HYMN OF ADORATION -  Part III

1. These notes follow on from the previous Update and there is no introduction. The material is centred on §43 of ‘Heaven in Faith’ [2], and is suitable for meditation. The whole of ‘Heaven in Faith’ was inspired, but this part portrays Sr Elizabeth, as her own self, at her most profound and repetitive best; presenting one with a myriad of nuances on love. Inevitably, these notes are, to some extent, repetitive also.
2. The text of Heaven in Faith included in CW1 has been used for references in these notes. The source of the translation used, is either CW1 or MPA: in some instances, these translations have been modified by the site owner. Note that the text of Heaven in Faith given in the 1947 translation of MPA is incomplete.
3. Although the phrase Praise of Glory, referred to in these notes, is taken from St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: specifically (v.1:12); this update is neither about the theology of St Paul nor His Epistles.
4. Where reference is made to quotations from Holy Scripture, any interpretation given in these notes, is that understood to have been intended by Sr Elizabeth.
5. The opinions expressed are those of the site owner and as such may not be assumed to reflect or to represent the official teaching of Holy Mother Church at any time past or present, neither are those opinions intended in any way as criticism by the site owner of Holy Mother Church or her pastors.

A PRAISE OF GLORY IS ……..

Proposition 3 A Praise of Glory is a soul that gazes [3] on God in faith [4] and simplicity [5]; it is a reflector [6] of all that He is; it is a bottomless abyss [7] into which he can flow and outpour Himself [8]; it is also like a crystal [9] through which He can radiate [10] and view His own perfections and splendour [11]. A soul which thus permits the Divine Being to satisfy within it His need to communicate [12] all He is, and has, is truly the Praise of Glory of all His gifts [13].

Proposition 3 is constructed along similar lines to the previous ones: a requirement is given in the principal clause of the first sentence, and this is enlarged upon in 3 subordinate clauses. The proposition is then briefly summarized in the concluding sentence. Sr Elizabeth sets another bench-mark high up on Mount Carmel, which not all souls will pass in this life. This does not mean that we should not strive to achieve these aims, or that they cannot be achieved. For God often bestows His gifts quite unexpectedly, when He assumes the role of window cleaner with the dirty windows referred to by St John of the Cross [14].

In Proposition 2 Sr Elizabeth emphasized the actions of the Holy Spirit as central to her concept of a Praise of Glory: as central to the mystical life, “He will teach you all things” (Jn 14:26), and “He will make perfect those who are progressing” [15]. Unless we believe this, unless we become increasingly docile to the Holy Spirit in a ‘living’ faith, our continued transformation in Jesus will be halted, for “No man cometh to the Father, but by me” (Jn 14:6). The soul’s chief care is never to say ‘No’ to God, “to see that no obstacle is placed in the way of (the Holy Spirit) that guides it upon the road which God has ordained” [16].

A Praise of Glory is a soul that gazes on God in faith and simplicity; Before considering this clause in its entirety, it will be useful consider the 3 words: ‘faith’, ‘simplicity’, and ‘gaze’.

Faith. There are many definitions of faith, the official one of Holy Mother Church is, “a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed” [17]. In two of Sr Elizabeth’s letters she quotes faith as “the face-to-face in darkness” [18]. How very apposite this is: it is through His Love that we ‘gaze on God’ face-to-face in darkness, without recourse to any images, as we seek Him in faith, “the imageless bareness which is God” [19]; and that faith can be, as it must be, a living growing faith if we say ‘yes’ to God when He invites us to peer more closely into the darkness. This also gives meaning to the light of faith, “God has made faith the light of life” [20]. A few weeks before her death, Sr Elizabeth had occasion to write more forcefully, “Oh, if you knew how we live by faith in Carmel, how imagination and feeling are excluded from our relationship with God” [21]. Once again, her words are apposite, not only in Carmel, but in the world at large: since it is only by faith that we can know God; faith requires the gift of ourselves to Him [22], “a personal and unconditional act of self-surrender” [23]; for we can never know Him unless we ‘sit at His feet’ and are taught by the Master: “Hear Him for I have no more faith to reveal, neither have I any more things to declare” [24].

The ideal, the destiny, of a Praise of Glory is to love God with a perfect love: “loving Him with His own Love” [25]. Now, “perfect love is based on perfect faith” [26]. Instinctively then, we look to God to illumine our faith, by revealing the truth about Himself. Our prayers will surely wound His Sacred Heart: His love for us has always been perfect and He longs for us to return His love freely. Every time we make a simple Act of Faith we echo His own words, “Sanctify them, O Father, in truth: Thy word is truth” (Jn 17:17). As we “open the eye of our soul in faith” [27] and grow in faith, docile to the prompting of the Holy Spirit [28], so we get to know Him more intimately and we freely return His Love more and more. St John of the Cross compares faith to “the feet wherewith the soul journeys to God” while Love is “the guide that directs it” [29].

Sr Elizabeth actually left her spiritual treatise “Heaven in Faith” untitled. Mother Germaine gave it the title, “How to Find Heaven on Earth”, while Père Philipon shortened the title to, “Heaven on Earth”. Fr De Meester thought the title, “Heaven in Faith” more appropriate [30]. Sr Elizabeth used that phrase in her letters from Carmel, applying it both to the Dijon Carmel and to her soul [31]. Although ‘faith’ may not be explicitly mentioned in every letter; it is certainly implicit for it leaps up from every page, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6) and “Let us awaken our faith, let us recall that He is there, within, and that He wants us to be very faithful” [32]. As a Bride of Christ she would have loved the text, “I will espouse thee to Me in faith” (Osee 2:20), perhaps having heard Mother Marie’s comment on this, as an extra-muros: “The soul feels that enclosed in these words are the hidden treasures of life: it is there that God is infallibly to be found”; and prayed her beautiful prayer: “Lord, let me see by faith the ecstasy of faith: confirm Thine alliance by faith: give Thyself to me by faith”. [33]

Simplicity. Holy simplicity sets us free, for we participate in the simplicity of God [34]: “God loves man so much that He wants him to participate in His own simplicity, and God will work to that end” [35]. Purification is linked to an increasing simplicity, revealing its true meaning, as we become daily more aware of God’s Love for us: as we ‘wait on God’ who is Love; for we are able to return that Love with increasing simplicity. “That in much experience of tribulation they have abundance of joy and their very deep poverty hath abounded unto the riches of their simplicity” (2Cor.8:2). Simplicity is the key to a living faith. Simplicity also requires prudence: to beware the snares of the devil, and to remember the downfall of Adam and Eve: “Be ye therefore wise as serpents simple as doves” (Matt. 10:16). It is all too easy to miss the danger signs: the façade of spirituality: for example; fooling ourselves about which ‘mansion’ we believe ourselves to be in, instead of leaving this to God; measuring our love, and our prayer life, against the yardstick of ‘how good’ it makes us feel; ‘waiting on God’ only when it is convenient to ourselves; in short, losing-out once again to an ego-self. Care is also necessary when increasing our knowledge of the faith; to do this in simplicity, with the guidance of Holy Mother Church and to beware ‘false teachers’. Not to seek enlightenment, however, would be to jeopardise the very gift of faith. As St Augustine said, “If faith is not charged with thought it is nothing”, and “To believe is nothing else than to think with assent” [36].

