Susan Muto CD Thoughts

Reason for Dark Night experiences: Spiritual Maturity To continue to make further spiritual progress through the dark
night, the unavoidable step one must take is to be willing to examine imperfections, even those most subtle and make look at first glance as conditions for holiness. (But are actually obstacles) The Main Imperfections/obstacles for Beginners that can block progress. A look at Vices vs. Virtues not in moral terms, but in spiritual terms. Virtues: Leads toward God. Vice leads us away from God and the collection of imperfections disorients us from Gods purpose in our lives. Sin not as a total negative, but missing the mark or goal because of being burdened by vices that block the light of faith, hope and love. There is a struggle that goes on within us. St. John suggests that if we can name these imperfections, we can be on the way to overcoming them, so we can continue to grow in the life of love. Obstacles needed to be lifted up to God to allow the journey to continue 1. Spiritual Pride: Described as complacency in what we have accomplished. May Lead us to becoming attached to what we are doing that is good, (Attached to our projects of self salvation.) Spiritual pride blocks our reliance on grace. Do I tend to minimize my faults? Do I always need to look good or perfect in the eyes of others? Do I become angry because I am not growing fast enough. The center of these questions is I and Me. Pride posing as humility. 2. Spiritual Avarice: leads to a possessiveness of the heart. A possessiveness about my ideas and images about God. An inclination to spiritual possessiveness. 3. Spiritual Lust: Collecting spiritual experiences, bragging about them, making others feel less because they have not prayed in such a way, or gone on such a pilgrimage. That in us which constantly wants to feel spiritual, have tingling emotions. Such seductions if not redirected can arouse in us unrealistic expectations about what it really feels like to be holy.
A need to feel something emotional and the more ecstatic, the better. This draws us far away from the aridity and dryness that needs to enter into our life if we are to keep growing. 4. Spiritual Anger: has to do with a certain irritability at any little thing, indiscreet zeal for putting ones own plans first and being angry ifothers dont go along with it. An obstacle leading to impatience, becoming angry at God for not moving quickly enough in our lives. 5. Spiritual Envy: Showing a profound lack of respect for the unique life call of another person. Can arouse feelings of sadness when we see genuine spiritual good in other people. Hearing another worthily praised 6. Spiritual Sloth: Becoming weary when prayer does not produce the self-satisfaction we crave. This blocks disciplines. We avoid tasks that are difficult or unpleasant. Sloth is scandalized by the cross; seeing the cross as too exhausting, too tiring, looking for an easier way This leads to profound discouragement. Feeling of apathy that one no longer wants to engage in the work of contemplation. A work that requires reflection so that we continually reexamine our priorities to see what is first in our life. 7. Spiritual Gluttony: wanting to indulge in spiritual delights and feelings such that they want be stuffed with these feelings. In order to find satisfaction they lack moderation moving from , there can be a day of extreme fasting, then something searching wavering between pain and pleasure Inward manipulation to paying more attention to satisfying these spiritual hungers. Moderation. Paying attention to the ordinary limits of life
Passive night of the senses and spirit. Nothing is lost that has proceeded this part of the journey. If these next steps are to be taken, then God has to be given the permission by our free will to take the initiative in our growth. Because it is only through the divine initiative which we receive. The receptivity in us has to grow deeper so we are open to receive the divine direction coming from the spirit in our lives. Our senses, seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling are being reformed by grace in such a way that they will conform to the spiritual dimention of our lives. This is the night that
accommodates our senses to our spirit so they are no longer at odds with one another, but are in a bond of closer union. There comes a point where we do not see things in God, but God in all things. Passive night of sense is a movement towards quiet receptivity. The soul may feel it is not doing enough, it may feel nothing is going on because God is transferring to the spirit all kinds of goods and energies previous confined to the senses. The soul longs for solitude and quiet to be alone with God. Waiting and listening become important. Passive night of Spirit is when our spiritual faculties, intellect, memory and will are being reformed through this night by pure faithm, pure hope, pure love so as to conform to the living, loving will of God drawing us into deeper union and communion with God through love. The initiative for transformation belongs completely to God. Events are reminders of Gods action in every life. There is an Inflowing of God in the soul which cleansing us of our ignorance of our true transcendent nature. Which begins to overcome our imperfections that up until now we could not loosen from our consciousness. There is a grace that comes from God where He secretely is teaching the soul. In the passive nights of sense and spirit the slow puragation of all inordinate attachments begin to loosen their grip. One may have the pain of loneliness but it is transformed into the joy of solitude where one is aware of the presence or companionship with God. A walking hand in hand with the beloved. Consolations come and go that remind us God is helping us to feel more safe in what is going on within while we go about the normal business of the day. St. John asks that we conform to certain prerequisites. 1. Practicing lives of virtue, morally good lives 2. Being liberated to old attachments to power, pleasure, possession. We pursue excellence but our motivation has dramatically changed. 3. Persevere in spiritual disciplines of silence, meditation, prayer, spiritual reading 4. Moving beyond the need for constant consolations, trusting God even in times of aridity.
What then are we to do in this phase of the dark night? Passively Receive? No. We are to remain open to the teachings of the spirit and work on the spiritual vices by awareness and practice of spiritual virtues.

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Reason for Dark Night experiences: Spiritual Maturity To continue to make further spiritual progress through the dark

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