SR
← Dark Night of the Soul/Book 1 · Noche oscura del alma
Chapter 9NocheOscura.1.9

Libro Primero — Capítulo 6

The Trap of Spiritual Gluttony

Beginners often fall into the vice of spiritual gluttony by prioritizing the sweetness of spiritual exercises over purity and discretion.

On the imperfections related to spiritual gluttony 1. There is a great deal to say about the fourth vice, spiritual gluttony, because there is hardly a beginner who—no matter how well they are progressing—doesn't fall into some of the many imperfections that arise from the satisfaction they find early on in their spiritual exercises. Many of these people, hooked on the satisfaction and pleasure they find in such exercises, pursue the spirit's sweetness more than its purity and discretion—which is what God looks for and accepts throughout the spiritual path. And so, beyond the imperfections they have in chasing these satisfactions, the craving they feel leads them to go far beyond measure, overstepping the limits of the moderation in which the virtues consist and are acquired.1 For, drawn by the pleasure they find there, some nearly kill themselves with penances, and others weaken themselves with fasts, doing more than their frailty can bear, without order or counsel; rather they try to hide their body from the one they ought to obey in such matters; and some even dare to do it though they've been ordered not to.2

The Perils of Self-Will and Disobedience

Seeking one's own will in spiritual exercises rather than obeying a director leads to pride and spiritual instability.

2. These people are extremely imperfect—people without sense—who put subjection and obedience, which is a penance of reason and discretion and for that reason a more acceptable and pleasing sacrifice to God than all the rest, behind bodily penance, which, when that other part is left out, is nothing more than the penance of beasts, and to which they too, like beasts, are moved by the appetite and pleasure they find in it.3 And in this, since all extremes are vicious, and in this way of going about things these people do their own will, they grow more in vices than in virtues; because at the very least, already in this way they acquire spiritual gluttony and pride, since what they do is not done in obedience. The devil pushes so many of these people so hard, fueling this gluttony with the pleasures and appetites he stirs up in them, that when they can't do any more, they change, add to, or vary their instructions because any obedience in this area tastes bitter to them. In this some fall into such great harm that, precisely because these exercises come by way of obedience, they lose the desire and devotion to do them—because their only desire and pleasure is to do what moves them. All of which, as it happens, would be better for them not to do.4 3. You'll see many of these people very insistent with their spiritual directors so that they'll grant them what they want, and they half force it out of them; and if not, they grow sad like children and go about unwillingly, and it seems to them that they aren't serving God when they aren't allowed to do what they would like. Because, since they go clinging to their own pleasure and self-will, and take this for their God, as soon as it is taken from them and they try to set them in the will of God, they grow sad and slacken and fail.5 These people think that finding pleasure and satisfaction is the same thing as serving God and pleasing him.

Temerity in the Sacraments and Prayer

The craving for sensible consolation causes souls to approach the Eucharist and prayer with a lack of reverence and humility.

4. There are others who, because of this craving for sweetness, are so unaware of their own baseness and wretchedness, and have so far cast aside the loving fear and reverence they owe to God's greatness, that they don't hesitate to pressure their confessors to let them receive Communion often.6 The worst part is that they often dare to receive Communion without the permission or judgment of Christ's minister and steward, relying only on their own judgment, and they try to hide the truth from him.7 And for this reason, with an eye to keeping on receiving Communion, they make their confessions any which way, hungrier to eat than to eat cleanly and perfectly—though it would be healthier and holier to have the opposite inclination, begging their confessors not to tell them to approach so often. Between the one and the other, humble resignation is better; but the rest of these bold acts are a matter for great harm and for their punishment over such temerity.89 5. When these people receive Communion, they put all their effort into experiencing some feeling or pleasure rather than into reverencing and humbly praising God within themselves. They become so attached to this that when they don't draw out some pleasure or sensory feeling, they think they've done nothing. This is to think very poorly of God, failing to understand that the least of the benefits this Most Holy Sacrament works is the one that touches the senses, because the invisible benefit of the grace it gives is far greater. To help them set the eyes of faith on it, God often takes away those other sensory pleasures and flavors. And so they want to feel God and take pleasure in Him as if He were comprehensible and accessible—not only in this Sacrament, but also in the other spiritual exercises—all of which is a very great imperfection and very much against the nature of God, because it is impurity in faith.10 6. These people have the same problem in the prayer they practice: they think the whole point of it is finding pleasure and felt devotion, and they try to force it out, as the saying goes, by sheer strength of arm, wearing out and exhausting their faculties and their head; and when they haven't found that pleasure, they grow deeply discouraged, thinking they've done nothing. And through this pursuit they lose true devotion and spirit, which consists in persevering there with patience and humility, distrusting themselves, solely in order to please God.11 For this reason, once they haven't found savor in this or that exercise, they feel great reluctance and aversion to returning to it, and sometimes they abandon it; for in the end, as we've said, they are like children, who neither move nor act by reason, but by pleasure. Everything these people pour themselves into is hunting for spiritual pleasure and consolation, and so they never get enough of reading books; now they take up one meditation, now another, going after this pleasure with the things of God—which God, very justly, wisely, and lovingly, denies them, because if he didn't, they would grow through this spiritual gluttony and craving into evils beyond number. That is why it's so necessary for them to enter the dark night we are about to describe, so they may be purged of these childish ways.

