Dark night of the soul (Christianity)
- Mystical ladder of divine love
Description
The advanced soul still has two kinds of imperfections. The continuous ones are the ongoing habits and desires which have existed all along in the spirit. The temporary ones are experienced differently by different people. Some are totally absorbed in their own spiritual life and readily fall into false visions and sensual desires. Others trust their own whims and they are filled with pride to the point that they can become vain and arrogant. They enjoy being seen having mystical experiences. They want to appear holy before others. In others deceit becomes a way of life. Others fall because they give into their spiritual experiences without examining them carefully. These all rate themselves as more spiritual than others.
Having experienced the dark night of the senses, the unspiritual part of the soul has been united with the spiritual part so that they both may be purified. This purification can be described in many ways. One of the ways St John of the Cross describes it is as a mystical ladder of divine love.
The mystical ladder of divine love is both secret and climbed in disguise. It is secret because the soul's understanding, knowledge and other faculties are unaware of it. It is not acquired by the senses. No one else understands what is happening to the soul. The soul cannot talk of it and is silent. The soul's sense and imagination is aware that something unusual and delightful is happening but does not know what it is. All a person can say is that they are satisfied, content, calm and aware of God's presence. This is quite different from spiritual blessings like visions which can be described. The soul feels distant from all created things. It is as though it has been transported to a desert of great beauty and many blessings but where it is terribly alone. It is aware of the utter depravity of humankind and any understanding of God is impossible without His illumination.
It is like a ladder because the soul goes up and down. It goes up toward the good things and treasures of Heaven. The soul goes down in its estimation of itself. The soul is humbled and exalted. There are 10 rungs on this ladder.
The first step on the ladder the soul is made quite ill which is a blessing that ends in the glory of God. During this illness the soul loses its taste for sin and everything else that does not come from God. The incidentals of life become meaningless because of the near presence of God.
The second step of the ladder leads the soul to continually seek God. It is so anxious to find God that it looks everywhere for Him. Whatever it is thinking about its thoughts return to God. When it is eating or sleeping it continually longs for God. During this step the soul begins to recover from its illness.
The third step of the ladder gives the soul strength for action and inspiration so that it does not stop. On this step seemingly great works done by the soul for God become tiny and insignificant. The years spent doing God's work seems like moments because of the fires of love burning within it. The soul is very unhappy because it loves God so much and has done so little for Him. It thinks itself as much worse than all other souls because God's love is teaching it the reverence God deserves. On the third rung of the ladder the soul never condemns any one else. It is also given the strength to move on to the next rung.
The fourth step of the ladder of love gives the soul strength to go on suffering for God's sake. It has subdued and takes little notice of the flesh. It is not seeking self-gratification from God or anything else. It does not pray for blessings because it realizes that it has received plenty of these. It tries to do everything to please God. The soul longs to suffer for God while at the same time it is receiving joy and spiritual experiences. The soul divorces its interior life from everything else and become restless.
The fifth step of the ladder of love the soul longs for God with abandon. Even the shortest separation from God is intolerable, it is weak with love, it faints and feels it will die if deprived of God's love. It is like a hungry dog scavenging through the alleys of the city searching for food. This hunger is totally satisfied when it meets God's love.
The sixth step of the ladder of love cause the soul to run toward God very quickly and with great strength. It is full of hope in God. It no longer collapses as in the fifth step. It is nearly completely pure; its love knows no bounds.
The seventh step causes the soul to become passionate with boldness. It throws caution to the wind and is filled with blessings.
On the eighth step the soul is enabled to embrace God without letting go.
On the ninth step the soul is aflame with perfect passion for God.
On the tenth step, which is not on this earth, the soul is enabled to be completely assimilated by God. It has a close and clear vision of God. It ceases to be a human being. It becomes like God and is called to be one with God. Everything is open to the soul.
It now has freedom of the spirit. It has travelled from the earthly to the heavenly and from the human to the divine.
To ascend this ladder the soul puts on a disguise which protects it from the enemies of the devil, the world and the flesh. This disguise most accurately reflects the desire of the spirit. It consist of faith because it receives no comfort from God or teachers and which protects it from the devil. Faith takes away natural understanding so that it can unite with divine wisdom. Second, it is hope which protects it from the world. Hope takes away from the soul the memory of worldly possessions. Hope in heaven keeps the soul's eyes on God and gives it great passion and desire to search for heaven. Third, the disguise is charity which adds grace to the other two virtues and protects it from the flesh. Charity takes away any desires which are not centred on God.