Divine Locutions. Discussions on That Subject.
1. It will be as well, I think, to explain these locutions of
God, and to describe what the soul feels when it receives them,
in order that you, my father, may understand the matter; for ever
since that time of which I am speaking, when our Lord granted me
that grace, it has been an ordinary occurrence until now, as will
appear by what I have yet to say. [1]
2. The words are very distinctly formed; but by the bodily ear
they are not heard. They are, however, much more clearly
understood than they would be if they were heard by the ear.
It is impossible not to understand them, whatever resistance we
may offer. When we wish not to hear anything in this world, we
can stop our ears, or give attention to something else: so that,
even if we do hear, at least we can refuse to understand.
In this locution of God addressed to the soul there is no escape,
for in spite of ourselves we must listen; and the understanding
must apply itself so thoroughly to the comprehension of that
which God wills we should hear, that it is nothing to the purpose
whether we will it or not; for it is His will, Who can do all
things. We should understand that His will must be done; and He
reveals Himself as our true Lord, having dominion over us.
I know this by much experience; for my resistance lasted nearly
two years, [2] because of the great fear I was in: and even now I
resist occasionally; but it is of no use.
3. I should like to explain the delusions which may happen here,
though he who has had much experience will run little or no risk,
I think; but the experience must be great. I should like to
explain also how those locutions which come from the Good Spirit
differ from those which come from an evil spirit; and, further,
how they may be but an apprehension of the understanding,--for
that is possible,--or even words which the mind addressed to
itself. I do not know if it be so but even this very day I
thought it possible. I know by experience in many ways, when
these locutions come from God. I have been told things two or
three years beforehand, which have all come to pass; and in none
of them have I been hitherto deceived. There are also other
things in which the Spirit of God may be clearly traced, as I
shall relate by and by. [3]
4. It seems to me that a person commending a matter to God with
great love and earnestness may think that he hears in some way or
other whether his prayer will be granted or not, and this is
quite possible; but he who has heard the divine locution will see
clearly enough what this is, because there is a great difference
between the two. If it be anything which the understanding has
fashioned, however cunningly it may have done so, he sees that it
is the understanding which has arranged that locution, and that
it is speaking of itself. This is nothing else but a word
uttered by one, and listened to by another: in that case, the
understanding will see that it has not been listening only, but
also forming the words; and the words it forms are something
indistinct, fantastic, and not clear like the divine locutions.
It is in our power to turn away our attention from these
locutions of our own, just as we can be silent when we are
speaking; but, with respect to the former, that cannot be done.
5. There is another test more decisive still. The words formed
by the understanding effect nothing; but, when our Lord speaks,
it is at once word and work; and though the words may not be
meant to stir up our devotion, but are rather words of reproof,
they dispose a soul at once, strengthen it, make it tender, give
it light, console and calm it; and if it should be in dryness, or
in trouble and uneasiness, all is removed, as if by the action of
a hand, and even better; for it seems as if our Lord would have
the soul understand that He is all-powerful, and that His words
are deeds.
6. It seems to me that there is as much difference between these
two locutions as there is between speaking and listening, neither
more nor less; for when I speak, as I have just said, [4] I go on
with my understanding arranging what I am saying; but if I am
spoken to by others, I do nothing else but listen, without any
labour. The human locution is as something which we cannot well
make out, as if we were half asleep; but the divine locution is a
voice so clear that not a syllable of its utterance is lost.
It may occur, too, when the understanding and the soul are so
troubled and distracted that they cannot form one sentence
correctly; and yet grand sentences, perfectly arranged, such as
the soul in its most recollected state never could have formed,
are uttered, and at the first word, as I said, [5] change it
utterly. Still less could it have formed them if they are
uttered in an ecstasy, when the faculties of the soul are
suspended; for how should the soul then comprehend anything, when
it remembers nothing?--yea, rather, how can it remember them
then, when the memory can hardly do anything at all, and the
imagination is, as it were, suspended?
7. But it is to be observed, that if we see visions and hear
words it never is as at the time when the soul is in union in the
very rapture itself,--so it seems to me. At that moment, as I
have shown,--I think it was when I was speaking of the second
water, [6]--all the faculties of the soul are suspended; and, as
I think, neither vision, nor understanding, nor hearing, is
possible at that time. The soul is then wholly in the power of
another; and in that instant--a very brief one, in my
opinion--our Lord leaves it free for nothing whatever; but when
this instant is passed, the soul continuing still entranced, then
is the time of which I am speaking; for the faculties, though not
completely suspended, are so disposed that they are scarcely
active, being, as it were, absorbed, and incapable of making
any reflections.