The Path of Mortification

True spiritual progress is found in self-denial and the acceptance of the dark night, rather than in the pursuit of sensible pleasure.

7. Those who are so inclined toward these consolations also have another very great imperfection: they're very soft and halfhearted about walking the rough path of the cross; because the soul that gives itself over to savor naturally finds every bitterness of self-denial an affront. 8. These people also have many other imperfections that stem from this, which the Lord sometimes heals through temptations, dry spells, and other hardships—all of which are part of the dark night. Of these, so as not to go on too long, I don't want to say more here, but only this: that spiritual sobriety and temperance have a very different character—one of mortification, fear, and subjection in all their affairs—seeing that the perfection and worth of things do not lie in the multitude and pleasure of works, but in knowing how to deny oneself in them. This they must strive to do as much as they can on their part, until God is pleased actually to purify them by bringing them into the dark night, toward which I am hastening by treating these imperfections.✦12

Read the original Latin

De las imperfecciones acerca de la gula espiritual

1. Acerca del cuarto vicio, que es gula espiritual, hay mucho que decir, porque apenas hay uno de estos principiantes que, por bien que proceda, no caiga en algo de las muchas imperfecciones que acerca de este vicio les nacen a estos principiantes por medio del sabor que hallan a los principios en los ejercicios espirituales.

Porque muchos de éstos, engolosinados con el sabor y gusto que hallan en los tales ejercicios, procuran más el sabor del espíritu que la pureza y discreción de él, que es lo que Dios mira y acepta en todo el camino espiritual. Por lo cual, demás de las imperfecciones que tienen en pretender estos sabores, la golosina que ya tienen les hace salir mucho del pie a la mano, pasando de los límites del medio en que consisten y se granjean las virtudes. Porque, atraídos del gusto que allí hallan, algunos se matan a penitencias, y otros se debilitan con ayunos, haciendo más de lo que su flaqueza sufre, sin orden y consejo; antes procuran hurtar el cuerpo a quien deben obedecer en lo tal; y aun algunos se atreven a hacerlo aunque les han mandado lo contrario.

2. Estos son imperfectísimos, gente sin razón, que posponen la sujeción y obediencia, que es penitencia de razón y discreción, y por eso es para Dios más acepto y gustoso sacrificio que todos los demás, a la penitencia corporal, que, dejada estotra parte, no es más que penitencia de bestias, a que también como bestias se mueven por el apetito y gusto que allí hallan. En lo cual, por cuanto todos los extremos son viciosos, y en esta manera de proceder éstos hacen su voluntad, antes van creciendo en vicios que en virtudes; porque, por lo menos, ya en esta manera adquieren gula espiritual y soberbia, pues no va en obediencia lo que hacen.

Y tanto empuja el demonio a muchos de éstos, atizándoles esta gula por gustos y apetitos que les acrecienta, que ya que más no pueden, o mudan o añaden o varían lo que les mandan, porque les es aceda toda obediencia acerca de esto. En lo cual algunos llegan a tanto mal, que, por el mismo caso que van por obediencia los tales ejercicios, se les quita la gana y devoción de hacerlos, porque sola su gana y gusto es hacer lo que les mueve; todo lo cual por ventura les valiera más no hacerlo.

3. Veréis a muchos de éstos muy porfiados con sus maestros espirituales porque les concedan lo que quieren, y allá medio por fuerza lo sacan; y si no, se entristecen como niños y andan de mala gana, y les parece que no sirven a Dios cuando no los dejan hacer lo que querrían. Porque, como andan arrimados al gusto y voluntad propia, y esto tienen por su Dios, luego que se lo quitan y les quieren poner en voluntad de Dios, se entristecen y aflojan y faltan. Piensan éstos que el gustar ellos y estar satisfechos, es servir a Dios y satisfacerle.

4. Hay también otros que por esta golosina tienen tan poco conocida su bajeza y propia miseria y tan echado aparte el amoroso temor y respeto que deben a la grandeza de Dios, (que) no dudan de porfiar mucho con sus confesores sobre que les dejen comulgar muchas veces. Y lo peor es que muchas veces se atreven a comulgar sin licencia y parecer del ministro y despensero de Cristo, sólo por su parecer, y le procuran encubrir la verdad. Y a esta causa, con ojo de ir comulgando, hacen como quiera las confesiones, teniendo más codicia en comer que en comer limpia y perfectamente; como quiera que fuera más sano y santo tener la inclinación contraria, rogando a sus confesores que no les manden llegar tan a menudo; aunque entre lo uno y lo otro mejor es la resignación humilde, pero los demás atrevimientos cosa es para grande mal y castigo de ellos sobre tal temeridad.

