Meditation 54
The Clean Table of the Vision of the Presence
The
ancient Hebrews called the golden table the clean table of the vision of the presence because the plate was of a pure and polished gold, as a
golden mirror. Dear reader! Imagine how tenderly and attentively
the priests of Aaron polished this golden plate. Once an old priest who
had visited the Holy land told me a beautiful story of some Christian
women in Palestine who visited regularly the place where we can still
see the granite stone slab that in accordance with tradition is from
our Lord’s tomb and can still today be seen in front of the
Church of the Sepulcher. They sat down around this granite slab with
their knitting and in between they took their handkerchiefs and
polished the granite as they prayed. This the faithful have done for
centuries so the granite is shining like a shining and pure mirror.
This is indeed what the soul is obliged to do when she approaches this
golden plate in her contemplation. She must go to the plate and polish
it with holy tears of repentance
because pure it must be here in the real presence of our Lord.
The cloth which the soul must use to polish the plate of this golden table in the inscrutability of the prayer are her tears of meekness enkindled by the heavenly manna or Eucharist drawing our attention to another cloth or veil. See dear reader what Christ did Himself on the morning of His resurrection in the sepulcher. The sweat cloth which the women had covered His face with was not with the linen clothes, “but rolled up in a place by itself” (Jn 20. 6). In the prayer of union the soul dwells in this sepulcher of the powers for three nights while they go through the purification of the spiritual nights: the great nights of the Christification. The contemplative intellect is still covered with this cloth or veil in faith because of the stains of sin.
But such is the immeasurable love that His Majesty shows the soul here at the golden tables of loaves, that He sweeps it off the spiritual intellect in a lightning speed. When He removes this cloth in this sepulcher of the soul's powers the words of St. Paul get an authentic meaning,
It is this light which now illuminates the beryl and no soul can scrutinize this gracious and sublime favor otherwise than by approaching this golden table in the Sanctuary in perfect humility, obedience and purity in the lucid illumination of the beryl,
St. Paul did not write these words in accordance with human presumptuousness, but based them on his own living experience as we can easily see when we read the account which he gives us of the “Law of the Spirit” (Rm 8. 2) in his own formation in the live of grace. This formation is the core of Christian spirituality in the community of the Church as a cradle of a new race of humanity known in its “effects” as Thomas Aquinas put it,
Perhaps the words of St. Teresa of Avila shed best light on the sublime mystery taking place here in the prayer of union in the lightning speed of this clear vision,
But such a streak of lightning of this authentic appearance of His Majesty in His glory would fill the soul with enormous joy and gladness in the purity of the baptismal grace, but the effects are reverse! The purification of the fire of love in the dark night of the spirit has begun, or by the words of John of the Cross, the master of the dark night,
The great seven days sun of the Uncreated Light has begun to shine above the fertile soil in the garden of the souls heart and just as takes place in tropical forests, the damp from the earth rises up and obscures the sight to the sun, or by the words of Simeon the New Theologian,
The spirit is like a log or wood engulfed in living flames of love which blaze in its essence in vehement consummation, “We see that the fire is more intense the greater is the union, and that this flame unites and carries up the acts of the absorbed and stolen will into the Holy Spirit, just as the angel rose to God in the flames of Manoah’s sacrifice (Jg 13. 20). In this state the soul is not able to act on her own. It is the Holy Spirit Who performs all her actions and moves the soul.” [5]
The love game which God plays with the soul – this Ludis Amoris – are the sweet hands of the Holy Spirit which inflects wounds of love upon the spirit in order to enkindle its vehement love still further as a separation still exist in this world of radiant graces and glory. The soul must adjusts herself gradually more to this spiritual reality which she left behind when she was excluded from the garden by the original sin. Thus the spirit can flee from its prison of transgressions,
This link of communication is the essence of the human spirit – its deepest and truest ground or sparkle – and seat of the personality, the throne of God in the human being as His creation, as Teresa of Avila reminded her spiritual daughters of where Almighty God is “seated upon an extremely valuable throne, which is your heart,” [7] the Throne of mercy: “There I shall come to meet you; from above the mercy seat” (Ex 25. 22).
