CONTEMPLATION. - Etymologically, it is the act of "gazing at length with great admiration and reflection." It can be either natural or supernatural. Natural contemplation, that is, the diligent consideration and admiration of an object, can be sensible, imaginative, or intellectual, depending on whether the immediate or direct faculties engaged in such contemplation are the senses, the imagination, or the intellect. St. Thomas observes (Sum. Theol., II-II, q. 180, a. 1): «Movet autem vis appetitiva ad aliquid inspiciendum vel sensibiliter, vel intelligibiliter».
Of these three forms of natural contemplation, philosophical contemplation (which, according to its object, may be metaphysical, scientific, ethical, or religious) or simply contemplation is considered only the intellectual form, as the noblest, insofar as it pertains to «ipsum simplicem intuitum veritatis» (St. Thomas, loc. cit., q. 180, a. 3 ad 1).
SUMMARY:
I. Philosophical contemplation
II. Supernatural contemplation
III. Essence of contemplation
IV. Acquired and infused contemplation
V. contemplation.-
VI. Elements of infused contemplation
VII. Formal elicitive principles of mystical contemplation
VIII. The intellectual "vision" of God
IX. Effects of infused contemplation on the soul
X. Conditions required for infused contemplation
XI. Degrees of contemplation.I. PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEMPLATION
Since the truths subject to contemplation vary—scientific, philosophical, theological truths—as Th. Philippe observes (Spéculation métaphysique et Contemplation chrétienne, in Angelicum, 14 [1937], p. 223-63), the contemplative intuition of truth likewise differs according to them.
It is well known that in Plato one finds an ample and characteristic richness of doctrine concerning the contemplation of truth (cf. A. J. Festugière, Contemplation et vie contemplative selon Platon, Paris 1936). Platonic θεωρία is not a frigid intelligence of the οὐσία and of first principles, but something that delves beyond the essence of things, touching, with a sense of presence, the ineffable, being itself.
Platonic contemplation, still uncertain about its ineffable object, is developed in an excellent manner by Plotinus and his disciples. Although some locate this object in "total unconsciousness" or in "absolute void" (cf. A. Drews, Plotin und der Untergang der antiken Weltanschauung, Jena 1907, and W. R. Inge, Christian Mysticism, London 1899, partially recanted in The philosophy of Plotinus, 2nd ed., London 1923), the majority of Plotinus scholars hold that the object of Plotinian contemplation is the Absolute, or at least the Infinite, which in itself conceals the One, eternal, absolute, and inconceivable. This Absolute, unknowable under the formality of the Good, takes the initiative so that the soul may admire it through amorous contemplation (Plotinus, Enn., VI, 7, 31). To ascend to the supreme contemplation of the Absolute, the soul must detach itself from external objects and turn inward upon itself, through an ever more refined purification, until it renounces all multiplicity. Plotinus’ θεωρία is ecstatic contemplation that surpasses all dialectic of the cosmos and the self to pour itself into the Absolute (cf. Krakowski, Une philosophie de l'amour et de la beauté. L'esthétique de Plotin et son influence, Paris 1929).
There is no need to expand on a parallel between Christian contemplation and that which developed naturally within Eastern religious philosophies. All Eastern thought is permeated by a meditative-contemplative character. For this purpose, see what is written in the Chandogya Upaniṣad, 6-1-2, Italian trans. by V. Papesso, Bologna 1937, pp. 207-208. In the Buddhist school of the Yogācāra, a branch of the followers of the "Great Vehicle," one becomes an arhāt, that is, a saint, and prepares for future ascent to bodhisattvas, or future Buddhas, by passing through samādhi, or mental concentration, which transforms into contemplation and purification of all desires (tṛṣṇā). This is the path to illumination (bodhi). Such contemplation, however, has an object more negative than positive. It does not seek God but turns inward in the contemplation of the self, empty of all determination. It is yoga, an ecstatic contemplative process originating with the Vedic religion. In the Yoga-sūtra of Patañjali, yoga, as a method, is entirely based on contemplation, which tends to allow only the activities of the spirit to subsist. In the Ātmā-Bodha of Śaṅkara, yoga, whose intellect is perfect, contemplates all things as dwelling within itself, and thus, through the eyes of knowledge, understands that everything is ātman. It enters the supreme essence, becomes supreme Brahman, ceaselessly filled with bliss (cf. R. Guénon, L'homme et son devenir selon le Vedānta, Paris 1925, pp. 251-52).
II. SUPERNATURAL CONTEMPLATION
While principles and hints of contemplation can be found in many religions and philosophies, a systematic doctrine of contemplation, free from any spurious elements and aberrations, is only found in the mystical experiences of Christianity (R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Le Sauveur et son amour pour nous, Juvisy 1924, ch. 18).
In the light of this mystical experience, St. Thomas establishes the principles and definition of contemplation, which can apply not only to supernatural contemplation but also to the natural contemplation of truth and of God: « contemplatio pertinet ad ipsum simplicem intuitum veritatis » (Sum. Theol., 2a-2ae, q. 180, a. 3 ad 1), an aphorism already enunciated by Richard of St. Victor (Benjamin maior, I, ch. 4: PL 196, 67): « Contemplatio est perspicax et liber contuitus animi in res perspicendas », that is, « Contemplatio est libera mentis perspicacia in sapientiae spectacula cum admiratione suspensa ». Man disposes himself for the intuition of truths through a threefold act: the acquisition of principles, by means of which one proceeds to the contemplation of truth; the deduction from principles for the investigation of attainable truth; and finally, the intuitive possession of truth itself (Sum. Theol., 2a-2ae, 180, 3).
