第三章

繼續同一主題，談靈魂在天主的幫助下所能達到的另一種結合，以及在此事上愛近人的重要性。本章極值得細讀。

1. 神聖結合在靈魂內燃起的熱火。2. 靈魂可能從這境界中墮落。3. 如何永遠獲得神聖的結合。4. 與天主旨意的結合是一切超性結合的根基。5. 藉自我犧牲得到結合的優勢。6. 妨礙結合的缺陷。7. 藉對天主與近人完全的愛而得到神聖結合。8. 對天主的愛與對近人的愛成正比。9. 真實的德行與想像中的德行。10. 虛幻的好決心。11. 結合靠工作，不靠感情。12. 弟兄般的愛德必將帶來這種結合。

1. 現在我們回過頭來看看我們的小鴿子，看天主在這境界中賜給它什麼恩寵。這意味著靈魂應努力在事奉吾主和自知上繼續前進。若它領受結合的恩寵後便不再精進，自以為平安，因而過著懈怠的生活，偏離了上天堂的道路——也就是遵守誡命——那它將與蠶蛹孵出的蝴蝶命運相同：那蝴蝶生下幾粒蛋、留下後代便永遠死去。我說它留下幾粒蛋，是因為我相信天主不會讓如此大的恩寵白白失去；若得恩的人不從中獲益，他人也能得益。因為在靈魂仍走正路時，它憑著熾熱的渴望和崇高的德行幫助他人，以自己的熱火點燃他人的熱情；就算已失去了那份高境，它仍渴望造益他人，並樂於傳揚天主向那些愛祂、事奉祂的人所顯示的慈悲。¹⁸⁵

2. 我認識一個人，正是這樣的情形。她雖犯了很大的錯，仍渴望他人從天主賜給她的恩寵中得益，便把祈禱的方法教給不懂的人，幫助他們極大。天主後來又賜給她新的光照；其實結合祈禱在她身上從未產生過上述的效果。吾主把自己傳達給多少人，卻如同猶達斯被召為宗徒，或如撒烏耳被召為君王，最後卻因自己的過錯喪失一切！姊妹們，我們應從中學到：若想得到新的恩寵、不喪失已有的恩寵，唯一的保障在於服從和遵守天主的誡命。這話我是對已領受這些恩寵的人和尚未領受的人一起說的。¹⁸⁶

3. 雖然我已說了那麼多，這重居所似乎還是有些難以理解。進入它的益處如此之大，天主若沒有賜給某人前述的超性恩賜，那人也不應心灰意冷、放棄努力。藉著天主恩寵的助佑，真正的結合永遠可以靠強迫自己放棄自我意志、在一切事上遵行天主旨意而達到。¹⁸⁷

4. 哦，我們當中有多少人自稱做到了這件事，並相信自己別無所求——甚至願意以此為真而赴死！若果真如此，我只能宣布——正如我想我以前做過的，往後也會一再宣布——我們已從天主那裡得到了這份恩寵；因此我們不必渴求前面所說的那種賞心悅意的結合，因為它的核心價值恰在於對天主旨意的順服，沒有這順服，就不可能達到那種結合。¹⁸⁸哦，這種結合是多麼可羨慕！達到它的幸福靈魂，在今世和來世都能活得毫無牽掛。塵世的任何事件都不能攪擾它，除非它看見自己瀕臨失去天主的危險，或見到有人得罪祂。疾病、貧困，乃至失去任何人的死亡，都不能觸動它——只有對天主教會有用的人的死才例外，因為靈魂深切明白，天主的安排比自己的願望更明智。

