always feeding on the same food: they are also very sweet and profitable, if once we accustom ourselves to feed on them, for they bring with them great support for giving life to the soul, as well as much profit.” In reality, the soul does not remain idle: it reasons no longer, but it gazes on God, loves and praises Him, and gives itself to Him, and if it remains silent for a moment, it is in order to listen to Him; if God ceases to speak, it takes at once to its own pious affections, and so is never idle. 1373\. b) Others contend that to concentrate one’s attention in this manner upon a fixed idea fatigues the mind and brings on mental strain. This would constitute a real danger were one to enter into this kind of prayer before being ready for it, and to persist in it by sheer force. But this is precisely what must be avoided, as Bossuet remarks:[1] “One must guard against torturing the mind, and against stirring up the emotions; one must rather take what presents itself to the gaze of the soul in all humility and simplicity, with none of those violent efforts which affect the imagination more than the will; one must allow oneself to be sweetly drawn to God and yield oneself to His Spirit.” It is not question, then, of making violent efforts, but of gently following the attractions of grace. When one has exhausted the contents of one idea one must not force oneself to linger with it, but pass quietly to another. Then the prayer of simplicity instead of becoming a cause of fatigue, becomes a sweet haven of rest to the soul, which abandons itself to the action of the Holy Ghost ### § III. How the Prayer of Simplicity Is Made 1374\. 1° The Call to this Kind of Prayer. In order that the prayer of simplicity become habitual, one must fulfil the conditions required for the unitive way indicated in number 1296. However, if it is question of practising it only from time to time, it suffices that one be attracted thereto by the grace of God. One may reduce to two the distinctive signs of a divine call to this sort of prayer: a) A certain dislike for discursive prayer or for a multiplicity of affections, together with the little profit derived therefrom. We take it for granted that it is question of a fervent soul striving to meditate well, and not of a lukewarm soul resolved to live in mediocrity. b) A certain attraction for simplifying prayer, in order to fix one’s gaze on God and remain in His presence, together with the profit drawn from this holy exercise. In practice, when a spiritual director notices that an earnest person experiences great difficulty in making reasoned considerations or in producing manifold affections, it is then time to explain to him the main lines to be followed in this kind of prayer, to urge him to try it, and to ask for a report. If the results are good, the director will advise him to continue the practice. 1375\. 2° The Prayer Itself. Properly speaking there is no such thing as a method for this kind of prayer, since in it there is hardly anything to do but to contemplate and to love. Still, a few words of advice can be given to the souls that are called thereto, in order to help them keep themselves in the presence of God. These counsels should correspond to the character, the dispositions and the supernatural attractions of the different penitents. a) Those who feel a need to fix their senses upon some pious object, should be advised to direct their eyes to the Crucifix, the tabernacle or some pious image apt to center their thoughts on God. As the Curé of Ars said, “we do not need to say much in order to pray well. We know that the Good Lord is there in the tabernacle; we open our heart to Him; we delight to be in His Holy Presence. This is the best form of prayer.”[1] b) Those possessed of a lively imagination may represent to themselves some Gospel scene, not in detail as before, but in a general way; for instance, Our Lord in the Garden of Olives or upon Mount Calvary; then they may lovingly contemplate Him suffering for us, and say to themselves: “He loved me and delivered Himself for me.”[2] 1376\. c) There are others who like to repeat slowly some text of Holy Writ or some pious prayer, to ponder over it and draw food from it. This is recommended by St. Ignatius in his Second Manner of Praying (n. 993); and experience shows that many a soul is thereby initiated into the prayer of simplicity. Such persons should be advised to make a collection of the most beautiful texts, of those which have already impressed them[3] and to make use of them in accordance with the attractions of the Holy Ghost. 