Spiritual Formation

In the last entry I discussed the different stages of prayer the Church Fathers and Mothers have observed in their own personal/cultural contexts.  All of these different models reflect a larger 3-stage understanding of growth in prayer. Those three stages consist of a purgative part, an illuminative part, and a unitive experience or goal. Origen was one of the first to introduce the church to a three-fold outline using the words “morals” “physics” and “contemplation.” Each of these three disciplines shares commonality with the classic “purgation, illumination, and union” terms.  Many more after him only confirmed and piled on to his early work.

In the twelfth and thirteenth century much was contributed to the three-fold model of spiritual growth. Bernard of Clairvaux, a great leader and recruiter for the Cistercian order in the twelfth century, became one of the most renowned writers of the Middle Ages. His flare for romantic and love language used in his mystical writings was revolutionary and attractive. Indirectly, Bernard mirrors the classic three-fold stages with his own “three-fold kiss of Christ.” “The kiss of the feet symbolizes the penitential preparation; the kiss of the hand is given to those making progress; and the kiss of the mouth is a rare experience given only to the perfect.”

A close successor to Bernard was Francis of Assisi of the thirteenth century. Most of what we know about Francis and his theology is processed through the writings of Bonaventure, his biographer. Because of the great influence Francis had on Bonaventure, in many ways they share a similar mysticism. For instance, while Bonaventure was reflecting on Francis’ vision of the six-winged Seraph, he himself received a similar vision. To him, this vision described the journey toward union with Christ. The three sets of two closely follow the purgation, illumination, and union themes.

“In the first two the mind turns outside itself to find God through his vestiges in the universe… in the next two the mind turns within itself to contemplate God both through his image imprinted on our natural powers of memory, understanding, and will… and in the last two the mind rises above itself to consider the divine Unity through its primary name, “being” and also the blessed Trinity through its name, “the good.”

Beyond this particular reflection, Bonaventure had much to offer on the developmental stages of spiritual growth. He wrote a much longer account solely on this topic called De triplici via (The Triple Way), and many other that are loosely related to this topic called Itinerarium mentis ad Deum (The Soul’s Journey into God), The Six Wings of the Seraph, and The Fire of Love.

Of all the writers on the classic three stages, St. John of the Cross of the sixteenth century might be the most precise. His vast education and tutelage under St. Teresa of Avila made him a well sought after spiritual director of many. Being responsible for so many people’s growth in Christ made him keenly aware of all the intricacies of each developmental stage. Discerning one’s own growth is a very difficult task, one that requires a Spiritual Director to offer truthful assessment in love. John notes two pitfalls, “people doing something intensely and not even knowing that they are doing it” and those “who are scarcely beginning and yet think they are far advanced.” Personal discernment is often confused by the passive nature of growth between the three stages. In his famous work, Dark Night of the Soul, and it’s counterpart, Ascent of Mount Carmel, he wrote extensively about the active as well as the passive nature of progress between the stages including two dark nights separating purgation from illumination, and illumination from union.

Have you ever felt lost in prayer, of wonder why you’re not “further along than you should be?” If you’re looking for someone to talk to about your experiences: Learn More About Personal Spiritual Direction here.

*a full list of reference text is available upon request

Over the ages many people have tried to describe what growth in prayer looks like by outlining it for the rest of us to glean insight and understanding into our own prayer lives. I’ve found it amusing just how many different pictures or models have been offered over the years.

I think this may be because each person is created individually and uniquely different from the rest, therefore that person’s experience interacting with God is also unique. Because each person is particularly made, the Father particularizes His love for each of His children differently. This phenomenon is one of many factors, which account for the differences of how the saints have interpreted stages of growth. Because of this factor, as well as others like hermeneutical liberties, there have been some discrepancies in a universal model as to exactly how many developmental stages a “baby Christian” ought to experience on their way to full maturation in Christ.