5. 你們要知道，悲傷有不同的種類：有一種悲傷和喜樂，源於本性的衝動，或源於愛德使我們憐憫近人，就像我們的救主復活拉匝祿時所感受到的那樣。¹⁸⁹這些感受不破壞與天主旨意的結合，也不以騷亂不安、持久激動的方式擾亂靈魂。它們很快過去，因為正如我談到祈禱中的甘甜時所說的，¹⁹⁰它們不觸及靈魂的深處，只觸及感官和官能。前幾重居所裡有這些，最後一重則沒有。為了達到這種神聖的結合，靈魂的諸官能需要被懸置嗎？不需要；天主有許多方式使靈魂豐富、使它進入這些居所，不必採取可以說是「捷徑」的那種方式。但有一點你們要確信，女兒們：無論如何，蠶都必須死，而這條路要你們付出更高的代價。前一種方式因著我們發現自己進入了新生命而使那死亡容易些；這裡，反之，我們必須自己給自己致命的一擊。我承認這工作要難得多，但也更有價值，因此你們若能得勝，賞報也更大；¹⁹¹但毫無疑問，你們是能夠達到這與天主旨意的真實結合的。

6. 這就是我一生都渴望、求吾主賜給我的那種結合，它是最確定、也最安全的。但唉，我們當中有多少人真的得到了它！那些謹慎不得罪天主、進了修道院的人，以為這樣就足夠了。有多少蟲子藏在隱秘處，等候時機，就像那咬掉約納的常春藤的蟲子一樣，¹⁹²將我們的德行蛀蝕殆盡。這些害蟲就是自愛、自尊、對他人輕率的批評——即使在小事上——以及未能完全如愛自己一樣愛近人的缺失。雖然我們勉強盡了本分，足以不犯罪，但要達到與天主旨意的完全結合，所需要的遠不止於此。

7. 女兒們，你們認為天主的旨意是什麼？就是要我們完全成聖，從而與祂及聖父合而為一——正如祂所祈求的那樣。¹⁹³那麼你們看清缺少了什麼。我向你們保證，寫這主題對我來說極其痛苦，因為我看見自己因自己的過錯，距完全成聖是多麼遙遠。為了達到與天主旨意的合一，我們不必領受天主特別的神慰；祂已賜給我們聖子來教導我們道路，這便已足夠。這並不是說我們必須如此臣服於天主的旨意，以至於不能為父親或弟兄的死而悲傷；或是說我們必須帶著喜樂承受十字架和疾病。¹⁹⁴這樣固然好，但有時只是常識使然——既然我們無能為力，便把必要化為德行。異教哲學家的大智慧，在這類試煉中有多少次就是這樣引導他們的！吾主對我們只有兩個要求：愛祂和愛近人；這是我們必須努力得到的。若我們完美地修練這兩種德行，就是遵行祂的旨意，也就是與祂結合了。但正如我所說，我們在這兩件事上，距離完全服從和事奉我們偉大的主宰還差得很遠——求至尊陛下賜我們恩寵，使我們配得上與祂結合；若我們願意，這是在我們能力範圍之內的。

8. 我認為，判斷我們是否守全這兩條誡命，最確定的標誌是：我們是否真正地愛近人。我們無法確知自己是否愛天主，雖然有充分理由相信自己是愛的；但我們是否愛近人，則毫無模糊之處。¹⁹⁵你們要確信：你們在弟兄之愛上的長進，和你們在對天主之愛上的長進成正比，¹⁹⁶因為至尊陛下對我們情深義重，我確信祂會用千百種方式，以我們對他人的愛來回報、增長我們對祂的愛。在這件事上，我們最該留心照管自己，若在此無可指摘，便是做了一切。我相信人性如此敗壞，若非植根於對天主的愛，我們不可能對近人懷有完全的愛德。

9. 在這最要緊的事上，姊妹們，我們對小事應最警醒，別去理會我們在祈禱時計劃的那些豐功偉業，想像自己會為別人做什麼，甚至為了救一個靈魂不惜如何如何。若我們後來的行動背叛了這些宏大的計劃，就沒有理由以為那些事情我們真的會去做。謙遜和其他德行也是同樣的道理。魔鬼的詭計很多，牠不惜把地獄翻個底朝天一千次，只為讓我們認為自己比實際的更好。牠有充分理由這樣做，因為這種妄念害處最大：從這根源生長出的假德行，總是伴隨著一種虛榮，而真正屬神的德行絕對沒有這種虛榮。