The supernatural contemplation, with which we are exclusively concerned here, was defined by Gerson (De Mystica theologia speculativa, Consid. XXVIII, in Opera omnia, ed. Du Pin, III, Antwerp 1728, col. 384): « Experimentalis cognitio habita de Deo per amoris unitivi complexum ».
III. ESSENCE OF CONTEMPLATION
Much has been disputed regarding the essence of contemplation. For St. Thomas, contemplation is essentially an intellectual act, excluding all reasoning. "It is a single act of simple intellectual vision, made in abstraction from all affective, imaginative, or discursive elements that accompany or surround prayer" (Gabriele di S. Maddalena, Letter to Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, in appendix to Perfection chrétienne et contemplation, I, pp. 272-75). The end of the contemplative life is the "consideratio veritatis," teaches St. Thomas (Sum. Theol., 2a-2ae, q. 180, a. 2), who adds: "Vita contemplativa consistit in actu rationis." Although essentially consisting in an intellectual act, contemplation does not exclude the volitional act, that is, love. Loving will influences contemplation both as a causal principle and as a term, insofar as it belongs to the human will to move the intellect toward its object (loc. cit., q. 180, a. 1 corp.), "in quantum scilicet aliquis ex delectatione Dei inardescit ad eius pulchritudinem conspiciendam"; thus "vita contemplativa terminatur ad delectationem, quae est in affectu, ex quo etiam amor intenditur"; the contemplative life in charity "habet principium et finem" (loc. cit., q. 180, a. 7 ad 1).Many masters of mysticism adhered to the Thomistic doctrine. "Contemplation is the prolonged elevation of the mind to God and the sure intuition, and joyful admiration of the existing truth, tasting the flavors of eternal sweetness," asserts Cardinal Bona (Cursus vitae spiritualis, Italian ed., II, Alba 1941, pp. 182-83). Indeed, there exists a connection between contemplation and divine love, insofar as contemplation proceeds from love and terminates in love, since "the contemplative life, though consisting essentially in the intellect, nevertheless originates from the will, for from the love of God we are impelled to contemplation." Many theologians of mysticism, both ancient and modern, adhere to this opinion, from Vallgornera to Meynard and Garrigou-Lagrange. In this doctrine, the connection between love and contemplation is external and accidental. Essentially, contemplation is the intuition of divine truth.
St. Augustine's thought regarding the essence of contemplation underwent notable variations as his spirituality progressed. In De Spiritu et anima, ch. 35, he defines contemplation as: "Perspicuae veritatis iucunda admiratio." This is the thought of the newly converted Augustine, adhering to Neoplatonism, who loves to identify virtue with knowledge (cf. P. Pourrat, La spiritualité chrétienne, I, ch. 9, p. 353-54). The contemplative act is an "intelligere divina" (Enarratio in ps. 135, n. 8). No reasoning, simplification of every image; contemplation is a simple vision of the soul that considers God. Love has only a secondary facilitating role. But later, St. Augustine considerably modifies his doctrine. Contemplation remains always an act of pure intelligence contemplating God with a simple gaze, in which a great flame of love develops, "quodam contactu" (Serm., 52, n. 16), in which "contremui amore," because "attingimus eam," that is, the divinity, "modice, toto isto cordis" (Confes., X, 16; cf. IX, 24).
In the medieval period, Richard of St. Victor stands out for the pronounced intellectual character he confers upon contemplation. Pure contemplation reaches the supreme cognition and vision of the divinity through three degrees: Dilatatio, sublevatio, alienatio mentis. Through dilatatio, God is seen in figure; through sublevatio, as in a mirror; through alienatio, in His "simple truth." In the contemplative act, divine inspiration ("divinae inspirationis aura") removes error and makes divine truth shine. Love is a fruit of contemplation (Beniamis maior, V, 2: PL. 196, 170; cf. M. Lenghart, La théorie de la contemplation mystique dans l'oeuvre de Richard de St-Victor, Paris 1935).
Opposed to the preceding is the class of "voluntarist" mystical theologians, for whom contemplation is principally only love. Hugh of Balma (De mystica theologia, quaestio unica, in Opera di s. Bonaventura, VII, Mainz 1609, p. 685) teaches that in contemplation one is freed from every fetter of thought. In contemplation, affection and love precede cognition; the Holy Spirit, through love, touches and inflames the supreme and affective apex of the mind, and in an ineffable way, without thought, draws it to Himself. Suárez (De virtute et statu religionis, II, chs. 2 and 12, Opera omnia, XIII, Venice 1743, p. 97-103), who still attributes the Mystica theologia to St. Bonaventure, reacts against Hugh of Balma's opinion with a prolonged refutation. Followers of Hugh of Balma included Nicola Kempf, Vincenzo di Aggsbach, and Bernardo da Wagner. For these extremists, contemplation must exclude all intelligence, closing itself in the agnostic circle of affective power alone. Every intelligence, in fact, is conceived as an obstacle to contemplation. An exacerbation of voluntarism.
