第二章

同一主題的論述：透過一些精心繪製的比較，解釋了精神結合和精神婚姻之間的區別。

1. 想像中的異象帶來的精神婚禮。 2. 精神訂婚與婚姻不同。 3. 精神婚姻持久。 4. 不那麼精神上的訂婚。 5. 精神婚姻永久。 6. 聖保羅與屬靈婚姻。 7. 靈魂結合的喜悅。 8. 堅信天主的內住。 9. 它的和平。 10. 基督為靈魂神聖結合的祈禱。 11.它的實現。 12.第七重居所的靈魂不可改變的平靜。 13.除非得罪神。 14.第七府外的鬥爭。 15. 比較解釋這一點。

1. 1. 現在我們來談論神聖和精神的婚禮，儘管這種崇高的恩惠在我們今生無法完全接受，因為如果放棄天主，就會失去這種偉大的好處。天主第一次賜予這種恩典時，透過想像中最神聖的人性，他向靈魂展示自己，以便靈魂能夠理解並認識到它正在接受的至高無上的禮物。祂可能以與其他人不同的方式顯現自己；我提到的那個人，在領聖餐後，看到了我們的主，充滿了光彩、美麗和威嚴，就像祂復活後一樣。 ⁴⁰³他告訴她，從今以後，她要關心他的事務，就好像它們是她自己的事情一樣，他也會關心她的事情：他說了一些她聽不懂的話，她無法重複。這似乎不是什麼新鮮事，因為我們的主曾在其他時候向她啟示過自己；⁴⁰⁴但這是如此不同，以至於讓她感到困惑和驚訝，既因為她當時所看到的和聽到的話語的生動性，也因為它發生在靈魂的內部，除了最後提到的那個之外，沒有看到其他異象。

2. 2. 你必須明白，在這座居所中看到的景象與在以前的居所中看到的景像有很大的不同；精神婚姻和精神婚姻之間存在著同樣的區別，就像那些僅僅訂婚的人和其他在神聖婚姻中永遠結合在一起的人之間的區別一樣。我已經告訴你⁴⁰⁵，雖然我做這個比較是因為沒有比這更合適的了，但這種訂婚與我們的肉體狀況的關係並不比靈魂是一個脫離肉體的精神更重要。對於精神婚姻來說更是如此，因為這種秘密的結合發生在靈魂的最深處，天主本人必須居住在那裡：我相信不需要任何門就可以進入它。我說，“不需要門”，因為迄今為止我所描述的一切似乎都是透過感官和官能來實現的，這必須是我們主的人性的代表，但在精神婚禮的結合中所經歷的卻是非常不同的。在這裡，天主出現在靈魂的中心，不是透過想像，而是透過比以前看到的更神秘的理智願景，就像祂在沒有進門的情況下向使徒顯現時說：「Pax vobis」。 ⁴⁰⁶

3. 3. 天主瞬間賜予靈魂的秘密是如此神秘，其恩寵是如此崇高，以至於靈魂感到一種至高無上的喜悅，只能用「我們的主暫時以一種比任何異像或靈性喜悅更微妙的方式向靈魂啟示他自己的天國榮耀來描述」來形容。就我們所知，靈魂，我的意思是這個靈魂的精神，與天主合而為一⁴⁰⁷天主本身就是一個精神，他很高興向某些人展示他對我們的愛有多遠，以便我們可以讚美他的偉大。因此，他屈尊將自己與他的創造物結合在一起：他將自己與她結合在一起，就像兩個人結合在一起一樣牢固，永遠不會將自己與她分開。

4. 4.精神上的訂婚是不同的，就像結合的恩典經常會被解除；因為雖然兩個事物通過結合而成為一體，但分離仍然是可能的，因此每個部分仍然是一個獨立的事物。這種恩惠通常很快就會過去，之後，據靈魂所知，就沒有他的陪伴了。

2725. 5. 在與主的屬靈婚姻中並非如此，靈魂始終與神同在其中心。聯盟可以用兩根蠟燭來象徵，兩根蠟燭的尖端相互接觸得如此緊密，以至於只剩下一根蠟燭；或者，燈芯、蠟和光合二為一，但一根蠟燭可以再次與另一根蠟燭分開，並且兩根蠟燭仍然不同；或者可以將燈芯從蠟中取出。但屬靈的婚姻就像雨水從天上落入河流或溪流，成為同一種液體，因此河流和雨水不能分開；或者它像一條流入海洋的小溪，之後就無法與它分離。這種婚姻也可以比喻為一個房間，一束明亮的光從兩扇窗戶射入，雖然進入時是分開的，但光線卻變成了同一束光。