1377\. d) Persons of an affectionate nature should be advised to make acts inspired love for God and to relish at length the thoughts called forth by such acts; such are, for instance, “I love Thee with my whole heart, O my God, because Thou art Goodness itself; God is charity, infinite beauty…” Or else they may address themselves to Jesus and think on all the titles He has to our love: “I love Thee, O Jesus, Who art all-lovable; Thou art my Lord, I wish to obey Thee; Thou art my Shepherd, I wish to follow Thee and be fed by Thee; Thou art my Teacher, I believe in Thee; Thou art my Redeemer, I bless Thee and cling to Thee; Thou art my Leader, I am one with Thee; Thou art my most faithful Friend, I love Thee above all things, and I want to love Thee forever more.” They may also employ the old method of prayer bequeathed by Father Olier to his followers: Jesus before our eyes: “Let us stand in awe and reverence before the Divine, the Holy One of God, and after our heart has poured itself out in love, in praise, and in other acts of homage, let us for a time remain in silence before Him…;” Jesus in our heart: we shall implore the Spirit of Jesus to come to our soul that He may make us conformable to Himself, the Divine Model: “We shall yield ourselves to Him, in order to be possessed by Him and to be animated by His power; after this we shall still abide in silence before Him to allow His divine unction to permeate our whole being…;” Jesus in our hands: we shall desire “that His Divine Will be accomplished in us, His members, who must be subject to our Head, and who must perform no action except that which is received solely from Jesus Christ, our life and our all, Who, replenishing our soul with His Spirit, His power and His strength, must work in us and through us whatever He desires.”[1] 1378\. e) There are persons in whom the faculty of will is dominant and who can no longer engage in discursive reasonings. Moreover, finding themselves troubled by aridity and distractions, they succeed only with the greatest difficulty in drawing from their heart some devout affections. The simplified prayer that is proper for them is thus described by Father Piny:[2] “This prayer consists in willing to spend all the time of prayer in loving God and in loving Him more than ourselves; in willing to pray God for the spirit of charity; in willing to remain abandoned to the Divine Will… It must be noted that love has this advantage over the acts of most other virtues and over the other ways of effecting a union with God, that if we will to love, we do love, that if by a real act of the will we choose to unite ourselves in love to the Will of Him Whom we love, or Whom we desire to love, we forthwith effect that union by this act of our will: love is in truth nothing else but an affective act of the will.” 1379\. f) In this kind of prayer we are exposed to distractions and to aridity, just as in affective prayer. We have but one course to follow: to humble ourselves, to offer to God the pain we experience, and to strive, in spite of all, to remain in God’s presence, in perfect submission to His Will. Distractions may then prevent the mind from concentrating on God, but the will remains united to Him despite the wanderings of the imagination. 1380\. 3° The Preparation and the Conclusion. A) The question has been raised as to whether the subject of prayer is to be prepared when one makes this prayer of simplicity. Generally, the answer must be in the affirmative. It is known that St. Francis de Sales advised St. Chantal to prepare her prayer: “I do not mean that once the preparation has been made one must not turn to this kind of prayer (of simple regard) if at the actual time for prayer one is attracted thereto. But to adopt the practice of making no preparation at all seems to me rather improper, for this would be to appear of a sudden before God without any thanks, without any offering, without any petition. All this may be done with profit, but I must confess to a certain repugnance at making it a rule.”[1] This advice is very wise: the preparation of a subject will not prevent the Holy Ghost from suggesting another if He so pleases; but, if in His wisdom He should refuse to do so, we can then occupy ourselves with the subject we have prepared. 1381\. B) This preparation includes the resolution which is taken at the end of prayer; it is assuredly better to determine upon one the evening before. It may be that the Holy Ghost will inspire another, or simply lead the soul to yield itself to God the whole day long; still, the one already prepared will not be without fruit. We may add, however, that since the process of simplification extends to everything, often the best resolution will be one and the same, for instance that of living habitually in the presence of God, or of refusing Him nothing, or of doing all things out of love for Him. However, vague as these resolutions may seem to those who do not practice this kind of prayer, they are very definite to those whom God has led thereto, for God Himself will give them a practical turn through the inspirations He will frequently vouchsafe during the day. ### § IV. Relation of the Prayer of Simplicity to Infused Contemplation To express accurately the common doctrine on this point, we shall show: 1° that in its beginnings the prayer of simplicity is in reality but acquired contemplation; 2° that it constitutes an excellent preparation for infused contemplation and at times leads up to it. 1382\. 