There is, moreover, a third class of mystical theologians who seek to reconcile the two opposing opinions noted above, and for whom contemplation is "a contemplative prayer in which our soul is elevated and united to God with a vision of the intelligence and an adhesion of the will, in the simplest form" (J. De Guibert, Etudes de théologie mystique, Toulouse 1930, p. 25). Adherents to this doctrine include Rudolph of Biberach in De septem itineribus aeternitatis, and many among the moderns: P. Lejeune, etc.
M. Grabmann observes: "Mystical contemplation is accomplished in a manner more suited to the purely spiritual nature of the angel than to the composite nature of man. Therefore, contemplation is also assigned to that supreme sphere of the soul in which intuition takes place, a mode of knowing proper to angels" (La mistica cattolica, Milan 1930, p. 53). Considered in this light, while the other opinions presented appear insufficient, the luminous doctrine of St. Bonaventure, by contrast, appears exhaustive. The soul, already hierarchized through ascensum, descensum, et regressum, is ready to open itself to divine contemplation through the two great paths leading to ecstasy, in the dual contemplation, that is, the contemplation "intellectual" and that "sapiential" (cf. Collationes in Hexaemeron, visio IV, collatio IV, p. 34, n. 24: Opera Omnia, V, Quaracchi, p. 358).
This dual contemplation occurs "per viam splendoris, et hunc modum docet b. Augustinus" and "per viam amoris, et hunc modum docet Dionysius" (Expositio in Lucam, ch. 9, n. 49, in Opera omnia, VII, Quaracchi, p. 234; cf. also Brevilognum, part 3, ch. 6, in Opera omnia, V, p. 259; in III Sent., d. 35, a. 1, q. 3, in Opera omnia, III, p. 779; and E. Longpré, St. Bonaventure: La contemplation, in DSp, I, col. 1819).
The Bonaventurian thought on this matter is well defined: volitional contemplation or excessus anagogicus is the supreme union, which as such is produced by love, and as such rises above all intellect and science. "In conclusion, contemplation is a superior and experiential knowledge of God, perceived passively not in Himself, but in sanctifying grace, not by means of an intellectual intuition, but in an embrace of the affective faculty, and an interior tasting of the divinity" (E. Longpré, La théologie mystique de St. Bonaventure, in Arch. franc. hist., 14 [1921], p. 98). In contemplation, therefore, intellectual contemplation precedes; at a given moment, the lights of intelligence are extinguished, and love comes to have an almost experimental cognition of the divine presence, as of a marvelous reality. In this sapiential and affectionate contemplation, the supreme apex of the mind surrenders to the kiss of love in a manner more suited to the nature of the angel than to the composite nature of man (cf. M. Grabmann, op. cit., p. 52).
BIBL.:
P. Pourrat, La spiritualité chrétienne, I, Parigi 1918; M. Grabmann, La mistica cattolica, Milano 1930; J. De Guibert, Etudes de théologie mystique, Tolosa 1930; E. Longpré, La théologie mystique de St. Bonaventure, in Arch. franc. hist., 14 (1921); M. Lenghart, La théorie de la contemplation mystique dans l'oeuvre de Richard de St-Victor, Parigi 1935; G. Gieraths, Die Mystik des Johannes vom Kreuz, Düsseldorf 1941; R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Perfection chrétienne et contemplation, Parigi 1923.
A. M.
IV. ACQUIRED AND INFUSED CONTEMPLATION
Catholic theologians unanimously agree in distinguishing contemplation from those extraordinary phenomena that often accompany it: visions, revelations, stigmata, etc., and all recognize that true and perfect contemplation, even of the highest degree, can exist—and sometimes does exist—stripped of such phenomenal activities. Even when certain paramystical phenomena seem to become a habitual part of the contemplative life, as in the case of ecstasies, it is still necessary to discern what essentially constitutes the ecstatic state from the phenomenal elements that flourish around II.The terms infused contemplation and acquired contemplation are frequently used, while others prefer to call the two types of contemplation active and passive. One thing is certain amid this terminological confusion: every contemplation, even the most elementary—indeed, even meditation itself—cannot occur without the aid of Grace, without the infusion of supernatural habits, and without the action of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thus, it possesses at least an elementary degree of infusion, and for this reason, strictly speaking, one cannot speak of purely acquired contemplation, which would be Pelagian. Nor, in strict terms, can one speak of purely passive prayer, since even in the sublime heights of spiritual marriage, there is—and can be—no complete passivity of human faculties under the torrent of Grace (cf. J. de Guibert, Etudes de théol. myst., Toulouse 1930, pp. 93-94; P. Lejeune, s.V. in DThC, III, col. 1619).
Theologians of mysticism rightly speak of acquired and infused contemplation based on a precise element that distinguishes them: the preeminence of human or divine causality in the simplification of intellectual and affective acts that constitute the essence of contemplation.
Acquired contemplation is "a contemplative prayer in which the simplification of intellectual and affective acts results from our personal activity, aided by Grace through the operation of psychological laws and as a consequent effect of our preceding acts of faith and charity" (J. De Guibert, op. cit., pp. 35-36). Infused contemplation is "a contemplative prayer in which the simplification of intellectual and affective acts results from a divine action in the soul, surpassing all that the mere psychological causes currently at play and the fruits of our preceding supernatural acts could produce."
A good definition of acquired contemplation is also given by R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Perfezione cristiana e c., trans. it., Turin 1933, ch. 4, no. 2, p. 241. Conversely, that of A. Saudreau (Pour fixer la terminologie mystique, in La vie spirituelle, 1929, pp. 131-34) is most unfortunate.
