In Part One, we looked at the theological explanation of the ascending levels of holiness that we attain by our cooperation with grace. Engaging in speculative theology, we also considered how those ascending levels align with the levels of glory of the Celestial Hierarchy. Now to get more practical. What is the best way to ascend the “nine steps of the golden staircase?” How do we ascend the Celestial Hierarchy? It’s one thing to understand the theology and mystical revelations behind this teaching; it’s another to gain a practical understanding of how we can progress up those levels. The answer is simple—we prayerfully reflect on the humanity of the Son of God.
In His divine nature, the Son of God beheld the Beatific Vision and contained the fullness of grace. Along with His Father and the Holy Spirit, He is the source of all grace, with His human nature becoming the one and only instrumental cause of all grace. While He walked on earth, however, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Luke 2:52). He didn’t become more divine in His human nature. Jesus was, is, and always will be divine; however, the perfection of His divinity slowly manifested within His human life as He interacted with others, expressing in human form the perfections of His wisdom and love. Thus, His human nature was in perfect harmony with the divine will, fully manifesting the grace present in His divinity. At the same time, His human mind and will went through an earthly process of expressing that grace until the moment when His human nature had manifested it fully, as He cried out from the Cross, “It is finished!”
Jesus, the Savior and Model for Our Journey
Regarding the interior union of Jesus’ two natures, Saint Cyril of Alexandria comments on the above-mentioned line from Luke’s Gospel, “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Luke 2:52) (the emphasis below is not in the original):
But He is said to increase in His human nature, not as if that nature, which was perfect from the beginning, received increase, but that by degrees it was manifested. For the law of nature does not allow that man should have higher faculties than the age of his body permits. The Word then (made man) was perfect, as being the power and wisdom of the Father, but because something was to be yielded to the habits of our nature, lest He should be counted strange by those who saw Him, He manifested Himself as man with a body, gradually advancing in growth, and was daily thought wiser by those who saw and heard Him.
Though Jesus was always perfect, Hebrews 2:6–8 says that the Father sent the Son to the human race as the “the leader to their salvation.” The way the Father did that was to make the Son “perfect through suffering.” In other words, Jesus’ inherent and ever-present perfection as God became fully manifest in human form by His life, and especially through His suffering and death. He became for a time “lower than the angels” in the sense that He permitted Himself to model the pathway to perfection by gradually manifesting His perfection and wisdom, while retaining the fullness of His Godhead and perfections along the way.
By thoroughly examining every moment of Jesus’ life chronologically, we will discover that He manifested His divinity in a deepening process over the course of His human life. This is how He modeled the way to perfection and endowed human nature with His saving grace to attain it. From the humility of His Incarnation, through His childhood, Baptism, temptations in the desert, public ministry, Agony in the Garden, Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension, we will discover the surest pathway to eternal Seraphic Glory by imitating and participating in the human life of Christ.
The reflections in Part Two on the life of Christ are presented first as longer reflections and then as shorter meditations. The reflections are best read as a preliminary preparation for praying the Rosary. They are intended to be a prayerful pondering of the mysteries of the life of Christ and are speculatively aligned with nine steps of the Celestial Hierarchy. The meditations are a shortened version of the reflections that can be used while praying the mysteries of the Rosary for years to come.
Because the mysteries of the Rosary are “mysteries,” there is no end to the depth into which we can enter. Study is insufficient. Memorizing the Scripture passage is insufficient. We must pray, ponder, and reflect on each mystery. As this happens, the Holy Spirit will teach us what we need to know and will reveal to us the message God wants to communicate. The mysteries of Christ’s life are so profound that we will only understand them fully in Heaven as we gaze upon the Beatific Vision and receive a pure, direct, and immediate infusion of divine insight. For now, prayer and meditation will stretch the capacity of our minds and hearts to receive the infused grace with which we are invited to cooperate, so that we can receive more grace and cooperate with that grace in an ever-ascending journey toward Divine Union in this life, meriting us Seraphic Glory in the next.
How to Use Part Two
Though Part One of this book contained some challenging theological and philosophical concepts that might have necessitated you to read a section more than once, Part One was best read in a short amount of time so as to comprehend the flow and to understand how each chapter built upon the previous ones.