10. 有一件有趣的事：有些靈魂在祈禱時以為自己願意為愛天主而被人輕視、當眾侮辱，但事後卻盡力掩蓋自己的小缺失；若有人不公正地指責她們有什麼過失，天主救救我們，她們的大呼小叫！那些受不住這些的人，別去管她們在獨處時所做的那些宏大計劃——那根本不是意志的真正決定，否則結果就大不一樣了。魔鬼就用這種方式攻擊和欺騙人，往往對女性和其他不懂得分辨靈魂官能與想像之別的人造成很大的傷害，以及諸如此類的千百種情形。哦，姊妹們，分辨你們當中哪些人已達到對近人真誠的愛、哪些人還差得很遠，是多麼容易！若你們知道這德行有多重要，就會全心全力去求得它。

11. 當我看見有人非常著急地想知道自己在修練哪一種祈禱、用布遮著臉，連動一下或想一下都不敢，唯恐失去一點點軟情或虔誠，我就知道她對如何達到與天主的結合了解多麼少——她以為結合就在這些事情裡。不，姊妹們，不是的；吾主要的是工作。若你們看見一個病弱的姊妹可以得到你的幫助，¹⁹⁷別害怕因此失去虔誠；要憐憫她；若她在痛苦中，感同身受；有需要時，齋戒讓她能吃飯——這樣做與其說是為她，不如說是因為你知道吾主要求你這樣做。這才是我們的意志與天主旨意真正的結合。若別人受到稱讚，比那稱讚是給你自己更加喜悅——這不難，因為若你真的謙遜，被人稱讚反而令你不安。看見姊妹的德行被人知曉而歡喜，看見她的過失——彷彿那是你自己的——而難過，並在他人眼前為她遮掩，這是很大的善。

12. 我在其他地方多次談過這個主題，¹⁹⁸因為，我的姊妹們，若在這一點上失敗，我知道一切都完了；求天主使我們永遠不至如此。若你們有弟兄般的愛德，我向你們保證，你們必定得到我所描述的那種結合。若你們意識到自己缺乏這份愛德，那麼即使你們感到虔誠和甘甜，在安靜祈禱中有短暫的神馳而以為自己達到了與天主的結合，你們也相信我，那還不是真正的結合。求吾主賜給你們對近人的完全的愛，其他的交給祂。若你們強迫自己、竭盡全力去得到它——盡可能地強迫自己的意志在一切事上順從姊妹們的願望，有時即使因此失去自己的權益——祂給你們的將超過你們所能渴望的。為她們而忘記自己的利益，不管本性如何反抗；有機會時，替近人承擔一些擔子，讓她得到輕省。別以為這毫不費力、一切都會自動替你辦好——想想我們的配偶所懷的愛為我們付出了多大的代價：祂為了救我們脫離死亡，自己承受了一切死亡中最痛苦的死亡——十字架的死亡。

THIS CHAPTER CONTINUES THE SAME SUBJECT AND SPEAKS OF ANOTHER KIND OF UNION WHICH THE SOUL CAN OBTAIN WITH THE HELP OF GOD. THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR IN THIS MATTER. THIS IS VERY USEFUL TO READ.

1. Zeal for souls left by divine union. 2. The soul may fall from such a state. 3. How divine union may always be obtained. 4. Union with the will of God the basis of all supernatural union. 5. Advantage of union gained by self-mortification. 6. Defects which hinder this union. 7. Divine union obtained by perfect love of God and our neighbour. 8. Love for God and our neighbour are proportionate. 9. Real and imaginary virtues. 10. Illusionary good resolutions. 11. Works, not feelings, procure union. 12. Fraternal charity will certainly gain this union.

1. LET us now return to our little dove and see what graces God gives it in this state. This implies that the soul endeavours to advance in the service of our Lord and in self-knowledge. If it receives the grace of union and then does no more, thinking itself safe, and so leads a careless life, wandering off the road to heaven (that is, the keeping of the commandments) it will share the fate of the butterfly that comes from the silkworm, which lays some eggs that produce more of its kind and then dies for ever. I say it leaves some eggs, for I believe God will not allow so great a favour to be lost but that if the recipient does not profit by it, others will. For while it keeps to the right path, this soul, with its ardent desires and great virtues, helps others and kindles their fervour with its own. Yet even after having lost this it may still long to benefit others and delight to make known the mercies shown by God to those who love and serve Him.¹⁸⁵