A problem arises: does there exist an acquired contemplation to which, with our own strength aided by Grace, we can elevate ourselves at will? The existence of a contemplation that may be called acquired has been much contested in recent years, writes Gabriele di S. Maria Maddalena (La contemplazione acquisita, in Spiritualità teresiana, vita cristiana, I, Florence 1931). Carmelite and Dominican theologians engaged in an interminable dispute over II.
The mystic theologians who deny the existence of acquired contemplation oppose an entire theological tradition. Already by the mid-18th century, Casimiro Liborio Tempesti could write in his Mistica teologia (I, Venice 1748, p. 2, tr. 3, ch. 1, no. 65) that a torrent of all theologians, ancient and modern, admitted the existence of acquired contemplation. Similarly, N. Terzago in his Theologia historico-mystica (Venice 1760, diss. VII, no. 3).
The first theologian to systematically treat acquired contemplation is Tommaso di Gesù (cf. De contemplatione acquisita, Milan 1922), as well as in his other works. He was preceded by less systematic expositions from Antonio de Molina (Ejercicios espirituales, vol. II, Burgos 1615, ch. 6), Filippo della S.ma Trinità (Summa theol. mystic., Lyon 1686), Brancati di Lauria (De oratione christiana, Rome 1625, ch. 10), Riccardo di S. Vittore (Benjamin maior, part 5, ch. 2: PL 196, 169 D), Giovanni Gersone (Theologia mystico-speculativa, part 4, conf. 24: Opera omnia, III, Antwerp 1728, p. 380), Enrico Herp (Theologia mystica, III, Cologne 1538, ch. 7).
S. Francesco di Sales designates acquired contemplation with the title of "union de simple remise en Dieu" (Réponse sur le coutumier, Oeuvres, ch. 24, ed. Migne, II, col. 236). F. Cayré (Précis de patrologie, I, Paris 1927, introd., p. 25; II. trans., I, Rome 1936, p. 26) calls it "imperfect contemplative meditation."
The attainment of acquired contemplation by the soul occurs through successive gradation. From predominantly speculative meditation, one passes to affective meditation; from this to a progressive simplification of the affective and intellectual gaze, until reaching that contemplative state which, beginning with isolated and brief acts, gradually extends until it becomes an almost habitual state of abstraction in God.
In this state of acquired contemplation, the simplification and immobility of the contemplative gaze should not be understood as if the operations of the intellect and will had almost entirely disappeared in the soul, but only diminished (A. Poulain, Le grazie d'orazione, II. trans., Turin 1926, ch. 2, no. 5, p. 10).
Souls called to acquired contemplation must avoid considering this exercise as a sterile and idle act that exposes them to easy illusion; this is a common temptation for souls who come to acquired contemplation from speculative meditation. The abandonment of the soul and the concentration of psychic faculties on a supernatural object is not idleness, and sweetly tasting God without reasoning or words is infinitely delightful and fruitful for the soul.
It is good, as Alvarez de Paz (De inquisitione pacis, part 2, bk. V, ch. 13) notes, to seek the opinion of one’s director before entering acquired contemplation, and to keep in mind that often in the sweet and gentle exercise of acquired contemplation, God issues the call to infused contemplation.
S. Teresa, in Cammino della perfezione, ch. 28, speaking of the "(acquired) prayer of recollection"—that is, acquired contemplation—says: "it is a prayer that presents many advantages...; by this path more quickly than by any other, her Divine Master will instruct her and grant her the prayer of quiet."
The duration of the soul’s immobility in the consideration of a divine truth cannot be long, as Suárez notes in De Oratione, bk. II, ch. 10, no. 13, and the maximum limit of half an hour set by Cardinal Brancati di Lauria does not seem acceptable.
J. P. De Caussade (Instructions sur les états d'oraison, Perpignan 1741, part 2, preliminary dialogue) observes: "It must be known that the spirit and the heart do not rest in the same way as the body, but rather continue their action in a simpler, sweeter way that delights the soul." "One is neither rash nor presumptuous," writes Gersone (De monte contempl., ch. 28), "when one desires that kind of prayer which must make us love God with all our heart."
The spiritual director can recognize that a soul is ready and mature to ascend to acquired contemplation when he notes in her an almost impossibility to meditate according to the method she was taught and which she strives to follow with great fidelity. Another sign is the disposition toward unity, when a simple thought or affection suffices to occupy us for a long time.
V. INFUSED OR MYSTICAL CONTEMPLATION
Gerson clearly indicated the common characteristic of every properly mystical contemplation. It is "an experimental knowledge of God" (On the Magnificat, treatise VII, ch. 2).The constitutive element of mystical contemplation is therefore the sentiment the soul experiences of God's presence within it, a kind of perception, an experimentation of God. This is also the teaching of St. Teresa. "In the state of sweet quietude, the first stage of mystical contemplation, the soul, says St. Francis de Sales, insensibly sucks in the sweetness of this presence" (Treatise on the Love of God, I, 6, ch. 8); cf. also G. B. Scaramelli, Mystical Directory, III, n. 32.
"It happens thus," writes St. Francis de Sales (Treatise on the Love of God, 6, ch. 7), "that Our Lord imperceptibly infuses into the depths of our heart a certain sweet suavity with which He makes us feel His hope... You will note... that all this recollection is accomplished through love." In it, "the soul has no need to linger in discourse with the intellect, for it sees its Spouse present with a gaze so sweet that discourses would be useless and superfluous."