Part Two is ideally approached much differently. One can certainly read through the reflections on Steps One through Nine in a short amount of time, but that might not be the ideal method for most readers. Because the reflections in Part Two are written for prayerful pondering, it is best to read them slowly, taking time to consider the mysteries of Christ’s life in prayer and contemplation, while using them for daily prayer.
For example, this might mean you prayerfully read through the first Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, over and over again. If you find yourself gaining spiritual insights as you do, then do not move on. Read it again. Spend time reflecting on those insights in prayer. Ponder them throughout your day, and move on only when you sense in your spirit that God wants you to do so. Each person’s time spent considering each mystery will be different, depending upon what God wants to communicate to you at this moment in your life. One person might find great benefit in spending a week, a month, or even longer on one divine mystery. Another person might only spend a day or two.
Though it would be useful to read through all the mysteries of the Rosary, it is ideal to return to and spend extended periods of time with the particular mysteries that most pertain to your life right now. Most people will find that the reflections in Steps One through Three—the Joyful, Luminous, and first three Sorrowful Mysteries—are most applicable to their spiritual journey. Though it is essential to meditate on the fourth and fifth Sorrowful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries, the conversion required to fully embrace the depth of meaning in those mysteries is most applicable to the Proficient and Perfect. Seek out the mystery of the Rosary that most speaks to you right now. Since many people are still in the beginning stages of spiritual development—Beginners in the Purgative Way—don’t hesitate to spend most of your time with the Joyful and Luminous Mysteries. When you sense you have fully embraced the depth of holiness required to imitate our Lord’s actions and messages in those mysteries, move on to Step Three, which mirrors the Active Night of the Spirit. In other words, even though everyone will benefit from understanding the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, and Crowning with Thorns, which align with Step Three, those mysteries will take on new spiritual meaning and bear the most spiritual fruit in one’s life only after thoroughly embracing the lessons found in the Joyful and Luminous Mysteries.
The goal of Part Two is not to get through the material quickly. The goal is to spiritually digest it, probe it, comprehend it, and allow God to speak to you on a personal level as you do. The ideal approach to these reflections and meditations is to use the method taught by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in his spiritual classic, The Spiritual Exercises.
Using the Methods of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
One of the best teachers of spiritual theology for the beginner is Saint Ignatius of Loyola. After experiencing a profound conversion himself, he went into seclusion and developed a thirty-day retreat format called The Spiritual Exercises. Though Saint Ignatius’ writings offer a format for a thirty-day directed silent retreat, the principles he presents can be used in many other settings.
At the heart of the Ignatian method are prayer and discernment for the dual purpose of glorifying God and saving one’s soul. Ignatius’ prayer is a combination of what he calls meditations, contemplations, and application of the senses. His use of the term “contemplations” does not refer to infused contemplative prayer, as described by Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Ávila. For Ignatius, meditations, contemplations, and application of the senses fall into the category of mental prayer.
One of the most fruitful and practical aspects of Ignatius’ approach is the concrete meditations on the entire life of Christ, as found in Scripture, along with some of his own meditations along the way. These meditations and contemplations feed the mind with pure truth as taught by Jesus during His public ministry. Though Ignatius’ methods are important, the content of his meditations is at the heart of his spiritual approach. The reflections on the life of Christ as outlined in the Rosary offer a similar approach to Ignatius’ meditations.
Additionally, those who progress in prayer will be faced with discernment. Ignatius was keenly aware of the workings of the good angels and the demons on the spiritual journey and offered sound and practical advice on how to know if a particular thought or interior movement originated from a good spirit or a bad one. Because Ignatius’ approach is so helpful to the beginner, we will offer a brief summary of his methods and teachings. We will begin with his methods of prayer and conclude with his discernment of spirits.
A fuller explanation of the Spiritual Exercises can be found in the book Probing the Depths: Ignatian Lessons and Meditations Arranged According to the Liturgical Year, which can be read in its entirety for free at www.mycatholic.life/books.
Ignatian Methods of Mental Prayer
Throughout The Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius offers various methods of prayer. Though he identifies at least five different methods of prayer, the three below get to the heart of his approach to praying with the Scriptures.