6. 6. 也許當聖保羅說：「與主結合的，便是一靈」⁴⁰⁸，他指的是這種至高無上的婚姻，它的前提是陛下已經透過結合與靈魂結合。同一位使徒說：「對我來說，活著就是基督，死了就有收穫。」⁴⁰⁹我想，這句話可能是由靈魂說出的，因為現在我所說的那隻小蝴蝶帶著極大的喜悅死去，因為基督是她的生命。

7. 7.隨著時間的推移，這一點通過其影響變得更加明顯，因為靈魂通過某些強烈而不容誤解的秘密直覺了解到，是天主賦予了它“生命”，並且雖然無法描述，但卻可以敏銳地感受到。這些產生瞭如此難以控制的感覺，以至於經歷它們的人無法克制多情的感嘆，例如：「哦，我生命中的生命，支撐著我的力量！」以及其他類似的願望。 ⁴¹⁰因為從神性的懷抱中，天主似乎永遠緊緊地擁抱著這個靈魂，流出了乳汁，安慰了城堡的僕人。我認為他希望他們以某種方式分享靈魂所享有的財富；因此，從吞沒了小溪的河流中，時不時地流出一些水滴，以維持新郎和新娘的僕人的身體力量。

8. 8. 一個人意外地掉進水里，他不可能不知道；這裡的情況是相同的，但更明顯。大量的水不可能落在我們身上，除非它來自某個源頭——所以靈魂確信，其中一定有某個人射出這些飛鏢，使自己的生命充滿活力，並且有一個太陽，從那裡，這燦爛的光芒從精神的內部流向它的官能。

9. 9. 正如我所說，靈魂本身永遠不會離開這個中心，也不會失去他所能給予的平安，當使徒們聚集在一起時，他將平安賜給了他們。 ⁴¹¹我認為我們主的這一問候包含著比言語所傳達的更深的含義，正如他命令光榮的抹大拉“平平安安地去”一樣。 ⁴¹²主的話在我們裡面起作用，⁴¹³在這些情況下，它們一定已經在那些已經準備好從自己內部驅逐所有肉體的東西並只保留精神的東西的靈魂中發揮了作用，以便與非受造的精神中在這種屬天造的精神中結合起來。毫無疑問，如果我們清空​​自己所有屬於受造物的一切，為了天主的愛而剝奪自己，那麼同一位主就會用祂自己充滿我們。

10. 10. 我們的主耶穌基督為祂的使徒們祈禱（我記不清了），祈求他們能夠與天父並與祂自己合而為一；因為我們的主耶穌基督在父裡面，父在祂裡面！ ⁴¹⁴ 我不知道愛怎麼比這更偉大！不要讓任何人退縮進入這裡，因為陛下還說過：「我不僅為他們祈禱，也為那些透過他們的話語相信我的人祈禱」；⁴¹⁵並且他宣稱：「我在他們之中。」⁴¹⁶

11. 11.天主幫助我！這些話是多麼真實，靈魂是多麼清楚地理解它們，在這種祈禱狀態下，靈魂發現它們本身就被實現了！我們也應該如此，除非是我們自己的過錯，因為我們的君王和主耶穌基督的話是不會落空的。是我們失敗了，因為我們沒有適當地安排自己，也沒有消除所有可以阻擋這道光的東西，這樣我們就看不到自己在這面刻有我們形象的鏡子中。 ⁴¹⁷這就是愛的力量，靈魂啊，在我心中描繪你沒有工匠擁有這樣的藝術，無論他的技巧如何，你的形像是否可以如此傳授！是愛給了你生命──那麼，美麗的人，如果你迷失了自己，你會看到我懷裡印著你的肖像──靈魂，在我身上尋找你自己。

12. 12. 回到我剛才所說的。神將靈魂安置在自己的居所中，那居所就在靈魂本身的中心。他們說，我們的主居住的至高天堂並不與其他地方一起旋轉：因此，官能和想像力的慣常運動似乎不會以任何可能傷害靈魂或擾亂其平靜的方式發生。

