Libro Primero — Capítulo 3
The Trap of Spiritual Greed
Beginners often fall into a form of spiritual avarice, obsessing over devotional objects and excessive spiritual knowledge rather than cultivating true interior poverty.
Of some imperfections that some of these people often have concerning the second capital vice, which is avarice, spiritually speaking 1. Many of these beginners also sometimes have a great deal of spiritual greed, because you'll hardly ever see them content with the spirit God gives them; they go about very discouraged and complaining because they don't find the consolation they'd like in spiritual things. Many never tire of hearing advice and learning spiritual precepts and of owning and reading many books that treat of that, and more of their time goes into this than into practicing the mortification and perfection of the interior poverty of spirit they ought to have.1 Because, on top of this, they load themselves with images and rosaries that are quite ornate; now they leave some, then they take others; now they trade them, now they trade them back; now they want them this way, now that way, growing more attached to this cross than to that one because it is more elaborate.2 You’ll also see others decked out with Agnus Deis, relics, and prayer-scrolls, much like children with their trinkets.3 In all of this I condemn the possessiveness of heart and the attachment they have to the style, the multitude, and the curious finery of things, because it is so contrary to poverty of spirit, which looks only to the substance of devotion, making use only of what is enough for it, and growing weary of that other multiplicity and of curiosity about it; for true devotion must come from the heart, only in the truth and substance of what spiritual things represent, and everything else is attachment and imperfect possessiveness—and if one is to advance to any kind of perfection, that appetite must come to an end.45
True Devotion vs. Material Attachment
True spiritual maturity is marked by a detachment from material devotional instruments and a singular focus on pleasing God.
2. I knew someone who, for more than ten years, used a cross crudely fashioned from a blessed branch and held together by a twisted pin. They never went anywhere without it until I took it away; and this was not a person lacking in reason or understanding. I saw another person who prayed with beads made from fish bones, and it is certain that her devotion was no less precious before God for that reason; it is clear that these people did not place their devotion in the craftsmanship or the material value.6 Those who are well on the path from these beginnings, then, don't cling to visible instruments, don't load themselves down with them, and don't care about knowing more than they need to know in order to act; because they fix their eyes only on being right with God and pleasing him, and that is their craving. So with great generosity they give away whatever they have, and their delight is to know they are left without it for God's sake and for charity toward their neighbor—it makes no difference to me whether the things are spiritual or temporal; because, as I say, they fix their eyes only on the true substance of interior perfection: pleasing God, and not themselves in anything.7
The Necessity of Divine Purgation
While the soul must strive for self-purification, it ultimately requires the passive purgation of the dark night to reach divine union.
3. The soul cannot fully purify itself of these imperfections—or the others—until God places it in the passive purgation of that dark night, which we will discuss later. Still, the soul should do its part to work toward its own perfection as much as it can, so that it may become worthy of having God place it in that divine cure where it is healed of everything it could not remedy on its own. No matter how much the soul helps itself, it cannot actively purify itself enough to be prepared, even in the slightest degree, for the divine union of the perfection of love, unless God takes it in hand and purges it in that fire which is dark to it, in the way and manner we are about to describe.89
Read the original Latin
De algunas imperfecciones que suelen tener algunos de éstos acerca del segundo vicio capital, que es la avaricia, espiritualmente hablando
1. Tienen muchos de estos principiantes también a veces mucha avaricia espiritual, porque apenas les verán contentos en el espíritu que Dios les da; andan muy desconsolados y quejosos porque no hallan el consuelo que querrían en las cosas espirituales. Muchos no se acaban de hartar de oír consejos y aprender preceptos espirituales y tener y leer muchos libros que traten de eso, y váseles más en esto el tiempo que en obrar la mortificación y perfección de la pobreza interior de espíritu que deben. Porque, a más de esto, se cargan de imágenes y rosarios bien curiosos; ahora dejan unos, ya toman otros; ahora truecan, ahora destruecan; ya los quieren de esta manera, ya de esotra, aficionándose más a esta cruz que a aquélla, por ser más curiosa. Y veréis a otros arreados de «agnusdeis» y reliquias y nóminas, como los niños de dijes.