Meditation: At the beginning of the first exercises for the first week, Ignatius gives some brief descriptions of what he calls “meditation.” Ignatius explains that one needs to use the imagination to see the “composition” and to experience the appropriate “desire” within the meditation. One might intentionally analyze doctrine and spiritual concepts, prayerfully reason toward conclusions of faith, or think about events in the Gospels. Meditation is a mental exercise using reason and imagination to think about, reflect upon, and ponder some truth of the faith. While meditating on the Nativity of Christ, try to imagine the details of Jesus’ place of birth. Perhaps you ponder the meaning of the name “Bethlehem” as “House of Bread” or contemplate why Jesus was born in a manger.
Contemplations: Though Ignatius uses the word “contemplations” in the second week of his exercises, he is not referring to what Saint John of the Cross and other great mystics mean by “infused contemplation.” For Ignatius, contemplations are another form of mental prayer, similar to meditation. This form of mental prayer involves less thinking and more experiencing, while gazing with devotion and interest at the Gospel scene. Continuing with the example of the Nativity of Christ, imagine the pleading words Joseph might have used with the innkeeper to give the couple a room, Mary’s calming words to her husband that everything will be fine, or Joseph’s reassuring words that he will be at her side at Jesus’ birth. Your affections, feelings, emotions, and desires are stirred, and much attention is given to the various movements of the soul. As you look at the image, persons, events, and places of the Gospel with the loving use of your imagination, you become a true participant in the Gospel scene.
Application of the Senses: This form of mental prayer uses the imagination and mind while focusing more on the sensory experiences obtained from the meditation than some form of logical conclusion gained by reasoning. Less attention is given to a reasoned-out “conclusion” to some mystery of faith, and more attention is given to the fruitfulness experienced by simply “being” with our Lord in the Gospels in silence and love. In the Nativity example, try to imagine the smell of the barn. What were the sounds of the animals in the middle of the night? How did the hay feel? And what did the new parents think about all of this?
Overview of Discernment of Spirits
Saint Ignatius divides his teaching on the discernment of spirits into two stages: fourteen rules more appropriate for those in the initial stage of spiritual development (the First Week), and eight rules for those in the second stage of spiritual development (the Second Week). This brief overview of Ignatian discernment of spirits will be helpful to understand as you prayerfully work your way through the Rosary reflections on Steps One through Nine that will follow.
Spiritual Experiences and Thinking: Saint Ignatius’ teaching relies upon what we already covered in Chapter Three of Part One of this book—both good spirits and bad spirits influence us. He certainly means angels and demons but extends his discernment to the influence of our fallen human nature, the evils in the world, and the goodness found in this world. Spiritual experiences and thoughts, in our prayer and throughout our day, are influenced by these spirits. Good spirits inspire virtuous actions and suggest thoughts that align us with God’s will. Evil spirits deceive us in subtle ways. Spiritual discernment is a process by which we analyze our spiritual and sensory experiences while considering different thoughts so that we can deduce the source: angels, demons, fallen human nature, the fallen world, or goodness in the world.
First Rules for Discernment: The first fourteen rules set forth by Saint Ignatius could be divided more generally into four sections: initial conversion, spiritual consolations, spiritual desolation, and tactics of the evil one.
When a person initially turns from serious sin and begins to work intensely to break old habits, the demons will employ various temptations. They might suggest false reasoning that leads to anxiety, an unsettled spirit, feeling overwhelmed by the spiritual journey, or doubting God’s power and love. On the contrary, the good angels will give strength, consolations, encouragement, peace, and hope. Essentially, the bad spirits lead one into desolation, and the good spirits lead one into consolation. Consolations are positive spiritual experiences leading towards God, and desolations are negative experiences leading away from God. Here is a summary of each:
Consolation
- Being inflamed with the love of God
- Love of all created things with the Heart of God
- Spiritual tears
- Increase of faith, hope, and charity
Desolation
- Darkness of soul and disturbance in it
- Movement to things low and earthly
- The disquiet of different agitations and temptations
- Moving toward a lack of confidence
- Loss of hope and love
- Feeling lazy, tepid, sad, and as if separated from our Creator and Lord
Discernment involves an objective evaluation of our experiences. It requires identifying and setting aside thoughts that cause or flow from desolation. At the same time, it is important to embrace the consolations that come from good spirits and to choose to follow the thoughts that are inspired by these consolations.