Guardini justified this last point succinctly, “To believe means to be so rooted in Christ that He becomes the foundation of one’s own existence” [37] and we can only be so ‘rooted’ if we court simplicity: to see things as they really are, “with simplicity of eye and heart” [38]. Usually ‘simplicity’ is rendered ‘simplicity of heart’ in Holy Scripture, for example: “Think of the Lord in goodness, and seek Him in simplicity of heart” (Wis.1:1); but not always: “The testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to the simple” (Ps.18:8). In this example from the Psalms, ‘simple’ is given as a translation of ‘parvulus’ (vulgate); but in other versions of the Bible, it can appear as ‘little ones’, which is the only translation given in some dictionaries. In (Matt.11:25) we read, “Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to the simple”: again ‘simple’ appears as ‘little ones’ in some versions. The reason for highlighting this point, is the accepted connection between simplicity and a little one, or a child, “unless you become like little children again” (Matt. 18:3).

Mother Germaine wrote of Sr Elizabeth that she “uttered the most sublime speeches with the frankness of a child” and “from infancy she was simple, yet instinctively profound” [39]. She loved to give advice in a letter, then follow up with “it is so simple” ; for example: “When we are in our deepest centre (i.e., of our soul), we are in God. Isn’t that simple.” [40]. Her prayers were simple, yet profound: “I will return love for love to You, and blood for blood. You died for me. Well, then: each day, I will die to myself; each day, I will endure new sufferings; each day ….” [41] is just one example from her diary in 1899. Undoubtedly, Elizabeth was aware of, and had been influenced by, Sr Thérèse’s love of simplicity, both from her reading of ‘Histoire d’une Ame’ before entry into Carmel, and the study of the book under Mother Germaine’s tutelage while in the novitiate [42]. She had acquired holy simplicity young, her one idea being to live only in God and for God. That is simplicity; for it permits of no division into parts. Although she referred to things being ‘simple’, many times in her letters, there appear to be only 5 direct references to ‘simplicity’[43]: in a compassionate letter [44] to a young friend who had lost a relative, she first of all remarked that to die in the faith is “such a simple act”, then she quoted from St John’s Gospel (13:1) a “lovely definition of death”, with the remark “Don’t you find that touching in its simplicity?”. In ‘Heaven in Faith’ the second prayer on the sixth day is devoted to ‘Simplicity’ and is both beautiful and comprehensive [45].

On the remark made above about the use of ‘little one’ or ‘child’ to emphasize ‘simplicity’ of approach, Sr Elizabeth includes ‘little-ones’ in one poem, “To little-ones I reveal and show myself: the hidden God your love wishes to ‘take hold of’” [46]; and 2 letters, “let us imitate the dear little-ones and live in the arms of God with the same simplicity”, written to her sister [47]; and “God answers the desires of little-ones”, written to her Mother, in which Sr Elizabeth is the ‘little-one’ [48]. The influence of Sr Thérèse is again evident in 2 early letters from Carmel in which Sr Elizabeth refers to herself as, ‘poor little one’ [49]; and in the phrase “child in the arms” which appears in some 18 letters [50]. ‘Little one(s)’ is used over 30 times in a general and familiar sense: for example, Mother Germaine refers to Sr Elizabeth as our ‘dear little-one’ in 2 letters [51]; and no further remarks are made on these.

One’s behaviour in God’s family is an inversion of that in the human family in one important respect. As a human being grows up, learns more, becomes more experienced, so we take charge of our own affairs and, perhaps, those of other people. In God’s family as one grows up, and learns more, the human being becomes more child-like: more dependent on God, Our Father: for we are his children. St Thérèse of the Child Jesus made this a central feature of her spiritual doctrine [52]. “Unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt.18:3).

Gaze. ‘Gaze’ is an umbrella word which covers many shades of meaning associated with ‘looking at’. These shades of meaning are rendered in the French originals of Sr Elizabeth’s letters from Carmel, but often lost in translation, although the meaning is usually evident. Now, ‘to gaze’ is a translation of ‘fixer’ in Proposition 3, yet in a letter written just before ‘Heaven in Faith’ [53] in which “gazes on God in Faith” occurs, ‘to gaze’ is the translation of ‘regarder’; the same applies to a letter written just after her treatise [54]. In both of these letters the ‘immediate’ object was ‘the Master’. In a Christmas letter, where Jesus is the obvious ‘object’ of “if my gaze always remains fixed on Him” [55], ‘to fix’ is a translation of ‘fixer’. Again, the same applies in quotation ‘[1]’ at the head of this Update. So why is there a difference? The answer is suggested by the Christmas letter where the ‘object’ is not referred to as ‘Jesus’ but as “the God of the Crib”. In each case that ‘fixer’ is used, it is with ‘God’ as the immediate object. This is consistent with her oft-quoted “A Carmelite has gazed on the Crucified” [56], in which ‘to gaze’ is a translation of ‘regarder’.

At the time Sr Elizabeth entered Carmel, she associated ‘gazing on the Crucified’ with ‘entering into the Soul of her Christ’ [57]. Although the great mission had left her in no doubt about the passionate love of the Soul of Christ for souls, it was another year before this was mentioned in a letter [58]. The imagery of this Divine Love: as the Divine Sun radiating Love to all; appeared a month later in a follow-up letter to the same person, “When I see the Sun invade our cloisters, I think that is how God invades the soul” [59]. As her mystical knowledge increased, imagery was essential in its development and for conveying her message in letters. Her train of thought was consistent with mystic tradition that gazing on “the face of the Crucified leads to the radiant splendour of the Word of God” [60]. The Word was present in her soul, she was present in Him, and her gaze was fixed on Him: not on His radiant splendour, but on Him ‘face-to-face in a darkness’ devoid any imagery; and she knew this: “May our simple gaze upon Him, separate us from everything and fix us in the unfathomable depths of the mystery of the Three” [61], “our dwelling place and our home” [62]. In turn, this led her to God, through the Son in the Father and the Holy Spirit; and not vice-versa. [63] St Teresa instructed her nuns in similar vein, “I am not asking you now to think of Him … . I am asking you only to look at Him. For who can prevent you from turning the eyes of your soul [64] upon this Lord. … Your Spouse never takes His eyes off you, daughters.” [65]. Sr Elizabeth suggested that ‘looking at Him’ with a simple loving gaze should not only separate us from everything, it should “set a cloud between us and things here on earth” [66], which reminds one of a ‘cloud of forgetting’ [67].