2. I knew a person to whom this happened. Although greatly erring, she longed that others should profit by the favours God had bestowed on her and taught the way of prayer to people ignorant of it, thus helping them immensely. God afterwards bestowed fresh light upon her; indeed the prayer of union had not hitherto produced the above effects in her. How many people there must be to whom our Lord communicates Himself, who, like Judas, are called to the Apostleship and made kings by Him, as was Saul, yet who afterwards lose everything by their own fault! We should learn from this, sisters, that if we would merit fresh favours and avoid losing those we already possess, our only safety lies in obedience and in following the law of God. This I say, both to those who have received these graces and to those who have not.¹⁸⁶

3. In spite of all I have written, there still seems some difficulty in understanding this mansion. The advantage of entering is so great, that it is well that none should despair of doing so because God does not give them the supernatural gifts described above. With the help of divine grace true union can always be attained by forcing ourselves to renounce our own will and by following the will of God in all things.¹⁸⁷

4. Oh, how many of us affirm that we do this, and believe we seek nothing else—indeed we would die for the truth of what we say! If this be the case I can only declare, as I fancy I did before, and I shall again and again, that we have already obtained this grace from God. Therefore we need not wish for that other delightful union described above, for its chief value lies in the resignation of our will to that of God without which it could not be reached.¹⁸⁸ Oh, how desirable is this union! The happy soul which has attained it will live in this world and in the next without care of any sort. No earthly events can trouble it, unless it should see itself in danger of losing God or should witness any offence offered Him. Neither sickness, poverty, nor the loss of any one by death affect it, except that of persons useful to the Church of God, for the soul realizes thoroughly that God’s disposal is wiser than its own desires.

5. You must know that there are different kinds of sorrow: there are both griefs and joys rising from an impulse of nature or from a charity which makes us pity our neighbour, like that felt by our Saviour when He raised Lazarus from the dead.¹⁸⁹ These feelings do not destroy union with the will of God nor do they disturb the soul by a restless, turbulent, and lasting passion. They soon pass away, for as I said of sweetness in prayer,¹⁹⁰ they do not affect the depths of the soul but only its senses and faculties. They are found in the former mansions, but do not enter the last of all. Is it necessary, in order to attain to this kind of divine union, for the powers of the soul to be suspended? No; God has many ways of enriching the soul and bringing it to these mansions besides what might be called a ‘short cut.’ But, be sure of this, my daughters: in any case the silkworm must die and it will cost you more in this way. In the former manner this death is facilitated by finding ourselves introduced into a new life; here, on the contrary, we must give ourselves the death-blow. I own that the work will be much harder, but then it will be of higher value so that your reward will be greater if you come forth victorious;¹⁹¹ yet there is no doubt it is possible for you to attain this true union with the will of God.

6. This is the union I have longed for all my life and that I beg our Lord to grant me; it is the most certain and the safest. But alas, how few of us ever obtain it! Those who are careful not to offend God, and who enter the religious state, think there is nothing more to do. How many maggots remain in hiding until, like the worm which gnawed at Jonas’s ivy,¹⁹² they have destroyed our virtues. These pests are such evils as self-love, self-esteem, rash judgment of others even in small matters, and a want of charity in not loving our neighbour quite as much as ourselves. Although perforce we satisfy our obligations sufficiently to avoid sin, yet we fall far short of what must be done in order to obtain perfect union with the will of God.

7. What do you think, daughters, is His will? That we may become quite perfect and so be made one with Him and with His Father as He prayed we might be.¹⁹³ Observe, then, what is wanting in us to obtain this. I assure you it is most painful for me to write on this subject, for I see how far I am, through my own fault, from having attained perfection. There is no need for us to receive special consolations from God in order to arrive at conformity with His will; He has done enough in giving us His Son to teach the way. This does not mean that we must so submit to the will of God as not to sorrow at such troubles as the death of a father or brother, or that we must bear crosses and sickness with joy.¹⁹⁴ This is well, but it sometimes comes from common sense which, as we cannot help ourselves, makes a virtue of necessity. How often the great wisdom of the heathen philosophers led them to act thus in trials of this kind! Our Lord asks but two things of us: love, for Him and for our neighbour: these are what we must strive to obtain. If we practise both these virtues perfectly we shall be doing His will and so shall be united to Him. But, as I said, we are very far from obeying and serving our great Master perfectly in these two matters: may His Majesty give us the grace to merit union with Him; it is in our power to gain it if we will.