Though it does not see Him with the intellect, it does not care at all, contenting itself with feeling Him near, for the joy and satisfaction the will receives. St. Teresa writes: "the will finds itself in its love, without effort of the intellect. The Lord wishes that without any effort of the mind the soul understands it is with Him" (The Way of Perfection, ch. 31).
Thus, a sound mystical school, led by St. Bonaventure, teaches that the principal element in infused contemplation is love, that is, the will, and that this element increasingly assumes importance and takes exclusive ground as the mystical degrees ascend to the perfect and transforming union of wills, which are the divine darknesses. However, a large part of mystical theologians, formed in the Thomistic school, gives precedence and prevalence in infused contemplation to the intellectual element. For them, infused contemplation is "above reasoning and in the obscurity of faith a simple and loving knowledge of God, which cannot be obtained by our personal activity aided by Grace, but which requires a special inspiration or illumination of the Holy Spirit" (R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Christian Perfection and Contemplation, etc., Italian trans., Turin 1933, ch. 4, art. 4, p. 287). And A. M. Meynard thus describes it: "it is a gratuitous gift by which the just and purified soul rises, more passively than actively, above the ordinary mode of knowing, and receives lights so abundant, so pure, and so vivid, that it is as if introduced into a superior spiritual region, where it contemplates with an excessively simple gaze and ardently affectionate the divine and celestial things" (Treatise on the Interior Life, Italian trans., II, Turin 1937, bk. 3, ch. 1, n. 148, p. 188).
In contemplation, there is cooperation of the intellect and the will of the contemplative; in the lower degrees, intellectual action prevails, while in the higher degrees, volitive action prevails, in which the intellect becomes mute to make way for the action of the will, which wholly embraces the Beloved. Thus F. Joret (Mystical Contemplation According to St. Thomas Aquinas, Italian trans., Lille 1924, ch. 6, p. 368): "while the intellect halts and humbles itself in this negative intuition, the heart proceeds further, without any hesitation... For if knowledge is required for love to arise, it also limits II. One can love more than one knows." These are the substantial touches of the divine union between the soul and God, "which touches the soul in its substance through the will" (St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle, stanza 14).
BIBL.:
Gerson, Opera omnia, ed. Dupin, Anversa 1706; s. Teresa d'Avila, Opere, ed. O. Steggink, Roma 1972; s. Francesco di Sales, Opere, ed. A. Ravier, Roma 1969; G. B. Scaramelli, Direttorio mistico, Venezia 1754; R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Perfezione cristiana e contemplazione, trad. it., Torino 1933; A. M. Meynard, Trattato della vita interiore, trad. it., Torino 1937; F. Joret, La contemplazione mistica secondo s. Tommaso d'Aquino, trad. it., Lilla 1924; s. Giovanni della Croce, Opere, ed. P. Silverio de S. Teresa, Roma 1979.
A. TANQUEREY
VI. ELEMENTS OF INFUSED CONTEMPLATION
Infused contemplation is not usually granted suddenly but, in most cases, is bestowed after a certain preparation. Contemplation is entirely gratuitous, yet the soul can dispose itself to receive it (cf. St. Teresa, Vida, ch. 14; A. M. Meynard, op. cit., II, bk. III, ch. 4, nn. 209-17, pp. 287-309). It is not necessarily accompanied by an absolute inability to discourse or reason, which would derive from the binding of the imagination. This binding may not occur, and consequently, distractions may coexist with the contemplative state, at least in its lower degrees. Nor is the consciousness of the state of grace necessary for infused contemplation.Theologians of mysticism generally admit that infused contemplation does not belong to the order of gratiae gratis datae (cf. Giuseppe dello Spirito Santo, Cursus Theol. myst. schol., Cologne 1721, II, disp. XI, q. 224 and 236, against the opposing opinion of the Carmelite Antonio della Annunciazione). Though predominantly passive, infused contemplation does not exclude the soul’s activity. “Properly speaking, there is no contemplation, however elevated, in which the soul ceases to act; but under the divine impulse, the acts of contemplation become exceedingly delicate and sweet, and our faculties appear more passive than active,” because in infused contemplation God is the principal agent (St. John of the Cross, Living Flame of Love, stanza 3, 5).
In what does infused contemplation resemble acquired contemplation? Both require acts of the intellect and will, contemplation being an elevation of the soul to God through a simple and affectionate gaze. Both have as their principal object God and His infinite perfections, and as their secondary object whatever relates to God. Nevertheless, infused contemplation may grasp this truth in broader and more sublime forms.
Yet infused contemplation differs essentially from acquired contemplation because, in the language of the mystics, it occurs on the “summit,” “peak,” or in the “depth” of the soul. That is, it is a supreme spiritual operation, purged of all—even remote—sensibility, unfolding in the soul’s superior part. It is not possible to fix a determinate duration for the infused contemplative act taken generically, since its degrees vary too greatly, from the gentle ploughing of quiet to ecstasy and spiritual marriage. The contemplative act, in its highest and purest nature, lasts but a short time—at most, according to St. Teresa, half an hour. The brilliance of the dazzling light, which overwhelms the mind, and the weakness of our nature do not permit us to endure this suspended adherence for long, making some respite necessary. However, Tommaso da Vallgornera writes (Theol. myst. D. Th., q. IV, disp. 2, a. 7, n. 11): “in perfectissimis viris, ex extraordinariis auxiliis, potest anima in una simplici intuizione et amoris suspensione, per aliquod tempus, ad plures die vel nocte horas durare. Dictum est certum, quia ita legitur in vitis sanctorum” (cf. also Suárez, De Relig., IV, bk. II, ch. 10, n. 13).