8. There are so many ways of ascertaining the nature of these
locutions, that if a person be once deceived, he will not be
deceived often. I mean, that a soul accustomed to them, and on
its guard, will most clearly see what they are; for, setting
other considerations aside which prove what I have said, the
human locution produces no effect, neither does the soul accept
it,--though it must admit the other, whether we like it or
not,--nor does it believe it; on the contrary, it is known to be
a delusion of the understanding, and is therefore put away as we
would put away the ravings of a lunatic.
9. But as to the divine locution, we listen to that as we do to a
person of great holiness, learning, or authority, whom we know to
be incapable of uttering a falsehood. And yet this is an
inadequate illustration; for these locutions proceed occasionally
in such great majesty that, without our recollecting who it is
that utters them, they make us tremble if they be words of
reproof, and die of love if words of love. They are also, as I
have said, [7] matters of which the memory has not the least
recollection; and expressions so full are uttered so rapidly,
that much time must have been spent in arranging them, if we
formed them ourselves; and so it seems to me that we cannot
possibly be ignorant at the time that we have never formed them
ourselves at all.
10. There is no reason, therefore, why I should dwell longer on
this matter. It is a wonder to me that any experienced person,
unless he deliberately chooses to do so, can fall into delusions.
It has often happened to me, when I had doubts, to distrust what
I had heard, and to think that it was all imagination,--but this
I did afterwards: for at the moment that is impossible,--and at a
later time to see the whole fulfilled; for our Lord makes the
words dwell in the memory so that they cannot be forgotten.
Now, that which comes forth from our understanding is, as it
were, the first movement of thought, which passes away and is
forgotten; but the divine locution is a work done; and though
some of it may be forgotten, and time have lapsed, yet is not so
wholly forgotten that the memory loses all traces of what was
once spoken,--unless, indeed, after very long time, or unless the
locution were words of grace or of instruction. But as to
prophetic words, they are never forgotten, in my opinion; at
least, I have never forgotten any,--and yet my memory is weak.
11. I repeat it, unless a soul be so wicked as to pretend that it
has these locutions, which would be a great sin, and say that it
hears divine words when it hears nothing of the kind, it cannot
possibly fail to see clearly that itself arranges the words, and
utters them to itself. That seems to me altogether impossible
for any soul that has ever known the Spirit of God. If it has
not, it may continue all its life long in this delusion, and
imagine that it hears and understands, though I know not how that
can be. A soul desires to hear these locutions, or it does not;
if it does not, it is distressed because it hears them, and is
unwilling to listen to them, because of a thousand fears which
they occasion, and for many other reasons it has for being quiet
in prayer without these interruptions. How is it that the
understanding has time enough to arrange these locutions?
They require time.
12. But, on the other side, the divine locutions instruct us
without loss of time, and we understand matters which seem to
require a month on our part to arrange. The understanding
itself, and the soul, stand amazed at some of the things we
understand. So it is; and he who has any experience of it will
see that what I am saying is literally true. I give God thanks
that I have been able thus to explain it. I end by saying that,
in my opinion, we may hear the locutions that proceed from the
understanding whenever we like, and think that we hear them
whenever we pray. But it is not so with the divine locutions:
for many days I may desire to hear them, and I cannot; and at
other times, even when I would not, as I said before, [8] hear
them, I must. It seems to me that any one disposed to deceive
people by saying that he heard from God that which he has
invented himself, might as easily say that he heard it with his
bodily ears. It is most certainly true that I never imagined
there was any other way of hearing or understanding till I had
proof of it in myself; and so, as I have said before, [9] it gave
me trouble enough.
13. Locutions that come from Satan not only do not leave any good
effects behind, but do leave evil effects. This has happened to
me; but not more than two or three times. Our Lord warned me at
once that they came from Satan. Over and above the great aridity
which remains in the soul after these evil locutions, there is
also a certain disquiet, such as I have had on many other
occasions, when, by our Lord's permission, I fell into great
temptations and travail of soul in diverse ways; and though I am
in trouble often enough, as I shall show hereafter, [10] yet this
disquiet is such that I know not whence it comes; only the soul
seems to resist, is troubled and distressed, without knowing why;
for the words of Satan are good, and not evil. I am thinking
whether this may not be so because one spirit is conscious of the
presence of another.
