Mansions of spiritual marriage (Christianity)
Description
In earlier mansions the soul may have been blind or lacked understanding of what was happening, but in this one it sees an understands something of the favour it has been granted. This is done through an intellectual vision. First the soul is enkindled and is illumined by a cloud of great brightness. The Holy Trinity; God the Creator, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit; reveals Itself in all three Persons. Each is seen individually and a wonderful kind of knowledge is given through which it realizes the all three are one. Because this is not an imaginary vision, nothing is seen by the eyes of the body or of the soul. Here all three Persons communicate to the soul. They explain they will dwell within the soul which love God and keeps His commandments.
Each day the soul wonders more. She feels They have never left her and she perceives clearly They are within the most interior of her heart and in its greatest depth. Strangely, she not so absorbed that she is unable to concentrate on anything, but rather in all that serves God she is most alert. When she is not occupied she rest in the companionship of the Trinity. She has great confidence that God will not leave her. This presence is, of course, not always so fully realized. At times, the light may not be so clear, but the soul is always aware that it is experiencing this companionship.
This companionship seems to be preparing the soul for more. The essential part of the soul seems to never leave this dwelling place. The soul seems it is divided, part enjoying itself in quietness while the rest is left with all the trials and occupations.
Divine and Spiritual Marriage cannot be fulfilled perfectly in one's lifetime because the soul is still capable of withdrawing from God. When granting this favour for the first time, the Lord reveals, through an imaginary vision, His sacred Humanity in great splendour, beauty and majesty. He told her it was time for her to take on his affairs as if they were her own and that He would take on her affairs. Other things are said that are easier understood than repeated. This vision is different from others experienced because it leaves the soul quite confused, it comes with great force and it is revealed in a part of the soul where she has never had visions before.
In the union of Spiritual Marriage the Lord appears in the centre of he soul through the most subtle, so far, intellectual vision without entering the soul. The glory that is in heaven is manifest in the soul. The spirit of the soul is made one with God. The extent of God's love is revealed and the two spirits cannot be separated. With the passage of time the effects of Spiritual Marriage become more evident. The soul neither move from the centre nor loses its peace.
Even in this state the soul needs to be wary of offending Him. It goes its way with greater misgiving and with greater caution of committing the smallest offence against God. It so desires to serve him that it is confused and suffers from seeing how little it is able to do and how great is its obligations. It delights in penance and so when God takes away its health and strength so it cannot do any penance, its real penance begins. The faculties, senses and passions are not at peace in these mansions but the soul is. Neither the passions nor the physical pains cause any distress.
The little butterfly is dead, full of joy at having found rest. The effects of these mansions are several. First is self-forgetfulness, so complete it is as though the soul does not exist. She does not know nor remember heaven or life or honour for her. Honour of God is all. She has no desire to exist except to do something to further the honour and glory of God. She eats and sleeps but these torment her. She carries out her professional duties. She grieves that she can do nothing on her own. Second is a great desire to suffer. So great is her desire to do the will of God that what ever is His will she considers it to be best. If she is to suffer well and good, if not she does not worry herself as in earlier mansions. When these souls are persecuted, they have great interior joy. They bear no enmity to the persecutors, in fact, they conceive a special love for them. If their tormentors are in trouble, they grieve for them and do anything they can to relieve their ills. They have a strong desire to serve God, to sing his praise and to help some soul if they can. They desire to die and to live a great many years suffering the greatest trials if by doing so they can bring glory to God. Some times they forget this, turn to the thought of enjoying God and the desire to escape the exile of this earth. But then they remember He is with them always and they are content. They are not afraid of death. They no longer desire consolations or favours. These souls have a marked detachment from everything. They desire to be alone to to be busy helping some other soul. They have no aridity or other interior trials but a tender remembrance of Christ and a love for Him. When the soul is neglect, Christ awakens it. He sends messages which should be responded to immediately. There is no reason for the understanding to work, in fact it seems to be dazed along with the other faculties. The soul, now, rarely experiences raptures or flight of the spirit. It is no longer frightened by anything save its own self, because it has found its rest and its true companionship. It is more timorous about itself because the more it sees the greatness and majesty of God the more it realizes how wretched it is.
These effects are not with the soul all the time. Sometimes the Lord leaves the soul to its own devices when all of the evil things seem to try to avenge the time they have not been in power. This may last one day. As a rule the soul gains from the Companion who has given it great determination. It recalls it is always to be humble, God majesty and how great a favour it has been granted. The soul does commit many imperfections, not intentionally which nevertheless cause great torment.
The Spiritual Betrothal is different. The two are frequently separated as is the case of union. In union they are joined but can be separated.