‘Gazing on the Crucified’ is one of several devotional aids, which assist us to “lift our hearts and minds to God” , to possess God, in prayer [68]. Two other very popular aids are the ‘Stations of the Cross’ and the ‘Rosary’. In their absence, maybe we have recourse to the many images formed in our minds over the years: for example, the white robed, bearded, figure of Our Father; or an impeccably dressed Virgin Mary, in blue and white. When we say the ‘Our Father’ or the ‘Hail Mary’, these images help keep distractions at bay as well as concentrating our minds. St John of the Cross refers to such images as a ‘remote’ means of union with God [69]. Those images of God, Our Father, and Mary, Our Blessed Mother, are unreal; but what does it matter if they assist us in our prayers and in holding a ‘loving conversation’? In His own time, and in His own way, God will answer that question if it is His Will. Then the images will have to go, no more bearded figures and well dressed ladies! As God begins stripping the mind of those favourites which pandered to the way in which we want to pray; the pain comes back; and we learn, and go-on learning, to participate in a dialogue of Love/love. Then we may understand why Sr Elizabeth used ‘fixer’ in place of ‘regarder’ in some of her letters; but we are unable to explain it. When we ‘gaze on the Crucified’ now, it is somehow different, perhaps we are ‘fixed’ on God: ‘gazing on God’. It is a change of viewpoint brought about by prayer; available to all according to His Divine Will. St John of the Cross would say that God has been, and is, gently leading us to a ‘proximate’ means of knowing Him in faith and simplicity [69,bis].

A Praise of Glory is a soul that gazes on God in faith and simplicity. When the principal clause is looked at in the light of the preceding remarks, this confirms that Sr Elizabeth did have more in mind than giving a definition of The Prayer of Simplicity: or ‘of loving Regard’. Almost 5 years earlier she had defined it: but not in so many words, in a letter to her sister, when she had advised her, “simplify all your reading, to fill yourself a little less, … . Take your Crucifix, look (‘regarde’), listen” [70]. We go to God in prayer, lovingly and freely, to give Him glory, so if we suspect something may be happening to our prayer life, then that is probably down to God. Wise spiritual directors advise us to ‘wait on God’. We may well find that long discursive prayers have lost their appeal; and that short affective prayers are taking their place; along with a desire simply to look and to listen. Prayer should be an adventure, and in any thrilling adventure the scenario changes from time to time: prayer is no exception as long as we allow God to change the scenario. Let us take time out, often, simply to tell God that we love Him. Lehodey puts it so well,” The love may be almost imperceptible or all on fire, calm or impetuous. We look because we love, we look in order to love, and our love is fed and inflamed by looking” [71]. Our affections are inflamed, are on fire, and we tell God about this with a few words, or occasionally with more than a few: “O my Soul, let all that is in me bless His Holy Name” (Ps.102:1), which is also the basis for a splendid charismatic hymn [72]. We must be lovingly enthusiastic about God; giving thought to those most beautiful things of which we have memories: knowing that God is infinitely more beautiful [73]. O let us tell Him so, in a loving gaze face-to-face in darkness! But beware, O my soul, knowing that that is what you think of Him, God will work wonders of Love in those ‘deep caverns’ [74]. “If God gives a soul such pledges, it is a sign that He has great things in store for it” [75].

If a change is to be made in our prayer life, then the Holy Spirit will issue the invitation and oversee the change: at a time, and in a manner, of His choosing. In this proposition, Sr Elizabeth has assumed that such an invitation has been extended. If an invitation has not been extended, it does not mean that the person is not, nor cannot be, a Praise of Glory. It is not necessary for a Praise of Glory to satisfy every one of the 4 propositions, or even to satisfy even one of them completely; for that would mean man has determined how God is to be praised. What, then, is the criterion for an affirmative answer to the Holy Spirit? Obviously, personal factors, enter into the decision, but if like the Psalmist we can say, “Like the deer that longs for running streams, so my soul longs for You, my God” (Ps.41:2) then, other things considered, we should answer ‘Yes’ to the Holy Spirit. Our wonderful adventure of prayer has a new impetus. This does not mean that vocal prayer is no longer a part of our private devotions, or that those who practice the Prayer of loving regard are more advanced in the sight of God. The Prayer of loving regard can last a lifetime. If we are docile to the Holy Spirit, then our prayer will be simplified, but not everyone will achieve the goal of union in this life. Our progress is dependent on our docility, and we may find ourselves advancing quite quickly, or becalmed for several years on a plateau. It is usual to separate the prayer into 2 parts related to the degree of simplification achieved. Beginners would be in the 3rd mansion of the Interior Castle, while Proficients: those at the stage of the present proposition; would be in the 4th mansion at least [76].

In the early stages: images would have a key role, as would Gospel scenes; and the soul gazes on Truth: the revealed truth in the Gospel scene, under the influence of Love. The fruit of our prayer would be an on-going increase in our love and affections. Equally important would be the on-going simplification to the point where, perhaps, during Gospel scenes relating the Miracles (say) and the wonderful simplicity of Jesus’ words and actions, the scene seems to be an unnecessary encumbrance to our prayer. It is quite likely then, that the holy Spirit is guiding us, as Proficients, to begin gazing on ‘Divine Truth’ in preference to ‘revealed Truth’ [77]. Once more, the point is made that souls in the 4th mansion may, from time-to-time, make use of ‘revealed Truth’ as indeed they have done in the past, as well as vocal prayer and meditation.