In this interior struggle, we must remain strong, confident, and filled with faith. Immediately dismiss every fear and anxiety as from the evil one. Doing so weakens the bad spirits’ ability to influence you. When we are weak, they are strong. When we are strong, they are weak. It also helps to bring our struggles into the light, such as to a trusted spiritual friend, and especially in confession. Doing so robs the bad spirits of one of their primary weapons: fear. Lastly, the evil one often knows our weaknesses and will place most of his attention on those struggles, so be aware of your weaknesses and try to avoid putting yourself into such an occasion of sin.
Second Rules for Discernment: The second set of rules, which consists of eight, applies to those who have already turned from serious sin and are advancing in spiritual growth. When this happens, the tactics of the bad spirits change, as does God’s activity on the soul.
As one progresses in the spiritual life, the deceptions of the bad spirits become more subtle, requiring greater attentiveness. At the same time, as one draws closer to God, His activity and communications through the good spirits also become more subtle as they become more beautiful. The goal is to discern those communications from God that give true happiness and spiritual joy, and banish all the sadness and disturbances that the enemy causes.
As we advance, the evil one will try to give us a false consolation. For example, you might feel passionate about some initiative that does not originate from God’s will. If the devil cannot get you to choose serious sin, then he will try to mislead you by pointing you to something that, at first, appears to be a good idea, or deter you from a subtle communication from God. These rules for discernment help you to understand the various types of consolations you may experience, such as “caused” and “uncaused” experiences, and to discern what is from God and what is from the demons.
Ignatius explains that when the evil one subtly deceives us and we begin to walk down the wrong path, thinking what we are doing is good, we will begin to have certain experiences as the result of our erroneous thinking. If our thinking leads to any of the following, then we can be certain that the thought is from the evil one:
- Evil
- Distraction
- Less good than the soul had formerly proposed to do
- A weakening of the soul
- A disquiet in the soul
- A destruction of the peace, tranquility, and quiet that it had before
- A permeating disturbance within the soul
Finally, Saint Ignatius explains the different and contrasting interior experiences of “those who go on from good to better,” compared to “those who go on from bad to worse.” Rule Seven states in part:
In those who go on from good to better, the good Angel touches such souls sweetly, lightly and gently, like a drop of water which enters into a sponge; and the evil touches it sharply and with noise and disquiet, as when the drop of water falls on the stone. And the above-said spirits touch in a contrary way those who go on from bad to worse.
Though this is a quick overview of Saint Ignatius’ practical approach to the spiritual life for the beginner, it’s important to understand it as foundational for anyone who wants to grow close to God. Without building a proper foundation, the entire structure will fall when a storm comes. Likewise, without going through the foundation of meditations and reflections on the life of Christ and discernment, one’s spiritual life will crumble. Therefore, if you want to become one of the great saints and ascend to the highest heights of Seraphic Glory, start at the bottom and build up from there.
Let Your Prayer Begin
What follows is the most important part of this two-part book—the human life of Christ found in the Scriptures. Take your time with these reflections, using Saint Ignatius’ method as your approach. Don’t hesitate to read one reflection over and over again, as long as it inspires you and bears good fruit. As long as you sense God’s grace and the good angels touching your soul within one reflection, stick with it. If the Scriptural message within one meditation takes you a month, several months, or even longer, then remain with that reflection so that God can transform you with His grace in the areas you need it the most.
Once you do complete the reflections found in Steps One through Nine, the final section entitled “Meditations for the Rosary” is intended to be used for the years that follow. By carefully, slowly, and thoroughly going through the reflections over the coming months or year, the much shorter “Meditations for the Rosary” will help you to prayerfully recall the ideas and insights you gained while prayerfully reading through the reflections.
Next: Reflections for Step One—Beginning Purgation: Sharing in the Glory of the Guardian Angels
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