National Park of the Soul
one
The National Park of the Soul
John of the Cross describes the spiritual journey to God and happiness as the Ascent of Mt Carmel. I like this imagery because I love hiking to the top of a mountain.
When my kids were young, we began to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The first time with my kids, I wanted to begin at Fern Lake Trail Head, to Odessa Lake, then up and over to Bear Lake and loop back to the beginning. However, before we started, a volunteer rangers said: “It’s too dangerous to go to the top. There is ice and snow. You can’t make it, so don’t even try.”
Well, he had the uniform, so we believed him. So we settled for going to the waterfall and turning back. When we got there, we looked up with longing but remembered we were told we couldn’t make it. Just then, we saw two figures coming over the ridge. As they drew nearer it was two old ladies with handbags and dress shoes. Well at that moment two emotions rushed over me: First, anger that the volunteer ranger had no idea what he was talking about. He had probably never been to the top nor even tried; the second emotion was joy, because we all knew in that instant, if they could make it, then so could we!
two
The Life of Prayer is similar to this experience.
Most Catholics were taught to say prayers as a child: the Our Father and Hail Mary. And many people speak to God in their own words throughout the day. This is vocal prayer. It is the very beginning of the journey but it’s certainly not the whole landscape of prayer. There is a whole “national park” of the soul waiting to be explored.
Sadly, many never venture into the amazing spiritual landscape because they did not know it was even there and they we’re never shown the way, so they never went on to meditation and never reached the mountain top of contemplation.
Well, Jesus has shown us the way and the Church as given us the expert guides in St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross
· They tell us: You too can reach the top
· Just start out and never quit
· Most don’t know the teachings of Teresa and are afraid of John, but over the next week or so I want to open up for you this landscape of the soul from their writings
· Because we have somewhere amazing to go!
three
The Stages of Prayer
Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross lay out for us the stages in the journey of the soul to union with God and perfect happiness.
John describes it as the Ascent of Mt. Carmel, and Teresa explains it as entering into a Castle or Mansion where God dwells within.
This spiritual journey has been divided into nine stages:
(1) It begins with Vocal prayer
(2) Meditation – 1st Teresian Mansion
(3) Affective prayer – 2nd Mansion
(4) Prayer of simplicity – 3rd Mansion
· The Dark Night of the Senses
(5) Infused contemplation – 4th Mansion
(6) Prayer of quiet,
(7) Prayer of union – 5th Mansion
(8) Prayer of conforming union – 6th Mansion
· The Dark Night of the Spirit
(9) Prayer of transforming union – 7th Mansion
We can simply it and organize it into three: vocal prayer, meditation and contemplation.
But without exception, God created every person on earth to reach the top. We just need to set out and not turn back.
Teresa of Avila said: I am certain that all who do not stop on the way will drink this living water.
four
Contemplation, the mountain top experience is kind of like the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible.
Remember the short tax collector in Jericho who wanted to see Jesus. He try’s to see Jesus from afar, from the top of a sycamore tree. That is like seeing Jesus with faith. But because Zacchaeus was determined and he persevered in his effort to see Jesus something wonderful happened…”When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and spoke to him: 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am coming to your house today.' And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.”
That is precisely what happens in contemplation.
· Jesus comes to us in a way that we can experience Him.
· We really get to do as the Scriptures say,
· We taste and see how good the Lord is.
five
The two most important things you need to remember is that this journey of the soul to the mountain top of God.
This is for everyone, not just for the spiritually elite. It is for all of us spiritual slobs.
Second, the wonderful thing about prayer is that it does not get harder, it actually gets easier the farther you progress.
Fulton Sheen described the growth of prayer from vocal prayer to meditation to contemplation this way: In vocal prayer we go to God on foot. In meditation we go to God on horseback. In contemplation we go to God in a jet.
Contemplation is a simplification of prayer. It is a passage from our effort to God’s action, from complex to more simple. Prayer gets easier as we go further because God takes over more and more of the work. He carries us to the top. We just have to learn to let him.