Souls in the 4th mansion have a deep love of God, with an unbridled enthusiasm for the wonders of His Creation: we have only to think (say) of the grandeur of the Niagara or Victoria Falls; or of the south polar ice cap. In his commentary on SC14, St John highlights the wonders of nature [78]. Some of these are beautifully outlined by Bede Frost [79]. The soul goes to God stripped of everything, save permeating Love, living faith, and a firm intention that by the grace of God it will gaze on ‘Divine Truth’: the life, the light, and the essence of its Maker. If the Holy Spirit has led the soul this far, if our love is deep enough to simplify our gaze and to ‘fix’ it on the object of our love [80], then He will certainly ensure that our intention is realised. In so doing, our soul is “made radiant by the rays of the Divine Sun” [81] and will be filled to overflowing: in silent adoration; according to its capacity to ‘see in the darkness by the light of faith’. “Thus the soul must rest in darkness, like the blind man, leaning on obscure faith, taking it as light and guide, without seeking support in anything else that she understands, tastes, feels, or imagines" [82]. Our faith “needs to be elevated and perfected by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, to impel the soul to Divine things in a Divine way” [83]. God loves us too much, not to reward the soul for its love: by further hollowing out those deep caverns [74,bis] to extend its limited capacity. This allows new depths of knowledge to be infused into the soul: an increased and ever-deepening perception of the Being of God Himself, as revealed in His attributes [84]. Put in another way, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit operate more efficiently “in a supernatural and superhuman manner”, because in the higher stages of union the Gifts begin to dominate the soul “so that its acts are the Acts of the Holy Spirit" "with the full cooperation of the soul” [85]. Our will becomes increasing more in tune with the Divine Will; and the soul experiences an hitherto unknown fulfilment, joy, peace, and bliss [86].

The development is frequently linked to the Beatitudes, associating certain Beatitudes with the 3 ways of the spiritual life [87]. In the present context, “Happy are the pure in heart…; Happy are the peacemakers…; and Happy are they who are persecuted…”; would be linked to the Prayer of loving regard. This approach has not been followed, because it could mask the fact that the propositions were intended for a soul living in the world. Sr Elizabeth had addressed this point in the letter to her sister: “you can pray to God while working, it’s enough to look at Him. Then all becomes sweet and easy since you are not working alone, since Jesus is there.” [70,bis]. We retire into the desert of our soul (Osee 2:14), keeping “our eyes ever toward the Lord” (Ps. 24:15) with “a simple loving attention, fixed solely upon its object” [88]. The Beatitudes are the Christian’s Rule of Life, this is what God Wills for us. As the soul lives the spirit of the Beatitudes more closely, as regards our neighbour and ourselves; we are conformed to, and transformed in, Jesus more and more through prayer and good works, and so our will experiences that joy and peace of being in tune with the Divine Will.

It is a reflector of all that He is. Here we have an example of Sr Elizabeth at her most profound [89]: with a clause deceptive in its simplicity! Notice that the soul reflects ‘all that He is’, but not ‘all that He has’: the composite phrase being included by Sr Elizabeth at the end of Proposition 3, prefaced by “His need to communicate”. This, surely, makes it applicable to all mankind not just to those souls in advanced states of union. So that it can be assumed that ‘reflection’ is the return of the rays of Love to God, both directly, and indirectly through other souls. Notice also, by comparison with the 2 clauses which follow, it would appear that Sr Elizabeth had a mystical interpretation of the present clause in mind, as is suggested by the use of the word ‘reflector’: although this is not the only interpretation to be considered. Referring to [§24] of ‘Heaven in Faith’ reflecting ‘all that (God) is’ should sanctify an intending Praise of Glory, “You shall be holy, for I am Holy” (1 P 1:16). An ever present difficulty is knowing, ‘all that God is’. We have experienced this difficulty in the Prayer of loving regard : the ‘deeper’ we enter into faith, the more the sense of the ineffable takes possession of the soul. As was noted in ‘Update 6’, mystical imagery is an attempt to create a feeling for the ineffable: it does not explain the ineffable. The overall difficulty, together with a way forward is summarised in 3 quotations from St Thomas Aquinas: “Though God is wholly Simple we must still address Him with a multitude of names. Our mind is not able to grasp His Essence”; “Love takes up where knowledge leaves off”; and “By loving God a man glows to gaze on His Beauty” [90].

On Mount Tabor, “His Face shone as the sun” (Matt. 17:2) and in the OT, God was compared with the sun (Mal.4:2). Sr Elizabeth referred to “union with God, who was her brilliant Sun” [91], and when she was desperately ill, she thanked God for brightening her suffering “by His ray of Love” [92]. God as the Divine Sun is wonderfully apt imagery: the great distance from us, its life giving rays of light and heat (from which we need protection), and our dependence upon it. In the present phrase: ‘He’ (God, Divine Truth) is the “Divine Light (who) makes His light shine” [93] on a soul which “lives only by peace, love, union made radiant by the rays of the Divine Sun” [94]: “rays of Love” [92,bis], from “her brilliant Sun” [91,bis]. In union, the soul is turned fully towards the Sun and experiences the power of its brilliant light: the Praise of Glory is like another sun, but always less so than it would be in Heaven. “Look unto Him, and become radiant” (Ps.33:6, Eyragues trans.). St John of the Cross suggests that the appearance of the soul is like “the window is with the sun’s ray, or the light of the stars with that of the sun”. [95]

Our understanding of this mysticism is taken further by Arintero, commenting on a passage in the Song of Songs, where the Bride is compared with the beauty of the moon (Cant.6:10). “The moon does not have its own light, but receives it from the sun; so this soul tries always to receive the Divine rays from Jesus, so as to become under His continual influence, another new sun; in this way she seems pure and select like Him. For she shines so much with the clarity which she receives, and reflects His Divine light so much when enlightening other souls, that she seems to mirror Him and look like another sun”. [96] Cardinal Mercier said that, “Our Christian perfection and our influence on others are bound up with our powers of reflection” [97]. These examples serve to show the sense in which ‘reflect’ is used: the receptor literally glows as a result of the radiation.

Sr Elizabeth had included the theme of reflecting all that God is, in her ‘Prayer to the Trinity’. In addressing ‘my Christ’ she asks Him to “possess me wholly; substitute Thyself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Thine Own” and “so hold me that I cannot wander from Thy Light; then addressing the ‘Spirit of Love’ she begs that grace may: ‘reproduce in me, as it were, an incarnation of the Word, that I may be to Him another humanity’; and finally she confirms the outcome to Our Father that He will, ‘behold in her none other than Thy Beloved Son’ [98]. Sr Elizabeth used the imagery of the radiant Sun discussed above, but she also brought in the imagery of the Divine Eagle [99] which she had ‘inherited’ from Sr Thérèse: “Oh my adored Eagle …… I want to be fascinated by Your Divine glance. I want to be the prey of Your Love” [100]. Sr Elizabeth had written: “To love, to love all the time, to live by Love, that is to be His prey” [101];”the prey of Love” [102]. An Eagle mesmerizes its prey, it ‘holds it so that it cannot wander from its sight’: i.e., from the rays of the Divine Sun. Her reference to an Eagle is hardly unexpected, since the Divine Eagle had swooped on her as a prey, on the evening of Palm Sunday 1906 [103] and, at least, once more before she wrote ‘Heaven in Faith’ [104].

