Christus dicit sponse, quod due sunt delectaciones, scilicet spiritualis et carnalis; spiritualis delectacio est, quando anima delectatur in beneficiis Dei.
The Veil of Divided Affection
The Lord reveals that the soul's inability to delight in Him stems from a veil caused by attachment to worldly things.
The Son speaks: "There is a kind of veil between me and him, because of which my sweetness does not delight him, for he finds delight in something other than me." And the bride, hearing this, said to the Lord: "Will it ever be possible to have any delight at all?"
Discerning Carnal and Spiritual Pleasures
Christ distinguishes between carnal and spiritual pleasure, providing a prayerful framework for managing earthly necessities.
The Lord replied, "There are two kinds of pleasure: spiritual and carnal." Carnal or natural pleasure is when you take food because necessity requires it, and in that, a person should think as follows: “O Lord, because you have commanded us to be refreshed only for the sake of necessity, praise be to you; and give me grace so that sin may not creep into me while I am eating.” If, however, a delight in worldly goods should arise, let a person think this way: 'O Lord, all earthly things are nothing but dust and are passing away.' Therefore, grant me the grace to manage them in such a way that I may know how to give an account to You for everything.'
The Joy of the Spirit
True spiritual delight is defined as finding joy in God's gifts while maintaining detachment from temporal things.
Spiritual delight is when the soul finds joy in the gifts of God, uses temporal things only reluctantly and out of necessity; but the veil is torn away when God becomes sweet to the soul and His fear is constant in the mind.
Read the original Latin
Filius loquitur: "Inter me et illum est quedam membrana, pro qua non delectat illum dulcedo mea, quia aliquid delectat eum preter me." Et sponsa, que hec audiebat, ait ad Dominum: "Numquid aliquam delectacionem habere unquam poterit?"
Respondit Dominus: "Duplex est delectacio, spiritualis et carnalis. Carnalis vel naturalis delectacio est, quando necessitate requirente refeccio sumitur, in qua sic debet homo cogitare:
'O, Domine, quia refici iussisti nos ad solam necessitatem, laus sit tibi, et da michi graciam, ut in sumpcione non subrepat michi peccatum.'
Si vero temporalium bonorum delectacio oriatur, cogitet homo taliter: 'O, Domine, omnia terrena non sunt nisi terra et transitoria. Ideo da michi ea sic disponere, ut de omnibus tibi sciam reddere racionem.'
Spiritualis delectacio est, quando anima delectatur in beneficiis Dei et temporalibus utitur et occupatur inuitus et ad solam necessitatem; sed membrana tunc frangitur, quando Deus est dulcis anime et timor eius continuus est in mente."
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