En lo cual yo condeno la propiedad de corazón y el asimiento que tienen al modo, multitud y curiosidad de cosas, por cuanto es muy contra la pobreza de espíritu, que sólo mira en la sustancia de la devoción, aprovechándose sólo de aquello que basta para ella, y cansándose de esotra multiplicidad y de la curiosidad de ella; pues que la verdadera devoción ha de salir del corazón, sólo en la verdad y sustancia de lo que representan las cosas espirituales, y todo lo demás es asimiento y propiedad de imperfección, que, para pasar a alguna manera de perfección, es necesario que se acabe el tal apetito.
2. Yo conocí una persona que más de diez años se aprovechó de una cruz hecha toscamente de un ramo bendito, clavada con un alfiler retorcida alrededor, y nunca la había dejado, trayéndola consigo hasta que yo se la tomé; y no era persona de poca razón y entendimiento. Y vi otra que rezaba por cuentas que eran de huesos de las espinas del pescado, cuya devoción es cierto que por eso no era de menos quilates delante de Dios; pues se ve claro que éstos no la tenían en la hechura y valor.
Los que van, pues, bien encaminados desde estos principios, no se asen a los instrumentos visibles, ni se cargan de ellos, ni se les da nada de saber más de lo que conviene saber para obrar; porque sólo ponen los ojos en ponerse bien con Dios y agradarle, y en esto es su codicia. Y así con gran largueza dan cuanto tienen, y su gusto es saberse quedar sin ello por Dios y por la caridad del prójimo, no me da más que sean cosas espirituales que temporales; porque, como digo, sólo ponen los ojos en las veras de la perfección interior: dar a Dios gusto, y no a sí mismo en nada.
3. Pero de estas imperfecciones tampoco, como de las demás, no se puede el alma purificar cumplidamente hasta que Dios le ponga en la pasiva purgación de aquella oscura noche que luego diremos. Mas conviene al alma, en cuanto pudiere, procurar de su parte hacer por perfeccionarse, porque merezca que Dios le ponga en aquella divina cura, donde sana el alma de todo lo que ella no alcanzaba a remediarse; porque, por más que el alma se ayude, no puede ella activamente purificarse de manera que esté dispuesta en la menor parte para la divina unión de perfección de amor, si Dios no toma la mano y la purga en aquel fuego oscuro para ella, cómo y de la manera que habemos de decir.
Notes
- 1 ↩«pobreza interior de espíritu» rendered as interior poverty of spirit (evangelical / ascetical sense, not material want).
- 2 ↩«curioso/curiosa» here means finely wrought or showy, not inquisitive; rendered as ornate/elaborate.
- 3 ↩«agnusdeis»: blessed wax medallions of the Lamb of God. «nóminas»: written prayers or protective slips worn as amulets; rendered prayer-scrolls. «dijes»: charms/trinkets.
- 4 ↩Spanish propiedad here is Sanjuanist technical language for proprietary, grasping ownership of spiritual goods—not mere legal property. Rendered as possessiveness of heart to keep that interior force without archaic propriety.
- 5 ↩Curiosidad covers both novelty-seeking curiosity and elaborate/curious craftsmanship (cf. previous section’s rosarios bien curiosos). The rendering curious finery aims to hold both senses in this material-devotion context.
- 6 ↩«quilates» is a carat/purity metaphor for spiritual worth; rendered as «precious» to keep the modern-readable register without losing the quality-grade sense.
- 7 ↩Spanish 'las veras de la perfección interior' rendered as 'the true substance of interior perfection' (the real core/truth of it, not mere appearances).
- 8 ↩cura carries the medical sense of cure/healing treatment; rendered as 'divine cure' to keep the healing metaphor.
- 9 ↩Literally 'in the least part'; rendered 'even in the least degree' for the disposition required for divine union.
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