BOOK THE FIRST
Which treats of the Night of Sense
On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings - oh, happy chance!
I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest.
- In this first stanza the soul relates how it dies to all things and to itself by means of true mortification, in order to attain to living the sweet and delectable life of love with God.
- A "dark night" is here understood as a purgative contemplation, which causes passively in the soul the negation of itself.
- Herein it extols the great happiness that none of the three enemies - which are the world, the flesh and the devil - could hinder; the aforementioned night of purgative contemplation lulled to sleep and mortified, in teh house of its sensuality, all the passions and desires with resepect to the mischievous desires and motions.
On a dark night
Chapter I
- Into this dark night souls begin to enter when God draws them forth from the state of beginners - which is the state of those that meditate on the spiritual road - and begins to set them in the state of progressives...that they may arrive at the state of the perfect, which is that of the divine union of the soul with God.
- The soul, after it has been definitely converted to the service of God, is, as a rule, spiritually nurtured ad caressed by God, even as is the tender child by its loving mother, who warms it with the heat of her bosom and nurtures it with sweet milk and soft and pleasant food, and carries it and caresses it in her arms; but, as the child grows bigger, the mother gradually ceases caressing it, and, hiding her tender love, puts bitter aloes upon her sweet breast, sets downthe child from her arms, and makes it walk upon its feet, so that it may lose the habits of a child and betake itself to more important and substantial occupations.
- Therefore, such a soul finds its delight in spending long periods - perchance whole nights - in prayer; penances are its pleasures; fasts its joys; and its consolations are to make use of the sacrements and to occupy itself in divine things...but then these souls will often find themselves, spiritually speaking, very weak and imperfect. For since they are moved to these things and to these spiritual exercises by the consolation and pleasure they find in them...[they will find it very difficult once God withdraws such consolations for the purpose of drawing them closer to Himself]
- [Let us take a look at the seven capital sins from a spiritual perspective and see how they affect beginners]
Chapter II
Of certain spiritual imperfections which beginners have with respect to the habit of PRIDE
- As these beginners feel themselves to be very fervent and diligent in spiritual things and devout exercises, there often comes to them, through their imperfections, a certain kind of secret pride, whence they come to have some degree of satisfaction in their works and in themselves.
- They have a certain desire to speak of spiritual things in the presence of others, and sometimes even to teach such things rather than to learn them. They condemn others in their heart when they see that they have no the kind of devotion which they themselves desire; and sometimes they even say this in words, herein resembling the Pharisee.
- In these persons the devil often increases the fervour that they have and the desire to perform these and other works more frequently, so that their pride and presumption may grow greater.
- Some reach such a degree of evil that these persons are wont to reach that they would have none appear good save themselves
- Sometimes, too, when their spiritual masters, such as confessors and superiors, do not approve of their spirit and behavior, they consider that they do not understand them...and that their confessors themselves are not spiritual. And so they immediately desire and contrive to find some one else who will fit in with their tastes...Sometimes they even harbour ill-will against them.
- They occasionally give outward evidence of inward movements - sighs, ecstasies - in public rather than in secret, wherein the devil aids them, and they are pleased that this should be noticed, and are often eager that it should be more noted.
- They are too much embarrassed to confess their sins nakedly, lest their confessors should think less of them, so they palliate them and make them appear less evil, to excuse themselves rather than accuse themselves. Sometimes they seek another confessor to tell the wrongs that they have done, so that their own confessor shall think they have done nothing wrong at all, but only good.
- Some of these beginners, too, make little of their faults, and at other times become over-sad when they see themselves fall into them, thinking themselves to have been saints already; and thus they become angry and impatient with themselves, which is another perfection.
- They often dislike praising others and love to be praised...sometimes even seeking out such praise.
- There are hardly any beginners who, at the time of these signs of favor (consolation), fall not into some of these errors.
- Those who are moving on to perfection progress by means of humility and are greatly edified, having very little satisfaction with themselves; they consider all others as far better...the more they do, the less they are satisfied. All they do seems to them to be naught, and they never notice what others do or do not...they always believe others are better. If men should esteem and praise them, it seems to them strange that anyone should say these good things of them.
- These souls have a deep desire to be taught by anyone who can bring them profit; they are the complete opposite of those of whom we have spoken above, who would fain be always teaching, and who, when others seem to be teaching them, take the words from their mouths as if they knew them already.
- They rejoice when others are praised; they grieve only because they serve not God like them. They have no desire to speak of the things that they do, because they think so little of them that they are ashamed to speak of them even to their spiritual masters.
- They are more anxious to speak of their faults and sins, or that these should be recognized rather than their virtues...This is a characteristic of the spirit which is simple, pure, genuine, and very pleasing to God.
- The imperfections into which they see themselves fall they bear with humility, meekness of spirit and a loving gear of God, hoping in Him.
- God leads into the dark night those whom He desires to purify from all these imperfections so that He may bring them farther onward.
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