14. The sweetness and joy which Satan gives are, in my opinion,
of a very different kind. By means of these sweetnesses he may
deceive any one who does not, or who never did, taste of the
sweetness of God,--by which I mean a certain sweet, strong,
impressive, delightsome, and calm refreshing. Those little,
fervid bursts of tears, and other slight emotions,--for at the
first breath of persecution these flowers wither,--I do not call
devotion, though they are a good beginning, and are holy
impressions; but they are not a test to determine whether these
locutions come from a good or an evil spirit. It is therefore
best for us to proceed always with great caution; for those
persons who have advanced in prayer only so far as this may most
easily fall into delusions, if they have visions or revelations.
For myself, I never had a single vision or revelation till God
had led me on to the prayer of union,--unless it be on that
occasion, of which I have spoken before, [11] now many years ago,
when I saw our Lord. Oh, that His Majesty had been pleased to
let me then understand that it was a true vision, as I have since
understood it was! it would have been no slight blessing to me.
15. After these locutions of the evil one, the soul is never
gentle, but is, as it were, terrified, and greatly disgusted.
16. I look upon it as a most certain truth, that the devil will
never deceive, and that God will not suffer him to deceive, the
soul which has no confidence whatever in itself; which is strong
in faith, and resolved to undergo a thousand deaths for any one
article of the creed; which in its love of the faith, infused of
God once for all,--a faith living and strong,--always labours,
seeking for further light on this side and on that, to mould
itself on the teaching of the Church, as one already deeply
grounded in the truth. No imaginable revelations, not even if it
saw the heavens open, could make that soul swerve in any degree
from the doctrine of the Church. If, however, it should at any
time find itself wavering even in thought on this point, or
stopping to say to itself, If God says this to me, it may be
true, as well as what He said to the Saints--the soul must not be
sure of it. I do not mean that it so believes, only that Satan
has taken the first step towards tempting it; and the giving way
to the first movements of a thought like this is evidently most
wrong. I believe, however, that these first movements will not
take place if the soul is so strong in the matter--as that soul
is to whom our Lord sends these graces--that it seems as if it
could crush the evil spirits in defence of the very least of the
truths which the Church holds.
17. If the soul does not discern this great strength in itself,
and if the particular devotion or vision help it not onwards,
then it must not look upon it as safe. For though at first the
soul is conscious of no harm, great harm may by degrees ensue;
because, so far as I can see, and by experience understand, that
which purports to come from God is received only in so far as it
corresponds with the sacred writings; but if it varies therefrom
ever so little, I am incomparably more convinced that it comes
from Satan than I am now convinced it comes from God, however
deep that conviction may be. In this case, there is no need to
ask for signs, nor from what spirit it proceeds, because this
varying is so clear a sign of the devil's presence, that if all
the world were to assure me that it came from God, I would not
believe it. The fact is, that all good seems to be lost out of
sight, and to have fled from the soul, when the devil has spoken
to it; the soul is thrown into a state of disgust, and is
troubled, able to do no good thing whatever--for if it conceives
good desires, they are not strong; its humility is fictitious,
disturbed, and without sweetness. Any one who has ever tasted of
the Spirit of God will, I think, understand it.
18. Nevertheless, Satan has many devices; and so there is nothing
more certain than that it is safer to be afraid, and always on
our guard, under a learned director, from whom nothing is
concealed. If we do this, no harm can befall us, though much has
befallen me through the excessive fears which possessed some
people. For instance, it happened so once to me, when many
persons in whom I had great confidence, and with good reason, had
assembled together,--five or six in number, I think,--and all
very great servants of God. It is true, my relations were with
one of them only; but by his orders made my state known to the
others. They had many conferences together about my necessities;
for they had great affection for me, and were afraid I was under
a delusion. I, too, was very much afraid whenever I was not
occupied in prayer; but when I prayed, and our Lord bestowed His
graces upon me, I was instantly reassured. My confessor told me
they were all of opinion that I was deceived by Satan; that I
must communicate less frequently, and contrive to distract myself
in such a way as to be less alone.
19. I was in great fear myself, as I have just said, and my
disease of the heart [12] contributed thereto, so that very often
I did not dare to remain alone in my cell during the day. When I
found so many maintain this, and myself unable to believe them, I
had at once a most grievous scruple; for it seemed to me that I
had very little humility, especially as they all led lives
incomparably better than mine: they were also learned men.
Why should I not believe them? I did all I could to believe
them. I reflected on my wicked life, and therefore what they
said to me must be true.
