The Way of Perfection · 46 of 46

Divine Love Ch 4: On the sweet, pleasant, and delicious love of god, which arises from god dwelling in the soul by the

O MY daughters, what great mysteries are concealed under these words! God grant we may feel them, for with difficulty can they be expressed. When His Majesty vouchsafes, in His mercy, to grant the spouse this petition, He begins to contract a friendship with the soul, which only those among you who have experienced it can understand. On this subject I have treated in two books, (which, if our Lord please, you will see after my death), at great length, because I think you required it, and therefore I shall only touch on the matter here. I know not whether I shall explain it in the same words with which our Lord was pleased to enable me to explain in the books I wrote.

There is excited in the interior of the soul so great a sweetness, that it makes her perceive very clearly our Lord is very near to her. This is not that kind of devotion which excites one much to tears; for though these cause a certain tenderness when one weeps either over our Lord’s passion, or over our own sins, yet it is not so great as this prayer I speak of, and which I call the “Prayer of Quiet,” on account of the repose it produces in all the powers, so that the person seems to possess God just as he wishes most. It is true, that sometimes one finds it otherwise, when the soul is not so engulfed; but with this sweetness the whole interior and exterior man seems to be delighted, as if some very delicious ointment were poured into the inmost part of the soul, just like an exquisite perfume! It is as if we suddenly came into a place where it is exhaling, not only from one, but from many things; and we know not what it is, nor from which of them the scent comes, but they all penetrate us. And so this most delicious love of our God seems to enter into the soul with such great sweetness, as to content and satisfy her, though she cannot understand what it is.

This is the meaning of what the Spouse says here: – “Thy breasts are better than wine.” And yet she knows not how, nor whence that good comes, which she would fain not lose. She would not so much as stir, or look aside, that it might not go away. And because, where I have spoken in what I wrote, I mentioned what the soul is to do here for her benefit (and this is only to let you understand something of what I have written), I will say no more here than tell you that, in this friendship our Lord now discovers to the soul, He is pleased to keep so strict an union with her, in order that nothing maybe divided between them both. Here great truths are imparted to her, for this light is such that it dazzles her in such a way, that she cannot know what the light is: it makes her see and understand the vanity of the world; though she does not see the master who teaches her, yet she already understands He is with her. She is then so well instructed, and this with such great effects and strength, in all virtues, that she afterwards knows not herself; nor would she do or say anything but praise our Lord. And when she is in this enjoyment, she is so immersed and absorpt, that she seems not to be herself, but rather to be seized with a kind of divine ebriety, that she knows not what she wishes, nor what she asks. In a word, she knows nothing of herself, yet she is not so much out of herself as not to understand something of what passes.

It is true, that when this most opulent Spouse is pleased to enrich and more sweetly to caress souls, He so converts them into Himself, that like a person swooning through excessive delight and pleasure, the soul seems to herself to be suspended in those Divine arms, and to rest on that Divine side, and those Divine breasts: and she does nothing but enjoy herself, being supported by Divine milk, wherewith her Spouse feeds and strengthens her, that He may be able to regale her, and make her increase every day in merit.

When she wakes out of that sleep and that heavenly ebriety, she remains as it were astonished and stupid, and is seized with a kind of holy foolishness, so that it seems to me she may use these words, “Thy breasts are better than wine.” When she was in the beginning of that ebriety, she thought she could ascend no higher; but when she saw herself in a more sublime degree, and wholly plunged in that immense greatness of God, whereby she perceives herself more supported, she affectionately compared it to breasts; and therefore she saith, “Thy breasts are better than wine.” For as a child does not understand how he grows, nor knows how he sucks, for (even without his sucking the nipple, or doing anything on his part) often is the nipple put into his mouth; and so it is here; for the soul, of herself, is wholly ignorant whether she does anything; nor does she know how, nor whence, so great a good comes to her.

You must understand this is the greatest good that can be enjoyed in this life, even though all the delights and pleasures of the world were united together. She sees herself nourished and strengthened, without knowing when she merited it: she is also taught great truths without seeing the Master who taught her; she is confirmed in virtues, and caressed by Him who knows how and who is able to do it; she knows not what to compare it to, except to the caresses of a mother, who, tenderly loving her infant, nurses and fondles him.

O my daughters! may our Lord grant you to understand, or rather, to speak more correctly, to taste (for otherwise it cannot be conceived) what the joy of the soul is when she is thus affected. Hither let worldlings come, with their riches and lordships, with their pleasures, honours, and trinkets; for though they could enjoy all these without the troubles that inevitably follow them (which is impossible); yet they could not, in a thousand years, enjoy the pleasure which in one moment a soul possesses, which our Lord has brought to this state. If St. Paul says, that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, I say they are not worthy nor able to merit one hour of that delight which God gives here to the soul; and in my opinion, no joy or delight can be compared therewith, or can merit from our Lord so sweet a consolation, a union so close, a love which so evidently makes one understand the baseness of worldly things. Very pleasant labours those are here below, to be compared with this delight! For if they are not endured for God’s sake, they are worthless; but if they should, His Majesty always proportions them according to our strength, since, being so miserable and cowardly, we are so afraid of them,

O my daughters! let us awake at length, for God’s sake, out of this dream of the world, and consider that he reserves not for us in the other life the reward of loving Him, but He begins His payment in this. O my Jesus! who can declare the benefit that comes to us from casting ourselves into the arms of our Lord, and making a covenant with His Majesty, so that “I am for my Beloved, and my Beloved for me.” Let us not love ourselves so excessively as “to pull out our own eyes,” as the saying is. I repeat again, O my God! and I again beseech You, by the blood of Your Son, to bestow this favour upon me, “of kissing me with the kiss of Your mouth,” and of giving me Your breasts, for without You, what am I, O Lord? If not united with You, what am I worth? If I turn away in the least from Your Majesty, where shall I stop? O my Lord, my Mercy, and my Good! what more excellent blessing can I wish for in this life, than to be so united to You, that there may be no division between You and me? In such company, what can appear difficult? When You are so near, what may not be attempted for You? What is there for which I can thank myself, and not rather blame myself exceedingly, for not serving You? With St. Austin, I therefore beseech You with a fervent resolution; “Give what You command, and command what You please,” and I shall never, with Your assistance and grace, break Your commandments.