Mansions of favours and afflictions (Christianity)
Description
While the trials of the seventh mansions are far greater, the trials here are great. First, people point out either how "holy" the person is getting or how deceptive she is by making others look sinful. Friends abandon the person and accuse her of being deluded by the devil. The worst of this trial is that it does not end. Second, she is well spoken of, which is even a greater trial. She knows that any good she may have is a gift of God and not her own. This becomes less intolerable for various reason. She learns that people speak equally easily of good and bad. Seeing that all good comes from God, she begins praising God when these things happen. Realizes that if people see her development they may gain from it. As the soul prizes honour and glory of God more than its own it is no longer tempted to think such praise will do it harm. Third, when publically and without reason praised she is greatly troubled. Fourth, she may experience great physical suffering. Fifth, a inexperienced or unspiritual confessor may attribute the whole thing to psychological problems or to the devil. Having gone to the confessor with fear of these things and knowing its own sinfulness it is greatly distressed. Even when God grants a favour which can come from no one else but God, it relaxes only to have this pass quickly and to return to torment. At this point the soul may come to believe that it has never know God and never will. The soul can only wait on the mercy of God, who at some unexpected moment with a single word lift the whole burden from the soul's shoulders. The soul realizes it is a powerless and miserable creature, though not devoid of grace because it endured these trials without even thinking of offending its lover. Comforts of this world can only torment it. Interior prayer is impossible. Vocal prayer is not understandable to it. Solitude is torment even though it is torture to be in the company of anyone. Despite all attempts to conceal it she becomes despondent and upset. The only thing to be done to enable her to endure this is to occupy oneself with works of charity and hope for God's mercy.
Many favours are granted in these mansions. God may fill the soul with fervent desire even when it is unprepared for such a thing and is not even thinking of God. The soul become highly aware that is called by God. The soul trembles and complains with words of love. It experiences itself as delectably wounded and would be glad if the wound never healed. It is aware of the presence of God without having the ability of enjoying this presence. This inability causes the soul a kind of sweet grief. The lover is calling. The soul desiring to respond knows not how. This pain does not last and none of the faculties can effect it. For years after this experience the soul is willing even desires to suffer for God's sake and consider itself well rewarded. Another way this happens is the soul seems to catch fire in some wonderful way or infused with the presence of God.
A second way the soul is awakened is through perceiving some word or phrase from God. This may actually be heard. It may be imagined. Or it may be imprinted in the deeps of the soul. Such locutions may come from God, the devil or one's own imagination regardless of how they are perceived. One test of them coming from God is the sense of power and authority they carry with them and in the actions which follow them. Second, a great peace dwells in the soul, its devotion is recalled and it is ready to sing praises to God. Third these words carry such power and result in such conviction they are from God that they do not leave the memory for a long time, if ever.
A third way the Lord speaks to the soul is a kind of intellectual vision. This vision occurs so deep within the soul, with such clarity and with such profundity that there is no doubt it comes from the Lord. Its effect are so wonderful that it could not come from neither the imagination nor the devil.
God may, in these mansions, grant raptures which carry the soul out of its senses. In one type of rapture the soul, though not actually engaged in prayer, is struck by some word, which it either remembers or hears spoken by God. The interior senses fully attuned and the soul has never before been so awake to the things of God or had such understanding. While in this state of suspension mysteries such as things of heaven are revealed. The soul sometimes loses its power of breathing. It cannot speak. Other times the hands and body become so cold that it seems dead. This total rapture does not last long and the body stirs, breathes and then returns to the rapture. The will can be so completely absorbed and the understanding so transported that the soul seems to be unable to grasp anything that does not awaken the will to love. Everything else it is asleep to. When the soul awakens from such a rapture it feels confusion and desires it be used for God in any way. It desires to do penance but what ever penance it does seems to count for little.
A second form of rapture is a kind of flight of the spirit. The soul becomes conscious of such rapid motion it is, especially at first, filled with fear. There is no certainty that this motion is caused by God. The soul seems to leave the body altogether, on the other hand it is clear that it is not dead. The soul feels that it has visited another world where in a single instant it was taught many wondrous things. The eyes of the soul see things and knows them well. Sometimes the soul just knows things without having seen them. Any resistance only makes matters worse, as it is no longer its own mistress. As the soul reflects on what God is doing to it and on what it is doing, it realizes how little it is doing to fulfil its obligations, how feeble is that which it does do and how full of faults and failures it is. If it does do good, it tries to forget it, to keep in mind only its failures and to throw itself on the mercy of God. Sometimes, the Crucified One comforts her by pointing out that she is receiving the pains and trials that He suffered so that they might be her own to offer God. Thereafter living on earth is a great affliction to her. Things that used to give her pleasure no longer do so. It is as though the soul is shown the road that it must suffer. At the same time it enjoys the greatness of God, the self-knowledge and humility at realizing its own baseness and the supreme contempt for earthly things save those which can be of service to God. Having won such favours, the soul now longs for death that it might be with God. The things of this world weary it. When it is alone in briefly finds relief only to have the distress return. Its love is so full of tenderness that any occasion which serves to increase this love causes the soul to take flight, even in public. It feels a great interior security and is in great distress from fear of the devil and from fear of offending its love. The road she is on is both dangerous and of great benefit. All it wants is to be left in the hands of God. It would like to flee other people and it would like to serve in the world in order to help one soul praise God more. It may experience a terrible sense of cowardliness, but this seems to be when God has left it to its own nature so that it realizes that any usefulness it may have is a gift of God. Tears may come that are comforting and tranquillizing when God pleases. If tears are not comforting or are the result of weak health there is danger of being lead away from prayer and the religious life.
Some times the soul finds itself in a strange kind of prayer and in jubilation. When this happens the soul wants to share its joy with all so that they might rejoice in God. The joy may be so great that the soul is conscious of nothing and unable to speak of nothing except praise of God.
It is at this point the soul sorrows even more for its sin, and for being ungrateful it has been. It is aghast at its boldness, its lack of reverence, for its foolish mistakes and for forsaking God for such base earthly things. Their greatest fear is not of Hell but of losing God.
Some souls seem to retain something of Divine favour from having reached a perfect state of contemplation after which they can no longer meditate on the Passion of Christ. This type of meditation is the road to Divine favour and having travelled it, it is no longer necessary. At the same time the mysteries of the are often in the mind and can be the source of recalling the need to return the gifts of the spirit. This type of practice is beneficial and those who say they cannot meditate in this way because they are continuously enjoying the gifts of the spirit should regard themselves in danger.
Another type of favour granted in this mansion is an intellectual vision. When the soul is least expecting Christ to be granting a favour, it becomes aware that He is near, though He cannot be seen physically or by the soul. At first the person may be greatly perturbed because she cannot see anything. Then she realizes is Christ. The realization is so powerful that she has no doubts about its authenticity. This vision, unlike imaginary visions, may last for many days or even more than a year. She may even be comforted by hearing assurances from Christ. The benefits to the interior are great. She may, at times, be confused or have misgivings about why these blessings have come to her; she experiences great humility. She come to have a special knowledge and most tender love of God. She yearns to serve even more. The soul becomes sensitive to everything. When the Lord withdraws, it experiences a profound loneliness and any attempts to regain His companionship are of little avail. But the soul gains from this loss and even from attacks from