1° It is a form of contemplation. a) This was Bossuet’s opinion. After describing this kind of prayer, he adds: “The soul then, leaving reasoning aside, resorts to a gentle contemplation which keeps it peaceful and attentive, and docile to the divine operations and impressions that the Holy Ghost communicates.” The same conclusion follows from the very nature of this prayer when compared with contemplation, which is defined as a simple intuition of truth (n. 1298). Now, the prayer of simplicity, says Bossuet, “consists in a simple view, regard, or loving thought, directed towards some divine object.” Therefore, it is rightly called contemplation. b) It is, at least in the beginning, acquired and not infused contemplation, as long as it remains faint and intermittent; for it lasts but for some short moments, and then yields to other thoughts and affections. It is only little by little that the soul becomes accustomed to look at and to love God Himself by a simple view of faith for a notable period of time, much as the artist contemplates his master-piece the details and elements of which he had previously studied. It seems indeed that here there takes place an ordinary psychological process which evidently presupposes a live faith and even the hidden action of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, but not a special intervention of God. 1383\. 2° The prayer of simplicity disposes the soul for infused contemplation, for it induces a condition that renders the soul highly attentive to the motions of grace and docile to the action of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, whenever it will please Divine Goodness to take possession of it in order to produce a still deeper state of recollection, a simpler insight, a more intense love, then the soul enters into the second degree of the prayer of simplicity, such as Bossuet[1] described: “Then we must not scatter our efforts in striving to produce other acts or different dispositions, but we must simply be mindful of the presence of God, remaining exposed to His divine gaze, continuing in this devout thought as long as Our Lord gives us such a grace; not hastening to do anything except what is done in us, since this is a prayer with God alone, a union which eminently contains all the other special dispositions and prepares the soul for that passive state wherein God becomes the sole Master of our inner life and wherein He operates more particularly. In this state, the less the creature labors, the more powerfully does God act; and since God’s operation constitutes a rest, the soul becomes, in this kind of prayer, in a way like unto Him, and receives during it wonderful graces.” Note should be taken of the phrases we have italicized and which indicate so clearly the powerful, special action of God and the passivity of the soul. Here it is indeed question of infused contemplation; the prayer, begun with a certain amount of activity through a loving gaze on God, ends in repose or quietude where God acts more powerfully than does the soul. 1384\. Thus there is a certain continuity between simplified, affective prayer, which one may acquire through a spirit of faith, and quietude or infused prayer, produced by the gifts of the Holy Ghost with the co-operation of the soul. There is an essential difference between the two, since the one is acquired and the other infused; but there is a bond of union, a link between them, that is, the prayer of simplicity, which begins by a simple view of faith and ends, when it pleases God, by the Holy Ghost’s laying hold of the soul. No doubt, the Holy Spirit is not constrained, even when one has arrived at the prayer of simplicity, to transform this into infused prayer, which ever remains the gratuitous gift of God and to which we cannot rise of ourselves; still, the Holy Ghost does frequently effect that transformation, when He finds the soul well disposed; for He desires nothing so much as to unite to Himself in a more perfect way generous souls who will refuse Him nothing. CONCLUSION OF THE FIRST CHAPTER 1385\. This first degree of the unitive way is already very high. 1) The soul, affectionately and habitually united to God, strives to practice the virtues in their highest form, with the aid of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which act sometimes in a hidden, at other times in a more manifest way. The gifts that predominate in the soul are those which, due to temperament, occupations, and divine attractions, lead to action; but in acting, the soul remains united to God; it is for Him, with Him and under the action of His grace that it labors and suffers. 2) At the time of meditation its prayer is very simple: the soul looks through the eyes of faith at that God Who is its Father, Who dwells within it, Who works with it; and whilst contemplating Him, it loves Him. At times, this love manifests itself by generous aspirations; at other times by pure acts of the will, for the soul has its moments of aridity and trial, and then it can but say: My God, I love Thee, or at least I want to love Thee; I want to do Thy Will through love, whatever be the cost. 3) There are moments when the gifts of knowledge, of understanding, and of wisdom, which generally act only in a hidden way, manifest themselves as in a flash and place the soul for a moment in a state of sweet repose. It is a kind of initiation into infused contemplation. [[at-sl-fn-29|Fn: B3 Ch. I]] --- ![[maps/bibliography#^biblio-tan]] > [[at-sl-28|← Book III]] | [[at-spiritual-life-toc|TOC]] | [[at-sl-30|B3 Ch. II Art. I →]]