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Chapter 13SubidaCarmelo.1.13

CAPÍTULO 13. En que se trata de la manera y modo que se ha de tener para entrar en esta noche del sentido.

The Two Ways of Entering the Night

The soul enters the night of the senses either actively through personal effort or passively through God's work.

1. What remains now is to give some counsel so that one may know how to enter this night of the senses, and be able to do so. To understand this, you should know that the soul typically enters this sensory night in two ways: one is active, and the other is passive. The active way consists of what the soul can do, and actually does, on its own to enter that night—and we will address this now in the following advice. The passive way is one in which the soul does nothing; rather God works it in her, and she remains as the patient who undergoes it.1 We will discuss that passive way in the fourth book, when we come to address beginners. And because there, with divine favor, we are to give beginners many counsels, according to the many imperfections they tend to have on this path, I will not go on at length here giving many; and also because this is not so proper a place for giving them, since for now we are only treating the reasons why this passage is called night, what this night is, and how many parts it has. However, because it seemed too brief and not very helpful to offer no immediate remedy or advice for practicing this night of appetites, I have chosen to set down the following short method; I will do the same at the end of each of those other two parts or causes of this night that I am, with the Lord's help, about to treat. 2. These counsels that follow here for overcoming the appetites, though they're brief and few, I hold that they're as profitable and effective as they are concise, so that anyone who truly wanted to practice them would need no others at all; rather, in these he would embrace them all.

Practical Counsels for Mortification

Practical steps for the soul include imitating Christ, renouncing sensory pleasure, and choosing the path of self-denial.

3. First, keep a habitual desire to imitate Christ in everything, conforming yourself to his life, which you must carefully consider so you can know how to imitate it and conduct yourself in all things as he would have.23 4. Second, to do this well: renounce any pleasure that presents itself to your senses unless it is purely for the honor and glory of God, and remain empty of it for the love of Jesus Christ, who in this life had no other pleasure—and wanted none—except doing the will of his Father, which he called his food and nourishment. (Jn 4:34). I'll give an example: if the pleasure of hearing things that don't matter for the service and honor of God offers itself to you, neither want to take pleasure in it nor want to hear them. And if looking at things that don't help you love God more gives you pleasure, want neither the pleasure nor to look at such things.4 And if anything else offers itself in speaking, do the same; and with all the senses, no more and no less, so far as you can reasonably avoid it. For if you cannot, it is enough that you not want to take pleasure in it, even though these things pass through you. In this way, you must strive to leave your senses mortified and empty of that pleasure, as if in the dark. With this care, you'll make great progress in a short time. 5. To mortify and calm the four natural passions—joy, hope, fear, and sorrow—from whose harmony and peace these goods and all the rest spring, the following is the complete remedy, one of great merit and a source of great virtues. 6. Always try to incline yourself: not toward what is easiest, but toward what is hardest; not toward what is most pleasant to the taste, but toward what is most bitter; not toward what is most delightful, but rather toward what gives less delight; not toward rest, but toward what is laborious; not toward consolation, but rather toward desolation; not toward the more, but toward the less; not toward what is highest and most precious, but toward what is lowest and most despised; not toward wanting something, but toward wanting nothing; don't go around seeking the best among temporal things, but the worst, and desire to enter into complete nakedness, emptiness, and poverty for Christ of everything there is in the world. 7. You should embrace these works wholeheartedly and try to bring your will fully into line with them. Because if you practice them wholeheartedly, you'll very soon come to find great delight and consolation in them, working in an ordered and prudent way.5

Overcoming the Lusts of the World

A focused exercise on mortifying the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life through self-contempt.

8. What has already been said, if it's practiced well, is fully enough for entering the night of the sense. But, to treat the matter more fully, we will set out another kind of exercise that teaches how to mortify the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which are the things Saint John says (1 Jn. 2:16) reign in the world, and from these all the other appetites proceed. 9. First, strive to act with contempt for yourself and desire that everyone else do the same (and this is against the lust of the flesh). Second, strive to speak with contempt for yourself and desire that everyone else do the same (and this is against the lust of the eyes). Third, strive to think lowly of yourself in self-contempt and desire that everyone else do the same against you as well (and this is against the pride of life).

The Way of Nada: The Ascent Verses

The famous 'Nada' verses provide a summary of the path to union, emphasizing that to possess everything in God, one must desire nothing in the world.

