Contemplative Haven: Supernatural Phenomena: A Snippet from the 6th 
Supernatural Phenomena: A Snippet from the 6th
St. Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy
In the Sixth Mansions, St. Teresa of Avila tells us of different ways in which God "awakens the soul" more fully. The Lord does this by means of such things as love wounds, locutions, ecstasies/raptures, flights of spirit, and sometimes levitation. Father Thomas Dubay, in "Fire Within", concedes that levitation is generally considered to be "extraordinary", but says that "the other experiences are all normal developments of a deepening communion with the Trinity."
We will look at some of these phenomena more closely over the next few posts, in order to examine what St. Teresa thinks are the reasons for them and their effects upon the soul. But let us keep in mind the words of St. Teresa herself, as she cautioned her Carmelite nuns:
"And let none of you imagine that, because a sister has had such experiences, she is any better than the rest; the Lord leads each of us as He sees we have need. Such experiences, if we use them aright, prepare us to be better servants of God; but sometimes it is the weakest whom God leads by this road; and so there is no ground here either for approval or for condemnation. We must base our judgments on the virtues."
In the Sixth Mansions, St. Teresa of Avila tells us of different ways in which God "awakens the soul" more fully. The Lord does this by means of such things as love wounds, locutions, ecstasies/raptures, flights of spirit, and sometimes levitation. Father Thomas Dubay, in "Fire Within", concedes that levitation is generally considered to be "extraordinary", but says that "the other experiences are all normal developments of a deepening communion with the Trinity."
We will look at some of these phenomena more closely over the next few posts, in order to examine what St. Teresa thinks are the reasons for them and their effects upon the soul. But let us keep in mind the words of St. Teresa herself, as she cautioned her Carmelite nuns:
"And let none of you imagine that, because a sister has had such experiences, she is any better than the rest; the Lord leads each of us as He sees we have need. Such experiences, if we use them aright, prepare us to be better servants of God; but sometimes it is the weakest whom God leads by this road; and so there is no ground here either for approval or for condemnation. We must base our judgments on the virtues."
The Ecstasy of St. Catherine of Siena
posted by Gabrielle at 11:30 AM
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