PATH SEVEN: Divine Ascent
PATH SEVEN
Divine Ascent
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 PETER 3:18
We are near the end, but really this is a whole new beginning. Within every one of us is a longing to know and see the way to God. For all our chasing after autonomy and independence, we crave order. Where do we begin? How do we make progress? Where will we end? And will we be satisfied?
Cascading across time is the threefold way of divine ascent. Every path we’ve examined so far reflects the influence of this timeless approach. All paths embody this spiritual longing to know and to grow.
Buried beneath the history of the church are sterling examples of this threefold way: of a deep, inward transformation that comes about as a result of the purifying of the heart (purgation), the enlightening of the mind (illumination) and the perfecting of the soul (union). We begin with Pseudo-Dionysius (I’ll explain his name shortly). He was the key historical figure in the Christian imagination of the spiritual life as divine ascent, and his understanding of how we begin, grow and ultimately experience perfect union with God is quite profound.
We’ll follow our examination of Pseudo-Dionysius by looking at a writer whose name has been lost to history but whose book has not. The book, The Cloud of Unknowing, has captivated thinkers from John Wesley to Thomas Merton, and we will explore its intriguing take on how we move upward toward God.
Next we will look at Teresa of Avila, who takes the scheme of Pseudo-Dionysius (purgation or purification, illumination, union) and gives it an exquisite beauty of expression in The Interior Castle. For a clear delineation of how we progress forward in the spiritual life, Teresa is perhaps our best teacher.
Finally, we will turn to John of the Cross and his “dark night of the soul.” As we journey with John through the three stages of divine ascent, we discover that he is guiding us beyond the natural abilities of our senses and passions and even the faculties of memory, intelligence and will. In this way through the “dark night,” we are able to move beyond ourselves to discover God and his great love.