The summit of contemplation, which mystical authors call “divine darkness,” is a confused and obscure cognition of divine truth. Pseudo-Dionysius thus describes it: “The divine darkness is nothing other than that inconceivable light in which it is said that God dwells (1 Tim., 6:16). Though invisible due to its dazzling brightness, unapproachable because of its supernatural clarity, whoever has merited to see and know God rests in it, and precisely because it is not seen nor known, he is truly in Him who surpasses all sight and knowledge” (Letter V). “Then the soul, freed from the sensible and intellectual world, enters the mysterious darkness of an ignorance and... loses itself in Him who cannot be seen nor grasped... We long to enter this most luminous and darkened obscurity; because of our blindness and mystical ignorance, we long to see and know Him who eludes all contemplation and knowledge” (Mystical Theology, chs. 1 and 2). Divine darkness is attained in the highest contemplation: ecstasy, transforming union. “In this new state, all feeling ceases; the soul is absorbed in enjoyment without understanding what it enjoys. It enjoys a good that contains within itself all goods, yet the nature of this good remains inconceivable to it” (St. Teresa, Vida, ch. 18; cf. also St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul, bk. 2, ch. 17).
The intuition of God attained in even the highest contemplation differs from the beatific vision because the lumen gloriae is granted permanently, whereas mystical illumination is transitory. The beatific vision is immediate, while contemplative vision is in speculo, that is, in divine supernatural effects produced in the soul, as in a wondrous mirror. The divine vision is clear, while contemplative vision is in aenigmate, that is, more negative than positive.
BIBL.:
In addition to the works cited in the text, see: Poulain, Graces d'oraison, Paris 1922; Garrigou-Lagrange, Perfection chrétienne et contemplation, Paris 1923; Saudreau, La vie d'union à Dieu, Paris 1921; Maréchal, Études sur la psychologie des mystiques, Brussels 1924-37; Dalbiez, Méthode psychanalytique et méthode cartésienne, Paris 1936; V. MISTICA, MISTICISMO.
VII. FORMAL ELICITIVE PRINCIPLES OF MYSTICAL CONTEMPLATION
The formal principles of contemplation are remotely the spiritual faculties, and immediately the gifts of the Holy Spirit.The gifts of wisdom and understanding are the formal and elicit principles of infused contemplation (Tommaso da Vallgornera, Theol. myst. D. Th., q. III, disp. 4, n. 2, 2 e 3; Filippo della S. Trinità, Sum. Theol. myst., p. 2 tratt. 3, dist. 3, n. 1; V. Contenson, Theol. mentis et cordis, VIII, dist. 1, cap. 2, 3). Generally, the gift of knowledge is also added (Suárez, De Relig., IV, l. II, cap. 10, n. 9; D. Schram, Theol. myst., II, p. 2, cap. 4, p. 239). The contrary is held by J. Lopez Ezquerra (Lucerna mystica, l. 3, cap. 7, n. 66). It is generally admitted that they are necessary for the development of mystical contemplation (R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Perfezione cristiana e c., p. 307) due to the imperfect manner in which even elevated Christian virtues remain within us. The three aforementioned gifts have a distinct but not separate or independent role in infused contemplation; being perfections that dispose man to follow divine inspirations well, they must be activated in the soul through actual grace, the free concurrence of the will, and often the guidance of a good director. Hence, they too often lie inert and unused. The gift of knowledge is granted by God to make us recognize His divine presence in all creatures. The gift of knowledge moves the intellect, guiding it to refer all creatures to God, and inclines the will, leading it to the true good. The gift of understanding aims to make us comprehend and penetrate truths superior to the powers of our nature, that is, divine mysteries. In infused contemplation, this gift is so sublime that the soul, elevated in some way above the human condition, begins to participate in angelic splendors, penetrating, as far as possible, the intimate secrets of God. God Himself once explained to St. Catherine of Siena the marvelous effects of this gift (Dialogo, cap. 35).
The gift of understanding allows for a negative intuition of God, through the passive purification of images and spiritual forms; it grants the mind the privilege of behaving before the data of Revelation as it naturally does before principles, and makes it see spiritual realities under concrete appearances.
The gift of wisdom, according to Dionysius the Carthusian, is the «primum atque dignissimum» among the infused gifts, which knows the divinity through an internal taste, by «quem mens bene de Deo sentit ac iudicat, per connaturalitatem et conformitatem affectus ad ipsum, seu per mentalem saporem» (De contempl., cap. 1, n. 44).