13. 13. 我似乎在暗示，在神將靈魂帶到這一步之後，靈魂就一定會得救，並且不會再陷入罪中？ ⁴¹⁸   「她〔自己〕得到了這樣的保證，有一天她會結出神的果子，她幾乎想像自己已經擁有了神，然而卻沒有隨之而來的喜樂。她與一個人處於同樣的地位，透過法律合同，他獲得了一筆輝煌的財產，該財產將成為他的，並且他將在特定日期，其果實。有權契據，而無法佔有該財產。 Cant. stanza xxii.3）說：「我相信，沒有一個靈魂在沒有得到恩典的確認的情況下，永遠不會達到這個狀態。 」另見裡貝拉，在《Acta Ss.》中。p. 554，大約罰款。  我的意思不是這個：每當我說靈魂似乎是安全的，我必須被理解為暗示只要國王陛下將其置於他的照顧之下並且它不會冒犯他。無論如何，我確信，這樣的人雖然意識到自己所處的崇高地位，並且已經保持了好幾年，但她並不認為自己是安全的，而是比以往任何時候都更加小心，避免對天主做出哪怕一丁點的冒犯。正如我稍後將解釋的，她最渴望為他服務，當她看到自己能為他做的事情與她應該做的事情相比是多麼少時，她感到持續的痛苦和困惑。這不是輕微的十字架，而是一種嚴重的屈辱，因為她越努力地進行懺悔，就越高興。她最大的懺悔就是被天主剝奪了做任何事的健康和力量。我在其他地方告訴你這給她帶來了多麼劇烈的痛苦，但現在這讓她更加悲傷。這一定是因為她就像一棵樹，嫁接在溪流附近的樹幹上，使它變得更加翠綠，更加碩果累累。 ⁴¹⁹ 為什麼要驚嘆這個靈魂的渴望，他的精神已經真正與我所描述的天水合而為一？

14. 14.回到我所寫的內容。權力、感官和激情並不是要持續享受這種平靜。靈魂確實如此，但在其他居所中，仍然有掙扎、痛苦和疲勞的時刻，儘管一般來說，它們並沒有失去平靜。這個「靈魂的中心」或「精神」很難描述，甚至很難相信，所以我想，姊妹們，我無法解釋我的意思，這樣你們就不會不相信我了；很難理解怎麼會有十字架和苦難，但心靈卻有平安。

15. 15. 讓我給你一兩個比較－願天主保佑它們可能有用；如果沒有，我知道我說的是真的。國王住在他的宮殿裡；他的王國發生了許多戰爭和災難，但他仍然留在王位上。同樣的道理，儘管其他宮裡有騷亂和野獸肆虐，但這些都不會進入第七重居所，也不會驅散靈魂。雖然心靈對這些煩惱感到遺憾，但它們不會打擾它，也不會剝奪它的平靜，因為激情太壓抑了，不敢進入這裡，在那裡它們只會遭受更多的失敗。全身雖痛，但頭若健全，則不受影響。我對這些比較微笑——它們並不令我高興——但我找不到其他的比較。你想怎麼想就怎麼想吧——我已經告訴你真相了。

TREATS OF THE SAME SUBJECT: EXPLAINS, BY SOME DELICATELY DRAWN COMPARISONS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPIRITUAL UNION AND SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE.

1. The spiritual nuptials introduced by an imaginary vision. 2. Spiritual betrothal and marriage differ. 3. Spiritual marriage lasting. 4. Not so spiritual betrothal. 5. Spiritual marriage permanent. 6. St. Paul and spiritual marriage. 7. The soul’s joy in union. 8. Its conviction of God’s indwelling. 9. Its peace. 10. Christ’s prayer for the divine union of the soul. 11. Its fulfilment. 12. Unalterable peace of the soul in the seventh Mansion. 13. Unless it offends God. 14. Struggles outside the seventh Mansion. 15. Comparisons explaining this.

1.

1. WE now come to speak of divine and spiritual nuptials, although this sublime favour cannot be received in all its perfection during our present life, for by forsaking God this great good would be lost. The first time God bestows this grace, He, by an imaginary vision of His most sacred Humanity, reveals Himself to the soul so that it may understand and realize the sovereign gift it is receiving. He may manifest Himself in a different way to other people; the person I mentioned, after having received Holy Communion beheld our Lord, full of splendour, beauty, and majesty, as He was after His resurrection.⁴⁰³ He told her that henceforth she was to care for His affairs as though they were her own and He would care for hers: He spoke other words which she understood better than she can repeat them. This may seem nothing new, for our Lord had thus revealed Himself to her at other times;⁴⁰⁴ yet this was so different that it left her bewildered and amazed, both on account of the vividness of what she saw and of the words heard at the time, also because it took place in the interior of the soul where, with the exception of the one last mentioned, no other vision had been seen.