20. In this distress, I quitted the church, [13] and entered an
oratory. I had not been to Communion for many days, nor had I
been alone, which was all my comfort. I had no one to speak to,
for every one was against me. Some, I thought, made a mock of me
when I spoke to them of my prayer, as if I were a person under
delusions of the imagination; others warned my confessor to be on
his guard against me; and some said it was clear the whole was an
operation of Satan. My confessor, though he agreed with them for
the sake of trying me, as I understood afterwards, always
comforted me: and he alone did so. He told me that, if I did not
offend God, my prayer, even if it was the work of Satan, could do
me no harm; that I should be delivered from it. He bade me pray
much to God: he himself, and all his penitents, and many others
did so earnestly; I, too, with all my might, and as many as I
knew to be servants of God, prayed that His Majesty would be
pleased to lead me by another way. This lasted, I think, about
two years; and this was the subject of my continual prayer to
our Lord.
21. But there was no comfort for me when I thought of the
possibility that Satan could speak to me so often. Now that I
was never alone for prayer, our Lord made me recollected even
during conversation: He spoke what He pleased,--I could not avoid
it; and, though it distressed me, I was forced to listen. I was
by myself, having no one in whom I could find any comfort; unable
to pray or read, like a person stunned by heavy trials, and by
the dread that the evil one had deluded me; utterly disquieted
and wearied, not knowing what would become of me. I have been
occasionally--yea, very often--in distress, but never before in
distress so great. I was in this state for four or five hours;
there was no comfort for me, either from heaven or on earth--only
our Lord left me to suffer, afraid of a thousand dangers.
22. O my Lord, how true a friend art Thou! how powerful!
Thou showest Thy power when Thou wilt; and Thou dost will it
always, if only we will it also. Let the whole creation praise
Thee, O Thou Lord of the world! Oh, that a voice might go forth
over all the earth, proclaiming Thy faithfulness to those who
love Thee! All things fail; but Thou, Lord of all, never failest!
They who love Thee, oh, how little they have to suffer! oh, how
gently, how tenderly, how sweetly Thou, O my Lord, dealest with
them! Oh, that no one had ever been occupied with any other love
than Thine! It seems as if Thou didst subject those who love
Thee to a severe trial: but it is in order that they may learn,
in the depths of that trial, the depths of Thy love. O my God,
oh, that I had understanding and learning, and a new language, in
order to magnify Thy works, according to the knowledge of them
which my soul possesses! Everything fails me, O my Lord; but if
Thou wilt not abandon me, I will never fail Thee. Let all the
learned rise up against me,--let the whole creation persecute
me,--let the evil spirits torment me,--but do Thou, O Lord, fail
me not; for I know by experience now the blessedness of that
deliverance which Thou dost effect for those who trust only in
Thee. In this distress,--for then I had never had a single
vision,--these Thy words alone were enough to remove it, and give
me perfect peace: "Be not afraid, my daughter: it is I; and I
will not abandon thee. Fear not." [14]
23. It seems to me that, in the state I was in then, many hours
would have been necessary to calm me, and that no one could have
done it. Yet I found myself, through these words alone, tranquil
and strong, courageous and confident, at rest and enlightened; in
a moment, my soul seemed changed, and I felt I could maintain
against all the world that my prayer was the work of God.
Oh, how good is God! how good is our Lord, and how powerful!
He gives not counsel only, but relief as well. His words are
deeds. O my God! as He strengthens our faith, love grows. So it
is, in truth; for I used frequently to recollect how our Lord,
when the tempest arose, commanded the winds to be still over the
sea. [15] So I said to myself: Who is He, that all my faculties
should thus obey Him? Who is He, that gives light in such
darkness in a moment; who softens a heart that seemed to be made
of stone; who gives the waters of sweet tears, where for a long
time great dryness seems to have prevailed; who inspires these
desires; who bestows this courage? What have I been thinking of?
what am I afraid of? what is it? I desire to serve this my Lord;
I aim at nothing else but His pleasure; I seek no joy, no rest,
no other good than that of doing His will. I was so confident
that I had no other desire, that I could safely assert it.
24. Seeing, then, that our Lord is so powerful,--as I see and
know He is,--and that the evil spirits are His slaves, of which
there can be no doubt, because it is of faith,--and I a servant
of this our Lord and King,--what harm can Satan do unto me?
Why have I not strength enough to fight against all hell? I took
up the cross in my hand,--I was changed in a moment into another
person, and it seemed as if God had really given me courage
enough not to be afraid of encountering all the evil spirits.
It seemed to me that I could, with the cross, easily defeat them
altogether. So I cried out, Come on, all of you; I am the
servant of our Lord: I should like to see what you can do
against me.