Theologians of mysticism are unanimous in recognizing the gift of wisdom as the active and important principle of infused contemplation, and in particular of the «divine darknesses». All mystics speak of the action of the gift of wisdom as the elicit principle of contemplation, particularly St. Teresa, St. John of the Cross, and Angela da Foligno. According to Dionysius the Carthusian, the effects of the gift of wisdom in infused contemplation are to make the soul a «secretary of God», because divine lights are imprinted in her by intelligible species of a superior order and by a most pure supernatural light; and also a «counselor of God», because in a certain way, introduced into the sanctuary of the divinity, and through negation and sublime ignorance, she contemplates the mysteries of the uncreated Wisdom. Meynard writes: «In this state of secret and dark vision, an intense and intimate fire strips the soul of vile and earthly images, and places our faculties at heights where nothing created can disturb our rest: it is the abyss of the Divinity: then God has nothing hidden from the soul confident in His secrets, because she enters the dwelling of peaceful, sweet, and true light, to contemplate the glory of the most glorious Trinity, its immanent processions, its light, its love, its enjoyment, and its most delightful, most happy, and most holy unity» (Trattato della vita interiore, II, Turin 1937). John Ruysbroeck says: «The gift of wisdom, the sweetest taste that we savor in the summit of the soul, penetrates the intellect and the will to the extent that these faculties gather in this elevated place. This wisdom or this immense, inexhaustible taste, flows from the depths of the just soul, expanding into the innermost parts of our powers, according to their capacity, and even into the sensible part, which it gladdens with a delicate tone... this sweetness is so great and so immense that for those who taste it, heaven and earth and all they contain seem to disappear and return to nothing... Hence the soul contemplates with an avid gaze that divine simplicity from which such great delights derive. Here is the starting point of a new light. Nevertheless, the soul knows that she will never be able to grasp or perfectly know this sweet simplicity, because it is by a created light that she contemplates. Yet her joy is immense, and she feels faint in the heights of her contemplation: transformed by this immense clarity, she cannot detach her gaze from the incomprehensible objects that bring her such great happiness... She contemplates all in Him» (Regno degli amanti di Dio, chaps. 32 and 34).
The gratiae gratis datae may sometimes be granted to just souls in view of infused contemplation, but they are not necessary for it; they simply help to confer higher contemplation in a more perfect manner (D. Schram, Theologia myst., I, Paris 1868, part 2ᵃ, cap. 4, p. 244). Among the gratiae gratis datae, the graces of healings, prophecies, and discernment of spirits stand out in particular (Sum. Theol., 1ᵃ-2ᵃᶜ, q. 3, a. 4).
VIII. THE INTELLECTUAL «VISION» OF GOD
In the highest forms of contemplation, God begins to manifest His divinity to the loving soul immersed in the supernatural ray of divine darkness (Pseudo-Dionysius, De mystica Theologia, cap. 1). This can occur either through ecstasy and intellectual union, or through ecstasy and loving, volitional union, in which, however, there is always some prior knowledge. In the first case, there is the intellectual vision of the divine attributes, and often of the Most Holy Trinity, in a dazzling vision, not detailed, which almost blinds the soul.St. Joseph of Cupertino said: «Sometimes I see the attributes of God united together, without my spirit being able to distinguish or separate them; other times I see them separated and distinct». St. John of the Cross admits that in ecstasy one may have «most elevated cognitions of some attribute, now of His omnipotence, now of His strength, goodness, and sweetness» (Salita al Monte Carmelo, II, 24, n. 2). Such a vision, however elevated, is always filtered through the intellect, not transformed by the lumen gloriae, except in the most exceptional cases mentioned above, and consequently representative, not intuitive.
The vision of the divine attributes, particularly those imparticipable to the creature, such as infinity, aseity, eternity, as well as the vision of the perfect identification of all attributes in a single divine substance that encompasses all goods, occurs in a splendor of manifestation that dazzles, wounds the intellect, and by shining, darkens.
The vision is then, as the mystics say, «darkness and light». The soul sees, but the power of the vision is such that she cannot express it in human terms, «almost sunk in silence, unable to express it with human words» (Angela da Foligno, Il libro delle mirabili visioni, c. e istruzioni, ed. Fallacara, Florence 1922: Istruzione sulla presenza di Dio, pp. 174-75); because «mystical truth would be better translated into music than into words» (W. James, L'expérience religieuse, French trans., Paris 1908, p. 337).
Does the light of glory ever descend upon earth in the highest contemplation? According to St. Augustine and St. Thomas (Sum. Theol., II-II, q. 175, a. 3, ad 1), this privilege was granted to Moses and St. Paul, as well as to the Blessed Virgin. St. Bonaventure and other theologians admit that on rare occasions it may have been granted to other saints (Tommaso di Vallgornera, Theol. myst., q. III, disp. 4, n. 5, a. 2). One may ask whether this ecstatic knowledge of God does not entail an immediate, non-analogical vision of God, albeit confused and obscure.
Mystical schools respond to this question in very different ways. On the authority of Pseudo-Dionysius, the Victorine school, the great German and Flemish mystical schools, and among moderns the school of A. Poulain, J. Maréchal, and Picard, answer affirmatively. The mystical school with a Thomistic foundation denies this possibility and attributes to such vision a mediated character, through sensible species.
According to the doctrine of St. Bonaventure (expounded particularly in Collect. in Hexaem., II, 32; XX, 11, etc.: Opera, V, Quaracchi 1891, pp. 342 ff., 427 ff.), in the contemplative state not only is a direct, even transitory, vision of the divine essence impossible, but mystical knowledge can never imply a direct cognition of God, even if attained through impressed species representative of the divinity. For the splendor of divine illumination, according to the teaching of the Seraphic Doctor, so dazzles the intellect as to deprive it of all visual faculty, immersing it in the mystical night, the docta ignorantia. The love that inflames the will transcends and reaches where the intellect cannot. Love, therefore, is the summit of the contemplative life ("suprema unitio per amorem"). In this state, only the affective virtue operates, simultaneously "imposing silence on all other faculties, and the man raised in ecstasy hears arcane words, which it is not lawful to utter to man, as they exist only in the 'affect'" (Coll. in Hexaem., II, 30-32, p. 351; XX, 10, p. 427; Itinerarium mentis in Deum, ch. 4, n. 3: Opera Omnia, p. 307; ch. 7, n. 6, p. 313).
