Of the thridde partie of contemplacion.
The Nature of Perfect Contemplation
Perfect contemplation involves the union of knowing and loving God, beginning in this life through grace and reaching its fullness in heaven.
The third part of contemplation, as perfect as it can be in this life, consists of both knowledge and affection: that is, knowing and perfectly loving God. And that is when a person's soul is first cleansed from all sins and reformed by the fullness of virtues into the image of Jesus; and afterward, when he is visited and taken up from all earthly and fleshly affections, from vain thoughts and vain imaginations of all bodily things, and is as it were much ravished out of the bodily senses, and then by the grace of the Holy Spirit is illuminated to see by understanding truth, which is God, and also spiritual things, with a soft, sweet, burning love in him, so perfectly that by the ravishing of this love the soul is united for the time and conformed to the image of the Trinity. The beginning of this contemplation can be felt in this life, but its fullness is reserved for the bliss of heaven.
The Spiritual Marriage of the Soul
Through the ravishing power of love, the soul is united to God in a spiritual marriage that transcends the flesh.
Saint Paul speaks of this union and conformity this way: Qui adheret deo unus spiritus est cum illo (1 Corinthians 6:17). That is to say, whoever is fastened to God by the ravishing power of love—in that moment, God and the soul are not two, but one. Not in flesh, but in one spirit. Truly, in this union, the marriage between God and the soul is made, and it shall never be broken.
Read the original Latin
The thridde partie of contemplacioun, whiche is perfite as it may be here, lieth bothe in cognicion and in affeccion: that is for to seie, in knowyng and in perfight lovynge of God. And that is whanne a mannys soule first is cleensid from alle synnes and reformyd bi fulheed of vertues to the ymage of Jhesu; and after whanne he is visitid and is taken up from alle ertheli and fleisschli affecciones, from veyn thoughtis and veyn ymaginacions of alle bodili thynges, and as it were mykil ravysschid out of the bodili wittes and thanne bi the grace of the Holi Gost is illumyned for to see bi undirstoondynge soothfastnesse, whiche is God, and also goostli thynges, with a soft swete brennande love in hym, so perfightli that bi ravyschynge of this love the soule is ooned for the tyme and conformyd to the ymage of the Trinité. The bigynnyng of this contemplacioun may be felid in this lif, but the fulheed of it is kepid in the blisse of hevene. Of this onynge and conformynge speketh Seynt Poul thus: Qui adheret deo unus spiritus est cum illo (1 Corinthians 6:17). That is for to seie, whoso bi raveschynge of love is fastned to God, thanne God and a soule aren not two but bothe oon. Not in fleisch, but in oo spirit. And sotheli in this onynge is the mariage maad bitwixe God and the soule, which schal nevere be brokyn.
Scala Perfectionis (The Scale of Perfection) 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