25. And certainly they seemed to be afraid of me, for I was left
in peace: I feared them so little, that the terrors, which until
now oppressed me, quitted me altogether; and though I saw them
occasionally,--I shall speak of this by and by, [16]--I was never
again afraid of them--on the contrary, they seemed to be afraid
of me. [17] I found myself endowed with a certain authority over
them, given me by the Lord of all, so that I cared no more for
them than for flies. They seem to be such cowards; for their
strength fails them at the sight of any one who despises them.
These enemies have not the courage to assail any but those whom
they see ready to give in to them, or when God permits them to do
so, for the greater good of His servants, whom they may try
and torment.
26. May it please His Majesty that we fear Him whom we ought to
fear, [18] and understand that one venial sin can do us more harm
than all hell together; for that is the truth. The evil spirits
keep us in terror, because we expose ourselves to the assaults of
terror by our attachments to honours, possessions, and pleasures.
For then the evil spirits, uniting themselves with us,--we become
our own enemies when we love and seek what we ought to hate,--do
us great harm. We ourselves put weapons into their hands, that
they may assail us; those very weapons with which we should
defend ourselves. It is a great pity. But if, for the love of
God, we hated all this, and embraced the cross, and set about His
service in earnest, Satan would fly away before such realities,
as from the plague. He is the friend of lies, and a lie
himself. [19] He will have nothing to do with those who walk in
the truth. When he sees the understanding of any one obscured,
he simply helps to pluck out his eyes; if he sees any one already
blind, seeking peace in vanities,--for all the things of this
world are so utterly vanity, that they seem to be but the
playthings of a child,--he sees at once that such a one is a
child; he treats him as a child, and ventures to wrestle with
him--not once, but often.
27. May it please our Lord that I be not one of these; and may
His Majesty give me grace to take that for peace which is really
peace, that for honour which is really honour, and that for
delight which is really a delight. Let me never mistake one
thing for another--and then I snap my fingers at all the devils,
for they shall be afraid of me. I do not understand those
terrors which make us cry out, Satan, Satan! when we may say,
God, God! and make Satan tremble. Do we not know that he cannot
stir without the permission of God? What does it mean? I am
really much more afraid of those people who have so great a fear
of the devil, than I am of the devil himself. Satan can do me no
harm whatever, but they can trouble me very much, particularly if
they be confessors. I have spent some years of such great
anxiety, that even now I am amazed that I was able to bear it.
Blessed be our Lord, who has so effectually helped me!
1. Philip. a SS. Trinitate, Theolog. Mystic. par. 2,
tr. iii. disc. iv. art. v.: "Tres sunt modi divinæ locutionis;
completur enim divina locutio vel verbis successivis, vel verbis
formalibus, vel verbis substantialibus. Completur verbis
successivis cum anima in semetipsa multum collecta quosdam
discursus internos de Deo vel de aliis divina format directione;
hujusmodi quippe discursus, quamvis ab ipsa sibi formati, a Deo
tamen dirigente procedunt. Completur verbis formalibus cum anima
vel in se collecta, vel aliis occupata, percipit quædam verba
formaliter ac distincte divinitus expressa, ad quorum formationem
anima passive penitus se habet. Completur verbis substantialibus
cum anima vel in se collecta, vel etiam distracta, percipit
quædam verba viva et efficacia, divinitus ad se directa, quæ
virtutem aut substantialem effectum per ipsa significatum
fortiter ac infallibiliter causant." See also St. John of the
Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, b. ii. ch. xxviii. and the
following, p. 188.
2. From 1555 to 1557, when the Saint was advised by St. Francis
de Borja to make no further resistance (Bouix).
3. See ch. xxvii. § 4.
4. § 4.
5. § 5.
6. The doctrine here laid down is not that of the second
water,--chs. xiv. and xv.,--but that of the third, ch. xvi.
The Saint herself speaks doubtfully; and as she had but little
time for writing, she could not correct nor read again what she
had written (De la Fuente).
7. § 6.
8. § 2.
9. Ch. vii. § 12.
10. Ch. xxviii. § 6, ch. xxx. § 10.
11. Ch. vii. § 11.
12. Ch. iv. § 6, ch. v. § 14.
13. It was the church of the Jesuits (Bouix).
14. See Inner Fortress, vi. 3, § 5.
15. St. Matt. viii. 26; "Imperavit ventis et mari, et facta est
tranquillitas magna."
16. Ch. xxxi. § 2.
17. St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle, st. 24, p. 128,
Eng. trans.
18. St. Matt. x. 26, 28; "Ne ergo timueritis eos, . . . sed
potius timete Eum."
19. St. John viii. 44: "Mendax est, et pater ejus."