2.

2. You must understand that between the visions seen in this and in the former mansions there is a vast difference; there is the same distinction between spiritual espousals and spiritual marriage as between people who are only betrothed and others who are united for ever in holy matrimony. I have told you⁴⁰⁵ that though I make this comparison because there is none more suitable, yet this betrothal is no more related to our corporal condition than if the soul were a disembodied spirit. This is even more true of the spiritual marriage, for this secret union takes place in the innermost centre of the soul where God Himself must dwell: I believe that no door is required to enter it. I say, ‘no door is required,’ for all I have hitherto described seems to come through the senses and faculties as must the representation of our Lord’s Humanity, but what passes in the union of the spiritual nuptials is very different. Here God appears in the soul’s centre, not by an imaginary but by an intellectual vision far more mystic than those seen before, just as He appeared to the Apostles without having entered through the door when He said: ‘Pax vobis.’⁴⁰⁶

3.

3. So mysterious is the secret and so sublime the favour that God thus bestows instantaneously on the soul, that it feels a supreme delight, only to be described by saying that our Lord vouchsafes for the moment to reveal to it His own heavenly glory in a far more subtle way than by any vision or spiritual delight. As far as can be understood, the soul, I mean the spirit of this soul, is made one with God⁴⁰⁷ Who is Himself a spirit, and Who has been pleased to show certain persons how far His love for us extends in order that we may praise His greatness. He has thus deigned to unite Himself to His creature: He has bound Himself to her as firmly as two human beings are joined in wedlock and will never separate Himself from her.

4.

4. Spiritual betrothal is different and like the grace of union is often dissolved; for though two things are made one by union, separation is still possible and each part then remains a thing by itself. This favour generally passes quickly, and afterwards the soul, as far as it is aware, remains without His company.

2725.

5. This is not so in the spiritual marriage with our Lord, where the soul always remains in its centre with its God. Union may be symbolized by two wax candles, the tips of which touch each other so closely that there is but one light; or again, the wick, the wax, and the light become one, but the one candle can again be separated from the other and the two candles remain distinct; or the wick may be withdrawn from the wax. But spiritual marriage is like rain falling from heaven into a river or stream, becoming one and the same liquid, so that the river and rain water cannot be divided; or it resembles a streamlet flowing into the ocean, which cannot afterwards be disunited from it. This marriage may also be likened to a room into which a bright light enters through two windows—though divided when it enters, the light becomes one and the same.

6.

6. Perhaps when St. Paul said, ‘He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit,’⁴⁰⁸ he meant this sovereign marriage, which presupposes His Majesty’s having been joined to the soul by union. The same Apostle says: ‘To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’⁴⁰⁹ This, I think, might here be uttered by the soul, for now the little butterfly of which I spoke dies with supreme joy, for Christ is her life.

7.

7. This becomes more manifest by its effects as time goes on, for the soul learns that it is God Who gives it ‘life,’ by certain secret intuitions too strong to be misunderstood, and keenly felt, although impossible to describe. These produce such over-mastering feelings that the person experiencing them cannot refrain from amorous exclamations, such as: ‘O Life of my life, and Power which doth uphold me!’ with other aspirations of the same kind.⁴¹⁰ For from the bosom of the Divinity, where God seems ever to hold this soul fast clasped, issue streams of milk, which solace the servants of the castle. I think He wishes them to share, in some way, the riches the soul enjoys; therefore from the flowing river in which the little streamlet is swallowed up, some drops of water flow every now and then to sustain the bodily powers, the servants of the bride and Bridegroom.

8.

8. A person who was unexpectedly plunged into water could not fail to be aware of it; here the case is the same, but even more evident. A quantity of water could not fall on us unless it came from some source—so the soul feels certain there must be some one within it who lances forth these darts and vivifies its own life, and that there is a Sun whence this brilliant light streams forth from the interior of the spirit to its faculties.

9.

9. The soul itself, as I said, never moves from this centre, nor loses the peace He can give Who gave it to the Apostles when they were assembled together.⁴¹¹ I think this salutation of our Lord contains far deeper meaning than the words convey, as also His bidding the glorious Magdalen to ‘go in peace.’⁴¹² Our Lord’s words act within us,⁴¹³ and in these cases they must have wrought their effect in the souls already disposed to banish from within themselves all that is corporal and to retain only what is spiritual, in order to be joined in this celestial union with the uncreated Spirit. Without doubt, if we empty ourselves of all that belongs to the creature, depriving ourselves of it for the love of God, that same Lord will fill us with Himself.