Although ‘mirror’ was not specifically mentioned in her proposition, a reflector is usually assumed to be a surface that acts as a mirror at some, or all, angles of incident radiation [105]. For example: “In supernatural contemplation the soul, like a mirror exposed to the rays of the sun, is all aglow with the light of the divine Sun that shines upon souls [106], “A truly clean heart is like a spiritual mirror in which the image of God is re-produced” [107]. “If the dispositions of your heart were really true everything in the world would be a mirror reflecting eternity” [108]. St John of the Cross assumes that the soul must be turned fully towards God for union: “When the powers of the soul are imperfect, understanding cannot receive enlightenment from the Sun, nor (is it) able to embrace God with pure love as a dulled mirror cannot reflect clearly within itself any visage” [109].

There is an inescapable similarity between the mystical interpretation of Sr Elizabeth’s phrase and that appropriate to (2Cor.3:18). “We all, reflecting (as in a mirror) the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the Lord.” [110]. Sr Elizabeth was familiar with this text having referred to it previously in 2 poems [111], and subsequently in her last retreat and in 2 letters [112]. The quotation from St Paul embraces all Christians who are united to God, gazing by faith on Divine Truth. The Holy Spirit rewards our gaze; it comes alive and we reflect Christ as in a mirror, acquiring something of His radiance and splendour, as we are transformed into His Image [113]. Oh the depth of His Love.

Jesus said, “If any one love Me, he will keep My word. And My Father will love him: and We will come to him and will make our abode with him” (Jn 14:23): we love Him with His own Love, through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Now Jesus also gave us the allegory of the Holy Vine, in which we are the branches. As such, He will fill our being with Himself that we may express all that He is; we become more like Him and reflect Him (all but His essence). “All My things are thine, and thine are Mine: and I am glorified in them” (Jn 17:10). We reflect Him by doing His Will under the guidance of the Holy Spirit: loving Him and loving our neighbour: through the Beatitudes. We should glow with His Love: “Ask Him to be in me to such an extent that people will sense Him when they come near me, and think of Him” [114]. We radiate, in our limited capacity, the attributes we ‘see’ in His Simplicity: “He that seeth Me, seeth the Father also” (Jn.14:9). Mother Amabel du Coeur de Jésus illustrated this, in her analysis of Sr Elizabeth’s ‘Prayer to the Trinity’, when she wrote: “ .. penetrate me so that I may become a feeble radiance of Thy own life: radiating goodness, tenderness, humility, charity; radiating light, strength, justice, truth; and radiating peace, joy, trust, and love. Oh my Saviour, to radiate Thee – this is indeed the aim of my life as a Carmelite: by my feeble praise; by joy of spirit; and in the little circle in which I am called to live for love of Thee” [115]. A prayer that we could surely make our own.

It is a bottomless abyss into which He can flow and outpour Himself. This does not contradict the previous clause; but is another expression of adoration of God, by the soul. St John of the Cross says, albeit in a slightly different context, “These lamps of fire are living waters of the spirit, like those that came upon the Apostles” [116]. It is helpful, at the outset, to recall to mind the ‘presence of God in the soul’: firstly, in its very essence as a Temple of the Holy Spirit, from Baptism; and secondly in the sense: ‘God in me and I in Him’: “The soul flows into God and God flows into it to transform it into Himself” [117]: “that He may flow into me” [118]. This, “constitutes the interior life, and in its highest degrees the mystical life”. [119]

When we say of God, ‘I know that you are there in the blackness of the void’, we mean ‘present’ rather than ‘there’. “Knowledge of God consists in knowing that He is, but not what He is” [120]. When God reveals Himself to us, in the light of faith, we have a feeling of ‘presence’ “which does not constitute presence but is the result of it” [119,bis]; and the blackness seems even blacker. We speak of the ‘blackness’ of the void, rather than ‘nothingness’. Nothing is a limit of something, but a limit that may not be zero: i.e., what we call nothing may be something, no matter how small. Even ‘emptiness’ would be inexact because of the presence of “naked thought and a blind feeling of one’s own being” [121]; but it would also be inexact for another more ‘simple’ reason. A void there may be, in physical terms, but not supernaturally; because as the soul adopted nakedness so God clothed it with Himself. God is spirit – pure being – without MLT [122] - He is not a God of mathematics: i.e., the mathematical concept of infinity; nor of physics: God is not in the blackness, nor is He the blackness. In real terms, we ‘reflect’ Him: we have no past or future, only a now in Him; as so beautifully expressed in the poem ‘The Garments of God’ [123].

The images of blackness, void, nothingness, do not explain the mystery of God, but they highlight the fact that ‘imagery’ can only be imagery and nothing more; in which case, a more ‘homely-based’ imagery may be easier to comprehend. For example, Sr Elizabeth was well grounded in the mysticism of our Holy Mother and Father; but she tended to give more emphasis to walking ‘on the road to Emmaus’ with a living, personal, approachable God: by relating to the mystery of Love [124]. Her treatise, ‘Heaven in Faith’ had a sound Scriptural framework; but the interstices chiefly comprised some quite long adaptations from Ruysbroec, together with material from the Spiritual Canticle and the Living Flame of Love. [125]

Although the meaning of the present clause is fairly clear, some comment is useful to set the scene.

Bottomless. This is an accurate translation from the French (sans fond). As Sr Elizabeth wrote, “when we are in our deepest centre we are in God” [126], which is not possible in this life. Note that this letter was written just after she had completed her retreat in the first half of August 1906. The scripture passage about the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman (Jn,4), could well be applied to the soul. The deep well would be the soul, with the source of living water at the bottom; Jesus is in each of us, and in our neighbour: the Samaritan woman. Sr Elizabeth would use a vase [127] to collect the living water to give as beatitude to our neighbour.

‘Abyss’ was a favourite word of Sr Elizabeth’s and it is in many of her letters. To be fair, it was a vogue word of the times, and had wide application. It is important not to think of an ‘abyss’ in geographical/physical terms. The soul was an “interior abyss in which to immerse and lose oneself” [128]. However, note that Sr Elizabeth associated the plural ‘abysses’ with different imagery. For example: God “hollows out abysses in my soul, abysses which He alone can fill” [129]. The ‘abysses’ may be identified with the ‘deep caverns’ in the Living Flame: the faculties of the soul: memory, understanding, and will. St John refers to the joy and delight of the soul as the caverns are filled; while Sr Elizabeth says that God “leads me into deep silence that I never want to leave again” [129,bis] while He fills the abysses. This use of ‘abyss’ is not taken further in these notes.