10. To wrap up these counsels and rules, it's fitting to include here the verses written on the Ascent of the Mount—the diagram at the beginning of this book—since they teach how to climb it, that is, to the height of union. Although it's true that the verses speak of what is spiritual and interior, they also address the spirit of imperfection regarding what is sensual and exterior, as shown by the two paths on either side of the way of perfection. So, we will take them here in that sense—namely, according to what is sensual. Later, in the second part of this night, they should be understood according to what is spiritual. 11. It says this: To come to taste everything, don't want to take pleasure in anything. To come to possess everything, don't want to possess something in anything.6 To come to be everything, don't want to be something in anything. To come to know everything, don't want to know something in anything. To come to what you take no pleasure in, you have to go by way of what you take no pleasure in. To arrive at what you do not know, you must go through what you do not know. To arrive at what you do not possess, you must go through what you do not possess. To arrive at what you are not, you must go through what you are not. 12. A way not to hinder the All When you cling to anything, you stop casting yourself into the All.7 To move from all things to the All, you must deny yourself completely in everything.8 And when you come to possess it wholly, you must hold it without wanting anything. For if you want to have something in the All, your treasure in God is not pure.9 13. In this nakedness the spiritual person finds quiet and rest, because, craving nothing, nothing wears him out upward and nothing presses him down, for he is at the center of his humility. For when he craves something, he wears himself out in that very thing.

Read the original Latin

1. Resta ahora dar algunos avisos para saber y poder entrar en esta noche del sentido. Para lo cual es de saber que el alma ordinariamente entra en esta noche sensitiva en dos maneras: la una es activa; la otra, pasiva. Activa es lo que el alma puede hacer y hace de su parte para entrar en ella, de lo cual ahora trataremos en los avisos siguientes. Pasiva es en que el alma no hace nada, sino Dios la obra en ella, y ella se ha como paciente. De la cual trataremos en el cuarto libro, cuando habemos de tratar de los principiantes. Y porque allí habemos, con el favor divino, de dar muchos avisos a los principiantes, según las muchas imperfecciones que suelen tener en este camino, no me alargare aquí en dar muchos; y porque tambien no es tan propio de este lugar darlos, pues de presente sólo tratamos de las causas por que se llama noche este tránsito, y cuál sea esta, y cuántas sus partes. Pero, porque parece quedaba muy corto y no de tanto provecho no dar luego algún remedio o aviso para ejercitar esta noche de apetitos, he querido poner aquí el modo breve que se sigue; y lo mismo hare al fin de cada una de esotras dos partes o causas de esta noche de que luego, mediante el Señor, tengo de tratar.

2. Estos avisos que aquí se siguen de vencer los apetitos, aunque son breves y pocos, yo entiendo que son tan provechosos y eficaces como compendiosos, de manera que el que de veras se quisiese ejercitar en ellos, no le harán falta otros ningunos, antes en estos los abrazará todos.

3. Lo primero, traiga un ordinario apetito de imitar a Cristo en todas sus cosas, conformándose con su vida, la cual debe considerar para saberla imitar y haberse en todas las cosas como se hubiera el.

4. Lo segundo, para poder bien hacer esto, cualquiera gusto que se le ofreciere a los sentidos, como no sea puramente para honra y gloria de Dios, renúncielo y quedese vacío de el por amor de Jesucristo, el cual en esta vida no tuvo otro gusto, ni le quiso, que hacer la voluntad de su Padre, lo cual llamaba el su comida y manjar (Jn. 4, 34). Pongo ejemplo: si se le ofreciere gusto de oír cosas que no importen para el servicio y honra de Dios, ni lo quiera gustar ni las quiera oír. Y si le diere gusto mirar cosas que no le ayuden (a amar) más a Dios, ni quiera el gusto ni mirar las tales cosas. Y si en el hablar otra cualquier cosa se le ofreciere, haga lo mismo; y en todos los sentidos, ni más ni menos, en cuanto lo pudiere excusar buenamente; porque si no pudiere, basta que no quiera gustar de ello, aunque estas cosas pasen por el. Y de esta manera ha de procurar dejar luego mortificados y vacíos de aquel gusto a los sentidos, como a oscuras. Y con este cuidado en breve aprovechará mucho.

5. Y para mortificar y apaciguar las cuatro pasiones naturales, que son gozo, esperanza, temor y dolor, de cuya concordia y pacificación salen estos y los demás bienes, es total remedio lo que se sigue, y de gran merecimiento y causa de grandes virtudes.