Thus, the contemplation in which God manifests Himself through love is higher than that in which He manifests Himself through the intellect, and there occurs a contact of obscure and real presence of the divine essence, which almost touches and caresses the loving soul, hiding in the divine darkness. This is what many mystics call the "divine touch." When the soul reaches the ecstasy of love, it seems that the heavens bow down, that the ecstatic grows immense and assumes a divine tone. This wondrous state is well described by St. Bernard, Serm. in Cant., 1, 11, 12.
IX. EFFECTS OF INFUSED CONTEMPLATION IN THE SOUL
First and foremost, infused contemplation arouses in the soul an ardent desire for celestial lights and a great disdain for earthly things, producing within it a kind of divine transformation (s. Francesco di Sales, Treatise on the Love of God, I, VIII, ch. 1).In the intellect, it awakens a lively and profound sense of admiration for God; in the will, an intense foretaste of heaven and weariness of earthly things, through the ineffable pleasure encountered in the contemplative act. The soul, as s. Caterina da Siena observes (Dialogue, 167), would like to sing a new song to her beloved, but cannot express in words the immense delights it experiences in the depths of its being. The principal effect of contemplation upon the will is, consequently, a great love of God and neighbor, so that any kind of contemplation that does not produce such an effect can safely be said not to be supernatural. Such love is always accompanied by an increase in moral virtues, particularly humility, conformity to the divine will, abandonment (v.).
X. CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR INFUSED CONTEMPLATION
Infused contemplation involves two principles: God and man. The principal role belongs to God, who grants the grace of the contemplative vocation to whom He wills and when He wills. Man's part is indirect and negative, yet it holds its importance, for in general God does not bestow the grace of infused contemplation except upon those who prepare themselves for it with generosity and perseverance.
The contemplative vocation ordinarily presupposes certain natural qualities, such as a balanced, open, and calm temperament. However, natural dispositions are not absolutely indispensable conditions for contemplation. God calls whom He wills and grants to whom He wills. As for the moral dispositions in the subject, Pseudo-Dionysius requires four: great purity of heart, true simplicity, ardent love, and profound humility.
God's contribution to contemplation consists in the grace of contemplation itself, which He bestows and which is both "sanctifying grace" and "grace freely given."
Neither the production of infused contemplation, nor its various forms and manifestations, nor its duration, nor its intensity depend upon us. "A breath of wind lifts the straw that lies upon the earth and holds it suspended in the air; when the wind ceases, the straw falls back to the ground." So it is with the breath of the Holy Spirit, which suspends the faculties of the intellect and enkindles the will with love (Alvarez de Paz, De inquisitione pacis, V, part 2, ch. 12).
It is lawful to desire the gift of contemplation, but humbly and conditionally, abandoning oneself to the will of God. "If it concerns gratiae gratis datae, which sometimes accompany infused contemplation—especially if they involve corporeal or imaginary visions, or certain purely apparent phenomena such as ecstasies, stigmata, etc.—it can be said that it is not permitted to desire them, for that would be pure pride and true folly" (Meynard, op. cit., p. 302 ff.).
For such a desire to be legitimate, a truly divine inspiration is required, which is quite rare. The saints, out of prudence or humility, generally ask God to be delivered from these physical states. On this point, theologians are in full agreement.
But may one desire infused contemplation, which derives from the gifts of the Holy Spirit? On this matter, authors seem divided: some, the majority, basing themselves on the doctrine of St. Thomas, affirm that this desire is legitimate; others see in it presumption. This divergence of opinion is more apparent than real. Among the spiritual masters who teach the legitimacy of desiring contemplation are St. Teresa of Jesus (Cammino della perfezione, ch. 20), Fr. Surin in his Trattato dell'amor di Dio (III, ch. 1), and Tommaso da Vallgornera, who presents in his Mystica Theologia (q. III, disp. 3, a. 3, n. 6) the thesis: "Omnes ad supernaturalem contemplationem aspirare possunt."
In conclusion, it is fitting to cite the words of R. Garrigou-Lagrange, a great proponent of this thesis, in his treatise Perfezione cristiana e contemplazione (p. 465): "The grace of infused contemplation, though eminent, is thus truly within the normal path of sanctity—indeed, of the sanctity that every Christian should attain before death, to avoid Purgatory, to be immediately after the separation of the body in the radical order willed by God, and not to be painfully deprived for a longer or shorter time of the beatific vision."
XI. DEGREES OF CONTEMPLATION
Contemplation encompasses the following degrees, which form a magnificent crescendo of ever greater possession of the soul by God, according to the teaching of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross:1) The prayer of quiet, which can be distinguished into gentle quiet, operative quiet, and arid quiet; 2) prayer of simple union; 3) ecstatic union, which may be simple, painful, or delightful, or assume the characteristics of rapture (spiritual betrothal); 4) The state of perfect union or spiritual marriage (v. ORAZIOSE; ESTASI).