‘Flow’ (s’écouler) can be thought of as ‘pour out/into’. The wide natural usage: water, liquids, salt, sand, money, heavy gas, people; is simply extended to supernatural concepts. “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh” (Acts 2:17). “Let us empty our soul that He can come forth in it” [130]. In the Scriptures, an alternate sense is: ‘loss of strength’ (Ps 21:15), but this is not relevant.

Outpour Himself. Strictly the translation is ‘to pour one’s self out’ or ‘to discharge’ (s’épancher). Had Sr Elizabeth intended ‘overflow’ she would have used ‘déborder’. Actually, she wishes to imply ‘overflow’, “His is an immensity of Love which overflows us” [131], but she does not want the imagery that ‘overflow’ implies. Completely in accord with the previous clause, God wishes to transform the Praise of Glory into Himself, so that she will impart His grace and Love to others through the Beatitudes under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is in this sense that ‘expand’ in the ICS translation is intended. In the previous clause, God was depicted as the radiant Sun. Everyone knows the importance and value of the sun in everyday life. In its own way, water, could be thought just as important: should either or both fail, over a long period of time, then civilization as we know it would also fail. In this clause, then, God is depicted in mystical imagery as a Fountain of Water: living Water.

In Biblical times, water was very valuable; often hard to find and, even then, difficult to secure. In the OT: “Without living water, our lives are a desert” (Jer.17:6), and God is the “fountain of living water” for Israel (Jer. 2:13). While in the NT, Jesus’ words about water made a deep impression on His hearers; both on the Samaritan woman at the well: living water, “that shall become in Him a Fountain of Water, springing up into life everlasting” (Jn 4:14); and at the feast of tabernacles: “From within him, rivers of living water shall flow” (Jn 7:38) [132]. There is a limit to how much water we can drink at any one time, both in the natural and the supernatural life. In the 7th mansion, where this soul is, that limit is almost non-existent with a ‘deep abyss’; but living Water is very potent. “In secret cellar deep, I drank of my true love, then to the plain went forth, as one asleep" [133]. In his commentary, St John of the Cross refers to being drunk with the torrent from the fountain of life [134]. The ‘torrent’ is the Holy Spirit: proceeding from the Father and the Son: a (wide) river of living Water flowing into the soul [135]. “The charity of Christ which surpasses all knowledge: that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God” (Eph.3:19). “God is present to the soul in so far as He works in her the life of grace, and establishes her in His image and likeness” [136]. “The Holy Trinity is in the interior of her soul – in the most interior place of all and in its greatest depths” [137]. These quotations suggest that the torrent of ‘living Water’ issuing from the Fountain of life will fill the soul to the point of outpouring with Love, and adoration. Without that living Water, without the vivifying effect of the Holy Spirit, the soul would be like a desert. Nothing could live there, not even Christ: the life of the soul; for we can only derive nourishment from that Food with living Water.

Well might we harken to the words of Our Saviour, “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn 7:37). Living Water flows as we read the Scriptures, and pray the Divine Office, as the Word of God [138]. “These drops (of living Water), Our Lord lets fall into our hearts, to soften them with His Love” [139]. These drops must surely become that ‘torrent’ of the Spiritual Canticle as we pray the words of Consecration with the Priest during the celebration of Holy Mass. The soul never becomes empty because the living Waters are of God, “I must be wholly filled with Him” (Apoc.7:17) [140]. St John of the Cross’ imagery of Mount Carmel can be extended. On every mountain there are streams, sometimes torrents of water. Their source is God, at the very top of the mountain. Streams of living waters fill us to outpouring with the Water of eternal life, as we climb the Mount of perfection: “There the fresh stream leaps down the slope – the thirsting hermit drinks and lives”[141] Sr Elizabeth’s allegory of a vase filling from the ‘Fountains of the Waters of life’ (Apoc.7:17,21:6) [142], applies equally to the abyss “letting it be filled with floods of charity to overflowing; so that she could communicate it to souls: note that she is the vase [142,bis]. Balthasar replaces ‘overflowing’ with “make it gush out all around” [143] which is very descriptive.

To appreciate ‘God as simple’ is beyond our finite capability; but we can appreciate the perfection of those things that God displays in all His works: “goodness, grace, Love, …” [144]. In the mystical sense “goodness, grace, Love, …” are in the ‘outpouring’, “May He fill you with the “riches of His glory”” (Eph.3:16)[145]. As we live the Beatitudes in our lives, it is our privilege to make known to our neighbour the ‘riches’ of God’s “goodness, grace, Love, …” ; by opening our hearts to them that they may experience that outpouring of living Water: the water of God’s Love. “God’s Love flows in us all” [146]. “He is an immensity of Love that overflows us on all sides” [147]. When the soul begins to outpour, there is then an “abyss of Love we possess within us where beatitude awaits us” [148]. St John of the Cross describing the gentle death of a person, having a soul in union, says, that the Love flows in wide rivers to the sea of Love, yet the rivers are so wide and they seem to be seas already with little movement. [149]

It is also like a crystal through which He can radiate and view His own perfections and splendour. Mysticism is often said to be the poetry of Religion [150], and Sr Elizabeth presents us with a simile, both profound and deep. It is helpful to begin by looking briefly at the wording of the clause, before seeking what Sr Elizabeth wished to convey through this imagery.

like a crystal. The word 'crystal' is from a Greek word meaning 'clear ice'. It is also applied to clear transparent quartz (mock crystal). In imagery it is often used in at least 2 different ways. From the definition, 'crystal' was, and is, synonymous with 'purity' . 'Crystal clear' is a familiar idiom, to be found in the Scriptures (Apoc4:6, 22:1). St John of the Cross links faith with the properties of crystal: "pure in its truths, and strong and clear and free from errors" [151]. In this usage, 'crystal' is simply a standard against which purity is measured. The crystal also figures as part of the imagery where, say, incident light is reflected unbroken, or light passes through unbroken. For example, Sr Elizabeth refers to the "Trinity being reflected in me as in a crystal" [152]. Fr Vallée said of Sr Elizabeth, in an obituary notice, that she was "like a splendid crystal through which the light passes unbroken;" [153]. Although the 'transparency' of the crystal is a reason for employing it, in translation the word is often replaced by 'translucent'. Language is 'alive', and the meaning of 'translucent' has changed over the centuries, and is still changing; changes which are not universally recognised. To avoid misunderstanding in these notes, only 'transparent' will be used, being qualified as necessary [154].