Origen, the earliest contributor to this discussion, at one time suggested that there are forty-two stages! He arrives at this number through his parallelism of Israel’s wilderness account in the book of Numbers to the life of a believer. Finding the spiritual or higher meaning in a Bible story was an “integral part of his overall understanding of scripture, according to which a hidden or “mystical” sense was to be found beneath or alongside the “narrative” sense.”* In another work of his, Origen completely sets aside the Numbers model for a much simpler model fashioned after the three books of Solomon: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

St. Augustine, who influenced church thought in the forth or fifth century, also offered his own model of growth. “In his De quantitate animae, one of his earliest treatises and one which reflects the strong emphasis of Neoplatonism, Augustine writes of the seven stages or steps involved in the ascent to the knowledge and contemplation of God.”

It may seem as if there is no correlation between these authors or many others who came after them. Origen presented forty-two stages, while Augustine presented seven; John Cassian is unclear if there are four or five stages. Hugh and Richard of St. Victor seem agreeable but Richard takes Hugh’s final stage and divides it into six! St. Teresa seems like the over-achiever and makes seven stages out of St. John of the Cross’ three.

Although there may seem to be no relation or collaboration between these spiritual writers, there is actually much more similarity than there is dissimilarity. Even among all of the great thinkers mentioned above there is general consensus about three meta-stages to the spiritual life present in each of their individual models (which I’ll dig into more in my next Blog Entry). Those three stages consist of a purgative part, an illuminative part, and a unitive experience or goal. The apostle Paul gives plenty of support for these different roles or seasons in a believer’s life, although he doesn’t give a linear order or a coherent picture for moving between these states.

In terms of the purgative and illuminative process, Paul stated, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” To the Ephesians, he suggests a two-fold process, one of emptying, and another of filling.

In regards to the telos of growth or the “unitive” portion of prayer – Paul quotes from his own experience when he says, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” And again in another place he adds, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Gleaning from Paul’s personal experience, it can be assumed that Paul’s experience of Christ had moved beyond relationality to a mysterious unitive familiarity that can only be described in metaphors and mystical language.

What do you think? Have you experienced different seasons or flavors of prayer? How many distinct “stages” have you experienced? Do you spend more time in either purgative, illuminative, or unitive prayer than others?

If you’re looking for someone to talk to about your experiences: Learn More About Personal Spiritual Direction here.

*a full list of reference text is available upon request

I wanted to spend a few weeks going a little more in depth into the theories of Spiritual Growth in order to spur on conversation and possible new thought experiments.  Typically there has been a general consensus of telos, but the nature of growth has been much more debated.  In the twentieth century mystical writer Evelyn Underhill “reopened a longstanding medieval dispute: Does mystical union consist in a cognitive experience conditioned by love of God… or is it a “dark” experience of the will and the inner affections.”* What Evelyn brings up is probably the most hotly debated topic among those of the nature of spiritual growth. As one moves closer to God, is there an increasing amount of holy light or is there a decreasing amount of light into complete holy darkness?

This debate first started as early as the fourth century. Gregory of Nyssa, the greatest mystical writers of Cappadocian Fathers, differed from his predecessor, Origen. “Origen emphasizes a movement of increasing light; the soul moves from darkness to light and then on to greater light. For Gregory, however, the journey begins in light and moves toward lesser light and then into darkness.”

This “way of darkness” was, in short time, repeated by Evagrius, who stressed the way of darkness as necessary to contemplate God, and calls it “pure prayer.” Pseudo-Dionysius championed Gregory of Nyssa’s views and firmly planted it into the theology of the church for years to come. His apophatic writings are clearly argued in The Mystical Theology. He states, since the intellect and the senses are so limited ”we must leave all created things behind and find God in the darkness.”

The apophatic teachers in Gregory of Nyssa and Pseudo-Dionysius’ camp make a very compelling argument. How can we relate to a God who is completely above everything we could ever perceive? But in the other camp, writers like John Gerson, Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Bonaventure offer equally compelling arguments. They suggest that as one is more purified and more illuminated they are closer to Light and Love. How could one move toward He who is Love and Light and not be surrounded by it.   Bernard writes “It is characteristic of true and pure contemplation that when the mind is ardently aglow with God’s love, it is sometimes so filled with zeal and the desire to gather to God those who will love him with equal abandon…”

What do you think? What has been your experience as your prayer and experience of God has matured?
If you’re looking for someone to talk to about your experiences: Learn More About Personal Spiritual Direction here. 

*a full list of reference text is available upon request