5. Estos, en comulgando, todo se les va en procurar algún sentimiento y gusto más que en reverenciar y alabar en sí con humildad a Dios: y de tal manera se apropian a esto, que, cuando no han sacado algún gusto o sentimiento sensible, piensan que no han hecho nada, lo cual es juzgar muy bajamente de Dios, no entendiendo que el menor de los provechos que hace este Santísimo Sacramento es el que toca al sentido, porque mayor es el invisible de la gracia que da; que, porque pongan en él los ojos de la fe, quita Dios muchas veces esotros gustos y sabores sensibles. Y así, quieren sentir a Dios y gustarle como si fuese comprensible y accesible, no sólo en éste, sino también en los demás ejercicios espirituales, todo lo cual es muy grande imperfección y muy contra la condición de Dios, porque es impureza en la fe.

6. Lo mismo tienen éstos en la oración que ejercitan, que piensan que todo el negocio de ella está en hallar gusto y devoción sensible, y procuran sacarle, como dicen, a fuerza de brazos, cansando y fatigando las potencias y la cabeza; y, cuando no han hallado el tal gusto, se desconsuelan mucho pensando que no han hecho nada. Y por esta pretensión pierden la verdadera devoción y espíritu, que consiste en perseverar allí con paciencia y humildad, desconfiando de sí, sólo por agradar a Dios. A esta causa, cuando no han hallado una vez sabor en este u otro ejercicio, tienen mucha desgana y repugnancia de volver a él y a veces lo dejan; que, en fin, son, como habemos dicho, semejantes a los niños, que no se mueven ni obran por razón, sino por el gusto.

Todo se les va a éstos en buscar gusto y consuelo de espíritu, y por esto nunca se hartan de leer libros, y ahora toman una meditación, ahora otra, andando a caza de este gusto con las cosas de Dios; a los cuales les niega Dios muy justa, discreta y amorosamente, porque, si esto no fuese, crecerían por esta gula y golosina espiritual en males sin cuento. Por lo cual conviene mucho a éstos entrar en la noche oscura que habemos de dar, para que se purguen de estas niñerías.

7. Estos que así están inclinados a estos gustos, también tienen otra imperfección muy grande, y es que son muy flojos y remisos en ir por el camino áspero de la cruz; porque el alma que se da al sabor, naturalmente le da en rostro todo sinsabor de negación propia.

8. Tienen éstos otras muchas imperfecciones que de aquí les nacen, las cuales el Señor a tiempos les cura con tentaciones, sequedades y otros trabajos, que todo es parte de la noche oscura. De las cuales, por no me alargar, no quiero tratar aquí más, sino sólo decir que la sobriedad y templanza espiritual lleva otro temple muy diferente de mortificación, temor y sujeción en todas sus cosas, echando de ver que no está la perfección y valor de las cosas en la multitud y gusto de las obras, sino en saberse negar a sí mismo en ellas; lo cual ellos han de procurar hacer cuanto pudieren de su parte, hasta que Dios quiera purificarlos de hecho entrándolos en la noche oscura, a la cual por llegar me voy dando priesa con estas imperfecciones.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Matt.16.24;Mark.8.34;Luke.9.23 — Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Mark.8.34 — And calling the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Luke.9.23 — Then he said to all, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Notes

  1. 1 ↩salir del pie a la mano is an older Spanish idiom for overreaching badly / going far beyond bounds; rendered as 'go far beyond measure' rather than a literal foot-to-hand gloss.
  2. 2 ↩hurtar el cuerpo a quien deben obedecer: concealing bodily austerities from one's superior; 'hide their body' keeps the Spanish figure of withholding the body from obedience.
  3. 3 ↩Spanish posponen X a Y: they rank bodily penance above subjection and obedience, not merely delay obedience.
  4. 4 ↩por ventura rendered as 'as it happens' (mild contingency); could also be 'perhaps' / 'it may well be that'.
  5. 5 ↩"esto tienen por su Dios" rendered as "take this for their God": they treat their own pleasure and will as if it were God, not that they formally name it God.
  6. 6 ↩Source supplies a parenthetical (que) before the result clause; rendered as natural consecutive 'that'.
  7. 7 ↩'Ministro y despensero de Cristo' rendered as 'Christ's minister and steward' (the confessor/priest as steward of the Sacrament).
  8. 8 ↩'Comer' is the source's sacramental figure for receiving Communion; kept as 'eat' to preserve the gluttony contrast with clean/perfect reception.
  9. 9 ↩'Llegar' = approach the Sacrament (receive Communion); 'resignación humilde' kept as 'humble resignation' (ready submission of will).
  10. 10 ↩Spanish 'condición de Dios' rendered as 'nature of God' (God's way of being); alternatives include 'condition' or 'manner,' but the force is that seeking to feel God as graspable contradicts who God is.
  11. 11 ↩Spanish pretensión here is their driven aim at felt consolation, not affectation; rendered as "pursuit."
  12. 12 ↩Spanish "temple muy diferente de mortificación, temor y sujeción" is read as a temper characterized by mortification, fear, and subjection (not as different *from* those virtues), which fits the contrast with those given to spiritual pleasure.

Dark Night of the Soul companion

A daily portion of stillness

Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.

Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.

  • Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
  • A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
  • Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent
Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app) →