Our Holy Mother's comparison of the soul with a "single diamond or very clear crystal" springs to mind as one reads Sr Elizabeth's clause; except that instead of the phrase "is like a ...", St Teresa used, "is made of ..." [155]. Was Sr Elizabeth thinking in terms of the Interior Castle? In her 'Last Retreat', Sr Elizabeth wrote, "To contemplate Himself in His creature and see reflected there all His perfections, all His beauty as through a pure and faultless crystal." [156]. Although Fr De Meester lists some 18 references to the 'Interior Castle' in Sr Elizabeth's letters, poems and treatises, he makes no comment about the extent of her familiarity with the material, except to remark that the 'Interior Castle' and 'Way of Perfection' were in the same volume [157]. There are 2 significant letters in which Sr Elizabeth refers to the "Trinity being reflected in me as in a crystal" [152,bis] and to the Word imprinting in the soul, "as in a crystal, the image of His own beauty" [158]. The tenor of these quotations may seem to rule out an association between the imagery of the crystal as used in the 'Interior Castle' and as used in the context of a Praise of Glory. Yet in a reference to the purity of her young niece's soul, in which she saw the holiness of God's presence [159], she wrote: "like a crystal that radiates God", instead of "... through which He can shine" [160]. Sr Elizabeth's reference to a crystal in 3 poems is not considered here.

He can radiate. "Radiance" was a familiar word with Sr Elizabeth: e.g., "I remain united with you in the radiance of the Face of God" [161]; no doubt, in part, because it was frequently used by Fr Vallee. More familiarly, it is a 'brightness' conveying joy and hope: "It is through Him, with His radiance, that I must view and do everything - live in Him, it is so simple" [162]. Let us be "taken captive by Him, that we might no longer leave His radiance" [163]; no longer leave "the radiant Beauty who will satisfy our hunger" [164]. St John of the Cross notes that, using the imagery of the soul as a pure crystal, the intensity of the incident light is so great that the crystal becomes invisible [165]: "God has so suffused us with His Glory that it is reflected in our very being" [166]. This is no earthly radiance: it is the Brightness of the Indwelling Trinity in the Heaven of our souls, with joy, hope, and many other gifts, being 'conveyed' by the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of Love. "May He make His home in you, to overwhelm you, to invade you, so that (you) may be, as it were, a radiance of Himself: a reflection of God" [167]. This last quotation was written in a letter to Guite just a few days after she had written in her 'Prayer to the Trinity': "Immerse me in Thyself, possess me wholly, substitute Thyself for me, that my life may be but a radiance of Thine own".

view His own perfections and splendour. Clearly, imagery cannot give any idea of the nature of these acts of transformation, immersion, or substitution, or of how they are 'achieved'. "Like a light through crystal or clear water, God penetrates and infuses Himself into the essence of a soul in such a way that even a soul feels something of what is taking place, knows not how it is accomplished, but only that it is done” [168]. "Something of what is taking place": the imagery is developed further with exposure to the radiance of God leading 'ultimately' to the "image of God imprinted in the soul ... like a seal on wax" [169] or "as in a crystal" [170]; and this is what God 'views': the image of God. "The spirit, in the most intimate and highest part of its being, in its bare nature, ceaselessly receives the imprint of its eternal image and of the divine resplendence and becomes an eternal dwelling place of God" [171]. As previously mentioned, Fr Vallee had written that Sr Elizabeth was: "like a splendid crystal through which the light passes unbroken; when the divine impression is stamped on them the seal remains" [153,bis]. While she wrote, "Let us remain unceasingly under its radiance so that it may imprint itself on us" [172]. "It is by virtue of His immense Love that we are drawn into the depths of the intimate sanctuary, where God: bringing us His Gifts and giving Himself [173]; imprints on us a true image of His majesty" [174]. A 'true image' implies being perfect "as our heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48): radiant with His Radiance; holy with His Holiness; beautiful with His divine Beauty [175]; pure with His Purity [176]; luminous with His Light [176,bis]; wholly filled with Him [177]; "so the Father bending over us lovingly, will see only His Christ" [178], "so we can say with the Apostle: "I live no longer, but Jesus Christ lives in me" (Gal.2:20)" [179], and, finally, so we can say, the Praise of Glory has become another 'Laudem Gloriae'.

St John of the Cross in a breath-taking Stanza in the 'Living Flame' expresses the attainment of purity by the soul with quite different imagery, yet there is still that feeling of an 'imprint' of the image of God on the soul: "O lamps of fire bright-burning with splendid brilliance, turning deep caverns of my soul to pools of light!" [180]. The 'lamps of fire', of which there are many: and yet only one, are attributes associated with God: for example, wisdom, goodness, mercy; in each of which God is giving light and heat to the soul. The 'deep caverns' are the powers of the soul: memory, intellect, and will [181]; which are purified to the extent that we 'gaze on Him in faith and simplicity'; to the extent that we have turned toward, and rest in, the radiance of His Face; to the extent that we truly desire to be replica 'lamps of fire', fuelled by a share in His eternal happiness, an infused knowledge of Him, and an increased sense of His Love [182]. In short, that we are transformed in Him through the action of the Holy Spirit. Again, of ourselves, we can do nothing. Even if we could, the result would be but a poor imprint/replica of the resplendent original. We are creatures and no matter how pure we might become, of ourselves; without the touch of Our Creator we can never make the 'jump' from the finite 'perfect' to ineffable 'perfection'. Only then can God view/contemplate his own splendour.

It is impossible to tell, with any certainty, to what extent Sr Elizabeth was influenced by the works of our Holy Mother, or of our Holy Father. The present clause is in keeping with the previous ones in this proposition, which are part of the same sentence and thread of thought. Otherwise, Sr Elizabeth might have referred, once again to Our Blessed Lord's allegory of the Vine (Jn.15:1-8) [183], as the message would have been similar. The Husbandman purifies us: "Every branch that beareth fruit He cleanseth, that it may bear more fruit". The fruit we bear: which is His perfection and splendour, we bear in Christ: possible only because it is formed in Christ. Christ is the Vine, Christ is our life.

It is also like a crystal through which He can radiate and view His own perfections and splendour. God has been in us from conception; and in a very special way since our Baptism, when we became Temples of the Holy Spirit, and members of the Mystical Body of Christ. The 'Cloud of Unknowing' informs us that to our intellect, God is forever unknowable; but to love, God is completely knowable; so that He can be caught and held by love: caught and held by prayer, but never by thought [184]. This negative way of 'looking at' God is because the truths about God are so real and so positive that they are unknowable to our meager intellects. Imagery does not make the unknowable more knowable; but it can increase our love for Love. as we love Him more fervently with His own Love [185].