10.

10. Our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for His Apostles, (I cannot remember the reference), asked that they might be made one with the Father and with Himself; as Jesus Christ our Lord is in the Father and the Father in Him!⁴¹⁴ I do not know how love could be greater than this! Let none draw back from entering here, for His Majesty also said: ‘Not only for them do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in Me’;⁴¹⁵ and He declared: ‘I am in them.’⁴¹⁶

11.

11. God help me! how true these words are, and how clearly are they understood by the soul which in this state of prayer finds them fulfilled in itself! So should we all but for our own fault, for the words of Jesus Christ, our King and our Lord, cannot fail. It is we who fail by not disposing ourselves fitly, nor removing all that can obstruct this light,so that we do not behold ourselves in this mirror wherein our image is engraved.⁴¹⁷ Such is the power of love, O soul, To paint thee in my heart No craftsman with such art Whate’er his skill might be, could there Thine image thus impart! ’Twas love that gave thee life— Then, fair one, if thou be Lost to thyself, thou’lt see Thy portrait in my bosom stamped— Soul, seek thyself in Me.

12.

12. To return to what I was saying. God places the soul in His own mansion which is in the very centre of the soul itself. They say the empyreal heavens, in which our Lord dwells, do not revolve with the rest: so the accustomed movements of the faculties and imagination do not appear to take place in any way that can injure the soul or disturb its peace.

13.

13. Do I seem to imply that after God has brought the soul thus far it is certain to be saved and cannot fall into sin again?⁴¹⁸
   ’She [herself] has received such an assurance of coming one day to the fruition of God that she almost imagines she has already come into possession of Him, without, however, the joy that will accompany it. She is in the same position as one who by legal contract has received a splendid property which will become his, and whose fruit he will enjoy at a given date. Until then he only holds the title-deeds, without being able to take possession of the property. Nevertheless my soul would not like to come immediately into the possession of God, for it does not believe that it has deserved such a grace. It only desires to continue in His service, even at the cost of terrible sufferings. It would not mind thus serving Him to the end of the world, after having received such a pledge.’ St. John of the Cross, in treating of this subject (Spir. Cant. stanza xxii. 3) says: ‘I believe that no soul ever attains to this state without being confirmed in grace in it.’ See also Ribera, in the Acta Ss. p. 554, circa finem.  I do not mean this: whenever I say that the soul seems in security, I must be understood to imply for as long as His Majesty thus holds it in His care and it does not offend Him. At any rate I know for certain that though such a person realizes the high state she is in and has remained in it for several years, she does not consider herself safe, but is more careful than ever to avoid committing the least offence against God. As I shall explain later on, she is most anxious to serve Him and feels a constant pain and confusion at seeing how little she can do for Him compared with all she ought.’ This is no light cross but a severe mortification, for the harder the penances she can perform, the better is she pleased. Her greatest penance is to be deprived by God of health and strength to perform any. I told you elsewhere what keen pain this caused her, but now it grieves her far more. This must be because she is like a tree grafted on a stock growing near a stream which makes it greener and more fruitful.⁴¹⁹ Why marvel at the longings of this soul whose spirit has truly become one with the celestial water I described?

14.

14. To return to what I wrote about. It is not intended that the powers, senses and passions should continually enjoy this peace. The soul does so, indeed, but in the other mansions there are still times of struggle, suffering, and fatigue, though as a general rule, peace is not lost by them. This ‘centre of the soul’ or ‘spirit’ is so hard to describe or even to believe in, that I think, sisters, my inability to explain my meaning saves your being tempted to disbelieve me; it is difficult to understand how there can be crosses and sufferings and yet peace in the soul.

15.

15. Let me give you one or two comparisons—God grant they may be of use; if not, I know that what I say is true. A king resides in his palace; many wars and disasters take place in his kingdom but he remains on his throne. In the same way, though tumults and wild beasts rage with great uproar in the other mansions, yet nothing of this enters the seventh mansions, nor drives the soul from it. Although the mind regrets these troubles, they do not disturb it nor rob it of its peace, for the passions are too subdued to dare to enter here where they would only suffer still further defeat. Though the whole body is in pain, yet the head, if it be sound, does not suffer with it. I smile at these comparisons—they do not please me—but I can find no others. Think what you will about it—I have told you the truth.