8. I think the most certain sign that we keep these two commandments is that we have a genuine love for others. We cannot know whether we love God although there may be strong reasons for thinking so, but there can be no doubt about whether we love our neighbour or no.¹⁹⁵ Be sure that in proportion as you advance in fraternal charity, you are increasing in your love of God,¹⁹⁶ for His Majesty bears so tender an affection for us that I cannot doubt He will repay our love for others by augmenting, in a thousand different ways, that which we bear for Him. We should watch most carefully over ourselves in this matter, for if we are faultless on this point we have done all. I believe human nature is so evil that we could not feel a perfect charity for our neighbour unless it were rooted in the love of God.

9. In this most important matter, sisters, we should be most vigilant in little things, taking no notice of the great works we plan during prayer which we imagine that we would perform for other people, even perhaps for the sake of saving a single soul. If our actions afterwards belie these grand schemes, there is no reason to imagine that we should do anything of the sort. I say the same of humility and the other virtues. The devil’s wiles are many; he would turn hell upside down a thousand times to make us think ourselves better than we are. He has good reason for it, for such fancies are most injurious; sham virtues springing from this root are always accompanied by a vainglory never found in those of divine origin, which are free from pride.

10. It is amusing to see souls who, while they are at prayer, fancy they are willing to be despised and publicly insulted for the love of God, yet afterwards do all they can to hide their small defects; if any one unjustly accuses them of a fault, God deliver us from their outcries! Let those who cannot bear such things take no notice of the splendid plans they made when alone, which could have been no genuine determination of the will but only some trick of the imagination, or the results would have been very different. The devil assaults and deceives people in this way, often doing great harm to women and others too ignorant to understand the difference between the powers of the soul and the imagination, and a thousand other matters of the sort. O sisters! how easy it is to know which of you have attained to a sincere love of your neighbour, and which of you are far from it. If you knew the importance of this virtue, your only care would be to gain it.

11. When I see people very anxious to know what sort of prayer they practise, covering their faces and afraid to move or think lest they should lose any slight tenderness and devotion they feel, I know how little they understand how to attain union with God since they think it consists in such things as these. No, sisters, no; our Lord expects works from us. If you see a sick sister whom you can relieve,¹⁹⁷ never fear losing your devotion; compassionate her; if she is in pain, feel for it as if it were your own and, when there is need, fast so that she may eat, not so much for her sake as because you know your Lord asks it of you. This is the true union of our will with the will of God. If some one else is well spoken of, be more pleased than if it were yourself; this is easy enough, for if you were really humble it would vex you to be praised. It is a great good to rejoice at your sister’s virtues being known and to feel as sorry for the fault you see in her as if it were yours, hiding it from the sight of others.

12. I have often spoken on this subject elsewhere,¹⁹⁸ because, my sisters, if we fail in this I know that all is lost: please God this may never be our case. If you possess fraternal charity, I assure you that you will certainly obtain the union I have described. If you are conscious that you are wanting in this charity, although you may feel devotion and sweetness and a short absorption in the prayer of quiet (which makes you think you have attained to union with God), believe me you have not yet reached it. Beg our Lord to grant you perfect love for your neighbour, and leave the rest to Him. He will give you more than you know how to desire if you constrain yourselves and strive with all your power to gain it, forcing your will as far as possible to comply in all things with your sisters’ wishes although you may sometimes forfeit your own rights by so doing. Forget your self-interests for theirs, how ever much nature may rebel; when opportunity occurs take some burden upon yourself to ease your neighbour of it. Do not fancy it will cost you nothing and that you will find it all done for you: think what the love He bore for us cost our Spouse, Who to free us from death, Himself suffered the most painful death of all—the death of the Cross.