Initially posit God as the centre of the soul, a region free from any impurity: we strive to make even the outer reaches of our soul also that pure, through being docile to the Holy Spirit. The process of transformation is gradual, from one stage to another, from lesser to greater splendour. 'Renewal of the inward man day by day' (2Cor.4:16) [186] St John of the Cross writes of God being in an 'Inner Cellar': the innermost of seven cellars of love, corresponding with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The soul "comes to possess" these cellars of love as she increases in purity, but "few in this life, attain to the last, which they call the spiritual marriage" [187]. In the 'Interior Castle', St Teresa of Avila writes of the soul as made of diamond and comprising seven 'mansions' which the soul moves through with increasing purification towards the centre, in which God dwells [188] illuminating and beautifying them all [189]. There is a good description of the castle in [190].

Sr Elizabeth draws from these descriptions the important features that God is in the soul and that the soul is in God. The soul in spiritual marriage is transparent: with the purity of a crystal; to God's Love. Outside of spiritual marriage the 'overall' purity will be only slightly less so, thinking of the 'Prayer of Loving Regard': in St Teresa's 4th mansion and higher. Transparent to the radiance of God's Face in the ineffable intimacy of Love, so that His image: the image of God, is imprinted on the soul: a perfect imprint in spiritual marriage, for the soul completely transformed in God. This imprint was so important to Sr Elizabeth that she made her mission in Heaven, "to draw souls, by helping them to go out of themselves in order to adhere to God by a very simple, wholly loving movement and to maintain them in that great inner silence which allows God to imprint Himself on them and to transform them into Himself" [191]. A good illustration of the state of the soul, not yet in that happy state, is provided by the phases of the moon. As it goes from new moon to full moon, that part exposed to the sun's rays is no less bright, just because the other part is in shadow. So it is with the soul: moving from Splendour to Splendour. "And Thou, Oh Father, bend down ... beholding in her none other than Thy Beloved Son." [192]. Beholding in her His own Perfections and Splendour: His own perfections because the image must be perfect and true, and His Splendour: none other than Christ the 'Splendour of the Father. Truly, "God became man in order that man might become God." [193]. "Truly, the soul enters into a participation of the Uncreated Nature and the divine attributes", as " All these virtues, seen in the "deiform way", imprint on the soul a resemblance to the very life of God." [194].

It is something awesome, incredible, and beyond our comprehension; that we can give God love for Love: truly loving Him with His own Love; and that we can give a (similarity) of God to God. St John of the Cross sums up this wonder, "Even as God is giving Himself to the soul; the soul is giving God in God, to God Himself and thus the gift of the soul to God is true and entire" [195].

A soul which thus permits the Divine Being to satisfy within her His need to communicate all that He is and has, is truly the "Praise of Glory" of all His gifts. One can feel the joy and the pleasure in this final sentence. Sr Elizabeth was carried along by the momentum of those previous clauses. Later she was to write, "It is this intimacy with Him, within my soul that has been the glorious sun shining through my life, making it, as it were, a heaven in anticipation, it is what sustains me today in my suffering" [196]. The 'intimacy' to which she referred was the 'Divine Indwelling' in the soul and 'filial adoption': cornerstones of her spiritual doctrine; which made possible that real spiritual contact between God and the soul: "He wants you ... to withdraw into the solitude He has chosen for Himself in the depths of your heart. He is always there and wants to establish a wonderful communion" [197]. As Mouroux notes, "A person is apprehended in a spiritual contact by a phenomenon of communion [198].

It was through communion with the Holy Spirit, that Sr Elizabeth had been brought to spiritual marriage: the pinnacle of holiness in this life, "May our life be a continual communion, a wholly simple movement towards God" [199]. In the concluding sentence of this proposition Sr Elizabeth is at pains to point out that she is not the only Praise of Glory. Yes, there are other souls that 'Praise His Glory", but, as each soul is known by name, so each Praise of Glory is special, as this sentence shows. Here, in spiritual marriage, the two lovers are together: the Bridegroom and His bride. Two lovers with but one thought: to give of themselves to their spouse. The temptation is to have included the word 'completely'; but that could have led to misunderstanding, for while the Bridegroom is the Begotten Son of the Father, the Bride is only an adopted son. Again, the distinction is evident in the above sentence, as well as is a degree of looseness, albeit excusable, that requires interpretation.

The two requirements necessary for any soul to become a Praise of glory are: prayer, that the soul may be docile to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for without this the soul is spiritually blind as it cannot transform itself into the glorified Christ; and penance, that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Crucified Christ may be formed in the soul [200]. Looked at from this point of view, the soul needs God. To a lesser degree, God 'needs' the soul. In the process of purification, the soul has been deified by God through the many Gifts which it has received from Him. "He bends over us with all His charity, day and night, wanting to communicate with us, to infuse us with His divine life, so as to make us deified beings who radiate Him everywhere" [201]. Now, in spiritual marriage, God needs/wants to give further Gifts to His bride. Re-reading the final sentence, the word 'permits' may seem awkward: almost as if God requires 'permission'. A ludicrous idea: that the Creator needs permission of the creature; yet, ostensibly valid, in the light of sin. Only as the soul becomes conformed and transformed in Jesus: purified; is it able to respond to the Gifts of God. That is the intended meaning of 'permits'.

At the time Sr Elizabeth wrote her treatise 'Heaven in Faith', she was reading passages from the works of Ruysbroec. She was captivated by them, and his influence is evident. There is inevitable repetition in his books, but this does not detract from the rendering of the phrase "all that He is and has". The Father gives the Son all that ... , otherwise how could Jesus say, "He that seeth me seeth the Father also" (Jn 14:9) [202]. In His turn, Jesus gives all that ... , Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, to us in the Eucharist as a sign of His Love [203]: and all that means - free access to His Sacred Heart, and to the open Wound in His Side. However, the price of Love is high, and; as Ruysbroec points out, it is in the nature of a lover to demand as well as to give; Jesus' demands are insatiable![204] Ruysbroec notes that "all that Jesus has" includes "everything that He had received from our human nature" [203,bis]: one should also include, "the words of eternal life", from St Peter's profession of faith (Jn 6:69).

Sr Elizabeth was, indeed, a 'Praise of Glory' but, without wishing to detract from her holiness, it is well to conclude by reminding oneself of the words of St Augustine, "And there shall be one Christ loving Himself" [205]. "No one can truly love, except Christ loves in him. No one can be truly loved, except Christ be loved in him. It is only by Christ and with Christ and in Christ that we can love God: and God Himself Loves us in Christ for "He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world", "unto the praise of the glory of His grace in which He hath graced us in His Beloved Son" (Eph. 1:4,6)" [206].

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