6. Procure siempre inclinarse: no a lo más fácil, sino a lo más dificultoso; no a lo más sabroso, sino a lo más desabrido; no a lo más gustoso, sino antes a lo que da menos gusto; no a lo que es descanso, sino a lo trabajoso; no a lo que es consuelo, sino antes al desconsuelo; no a lo más, sino a lo menos; no a lo más alto y precioso, sino a lo más bajo y despreciado; no a lo que es querer algo, sino a no querer nada; no andar buscando lo mejor de las cosas temporales, sino lo peor, y desear entrar en toda desnudez y vacío y pobreza por Cristo de todo cuanto hay en el mundo.

7. Y estas obras conviene las abrace de corazón y procure allanar la voluntad en ellas. Porque, si de corazón las obra, muy en breve vendrá a hallar en ellas gran deleite y consuelo, obrando ordenada y discretamente.

8. Lo que está dicho, bien ejercitado, bien basta para entrar en la noche sensitiva. Pero, para mayor abundancia, diremos otra manera de ejercicio que enseña a mortificar la concupiscencia de la carne, y la concupiscencia de los ojos, y la soberbia de la vida, que son las cosas que dice san Juan (1 Jn. 2, 16) reinan en el mundo, de las cuales proceden todos los demás apetitos.

9. Lo primero, procurar obrar en su desprecio y desear que todos lo hagan (y esto es contra la concupiscencia de la carne). Lo segundo, procurar hablar en su desprecio y desear que todos lo hagan (y esto es contra la concupiscencia de los ojos). Lo tercero, procurar pensar bajamente de sí en su desprecio y desear que todos lo hagan (tambien contra sí, y esto es contra la soberbia de la vida).

10. En conclusión de estos avisos y reglas conviene poner aquí aquellos versos que se escriben en la Subida del Monte, que es la figura que está al principio de este libro, los cuales son doctrina para subir a el, que es lo alto de la unión. Porque, aunque es verdad que allí habla de lo espiritual e interior, tambien trata del espíritu de imperfección según lo sensual y exterior, como se puede ver en los dos caminos que están en los lados de la senda de perfección. Y así, según ese sentido los entenderemos aquí, conviene a saber, según lo sensual. Los cuales, despues, en la segunda parte de esta noche, se han de entender según lo espiritual.

11. Dice así:

Para venir a gustarlo todo, no quieras tener gusto en nada. Para venir a poseerlo todo, no quieras poseer algo en nada. Para venir a serlo todo, no quieras ser algo en nada. Para venir a saberlo todo, no quieras saber algo en nada. Para venir a lo que no gustas, has de ir por donde no gustas. Para venir a lo que no sabes, has de ir por donde no sabes. Para venir a lo que no posees, has de ir por donde no posees. Para venir a lo que no eres, has de ir por donde no eres.

12. MODO PARA NO IMPEDIR AL TODO

Cuando reparas en algo, dejas de arrojarte al todo. Porque para venir del todo al todo has de negarte del todo en todo. cuando lo vengas del todo a tener, has de tenerlo sin nada querer. Porque, si quieres tener algo en todo, no tienes puro en Dios tu tesoro.

13. En esta desnudez halla el espiritual su quietud y descanso, porque, no codiciando nada, nada le fatiga hacia arriba y nada le oprime hacia abajo, porque está en el centro de su humildad. Porque, cuando algo codicia, en eso mismo se fatiga.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Spanish paciente is scholastic: the soul as the receptive subject of God's action (patient vs. agent), not merely "patient" in the modern sense of long-suffering.
  2. 2 ↩Spanish «ordinario apetito» means a regular, ongoing appetite/desire (not a mediocre one). Rendered as «habitual desire» for contemporary clarity while keeping Juan's technical sense of apetito.
  3. 3 ↩«haberse» is older Spanish for conduct/comport oneself; «como se hubiera él» means as Christ would have conducted himself.
  4. 4 ↩Source has parenthetical '(a amar)' clarifying 'ayuden más a Dios' as help toward loving God more; rendered as 'help you love God more'.
  5. 5 ↩discretamente rendered as 'prudent' (classical spiritual discreción: judicious measure), not social secrecy.
  6. 6 ↩Spanish 'poseer algo en nada' keeps the paradoxical algo/nada polarity (something in nothing/anything), not a simple 'possess nothing.'
  7. 7 ↩Spanish todo is kept as All (God as total object) where the mystical sense is primary; later sentences keep the nada/todo wordplay of complete vs. the All.
  8. 8 ↩del todo al todo plays on 'completely/from the all' and 'the All'; English keeps the double register rather than flattening to only 'completely'.
  9. 9 ↩puro en Dios tu tesoro = the treasure is not purely/solely set in God; rendered as 'your treasure in God is not pure' to keep both purity and location.

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