BENEDETTO da CANFIELD. — In the world William Filch; Capuchin mystical writer, born in the county of Essex (England) in 1562, died in the convent of S. Onorato in Paris on 21 November 1610. Converted from Protestantism, he became a Capuchin in Paris on 23 March 1587; from 1589 he studied theology in Italy, where he made the first draft of his Regola di perfezione, developed in the spiritual milieu of northern Italy. In 1592 he became novice master and in 1594 guardian at Orléans. From 1599 he spent approximately three years in England, where he was imprisoned by the heretics. After 1602 we find him as novice master at Rouen and as a sought-after and influential director of many souls, Acarie (v.), the convert Abra de Raconis, Maddalena de Sourdis, and Marie de Beauvilliers. He wrote various spiritual works; in Le chevalier chrétien (Paris 1609, English translation London 1619), he expounds Christian doctrine and morality. Because of its concise form and practical character, La règle de perfection (Paris 1609, parts 1 and 2; there 1610, completed with the mystical part 3) enjoyed a wide circulation; there are approximately 18 French editions, 8 Latin editions, of which two were published in Italy (Rome 1625 and 1666), 5 German, 5 Flemish, 2 Spanish, and 3 Italian (Venice 1616, Rome 1649, Viterbo 1667).
B. teaches therein that perfection consists in the union of the creature’s intellect and will, the creature being “nothing,” with God, who is the “all”; the innermost summit is the mystical union of the spirit with the divine essence. It is attained through a simple and loving gaze upon the divine will and through the continual practice of fulfilling it; we must seek to derive every one of our acts from the pure and perfect love of God. Beginners must practice doing the exterior will of God in all things, as expressed by his law and by reason; those making progress must, in the contemplative life, carry out the interior will of God, which is manifested in the soul’s interior recollection; the proper exercise of the supereminent or mystical life consists in conforming oneself to the essential will of God, which is attained through infused contemplation; its permanent content is the incarnate Word, crucified for us; the Christian regards his own sufferings as participation in the Passion of Jesus Christ.
This system is constructed upon HEBER (v.) or Harphius (d. 1477), with reference also to Alfonso da Madrid (v.) and to the ancient Franciscan school. The doctrine of “nothing” and “all” recalls s. Giovanni della Croce. Moreover, its kinship with the Breve compendio di perfezione cristiana of the Bellinzaga (v.), following in the footsteps of s. Caterina da Genova (v.), is evident. A large part of the Capuchin mystical authors formed themselves through B.’s work, Lorenzo da Parigi (v.), Costantino da Barbanson (v.), Giovanni Evangelista da Hertogenbosch, LAON (v.), and it also exerted considerable influence outside the Order, upon s. Vincenzo de Paoli, BON (v.), Bérulle (v.). Its doctrinal content is sound and conforms to tradition, with the additional contribution of its own interpretation and experience. Its lack, however, of greater theological precision and clarity made possible criticisms, for example those of Girolamo della Madre di Dio Gracián (d. 1614, v.), as well as Quietist misinterpretations; because of this danger, the book was placed on the Index on 24 March 1689.