It is here where God manifests Himself to the human spirit as its Maker and Creator not above the spirit but within the spirit – in its inmost essence – in the glory of His transcendent Essence, in the power of His closeness but simultaneously remote and even frightful in the Light of Glory,
The “old order is gone” (2 Cor 5. 17) and God manifests Himself as “I am He who is” (Ex 3. 14) and the Spirit of life says, “I am has sent me to you”. This ontological difference between the human spirit and its God and Creator is the source of all the holy tears which the soul sheds in this night flowing from the inmost being of its essence as her charity has not been put into order. God takes His becoming bride “to his cellar” (Sg 2. 4) as His banner over the human spirit shall be love.
Thus He must restore the human spirit with the apples of the pomegranate tree revealed on the robe and that is why the soul is sick of love (see Sg 2. 5). This is the Tree of Life “which bears twelve crops of fruits in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the nations” (Rv 22. 2). The twelve crops of fruits are the foundation stones of the Celestial City and the leaves the infused virtues.
In the revelation of the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle these leaves of the virtues are exposed by almond blossoms. We have encountered them before on the rim of the bronze laver in the courtyard (Med. 36) and sewed on the curtain of the Second entrance (Med. 42). Now these same almond blossoms are exposed on the leg and arms of the lamp stand which we will soon see. It is here in the first stage of the prayer of union at the golden table where they begin to bloom as they nourish themselves on the light from the lamp stand, as all other light was prohibited in this Golden House of God: all natural light was strictly excluded in accordance with the degrees of the commandments. The souls power shall only be nourished on this light.
This is a serious admonition to all souls that try to seek nourishment in another source of light as the great cherubim and enemy of salvation disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11. 14).
The cloth which the soul must use to polish the plate of this golden table in the inscrutability of the prayer are her tears of meekness enkindled by the heavenly manna or Eucharist drawing our attention to another cloth or veil. See dear reader what Christ did Himself on the morning of His resurrection in the sepulcher. The sweat cloth which the women had covered His face with was not with the linen clothes, “but rolled up in a place by itself” (Jn 20. 6). In the prayer of union the soul dwells in this sepulcher of the powers for three nights while they go through the purification of the spiritual nights: the great nights of the Christification. The contemplative intellect is still covered with this cloth or veil in faith because of the stains of sin.
But such is the immeasurable love that His Majesty shows the soul here at the golden tables of loaves, that He sweeps it off the spiritual intellect in a lightning speed. When He removes this cloth in this sepulcher of the soul's powers the words of St. Paul get an authentic meaning,
Let light shine out of the
darkness, that has shone into our hearts to enlighten them with the
knowledge of God's glory, the glory on the face of Christ (2 Cor 4. 6).
It is this light which now illuminates the beryl and no soul can scrutinize this gracious and sublime favor otherwise than by approaching this golden table in the Sanctuary in perfect humility, obedience and purity in the lucid illumination of the beryl,
And this veil will not be taken
away till they turn to the Lord (2 Cor 3. 16).
St. Paul did not write these words in accordance with human presumptuousness, but based them on his own living experience as we can easily see when we read the account which he gives us of the “Law of the Spirit” (Rm 8. 2) in his own formation in the live of grace. This formation is the core of Christian spirituality in the community of the Church as a cradle of a new race of humanity known in its “effects” as Thomas Aquinas put it,
Although we cannot know in what
consists the essence of God, nevertheless in this science we make use
of His effects, either of nature or of grace, in place of a definition,
in regard to whatever is treated of in this science concerning God;
even as in some philosophical sciences we demonstrate something about a
cause from its effect, by taking the effect in place of a definition of
the cause. [1]
Perhaps the words of St. Teresa of Avila shed best light on the sublime mystery taking place here in the prayer of union in the lightning speed of this clear vision,
And even though the vision happens
so quickly that we could compare it to a streak of lightning, this most
glorious image remains so engraved on the imagination that I think it
would be impossible to erase it until it is seen by the soul in that
place where it will be enjoyed without end. [2]
But such a streak of lightning of this authentic appearance of His Majesty in His glory would fill the soul with enormous joy and gladness in the purity of the baptismal grace, but the effects are reverse! The purification of the fire of love in the dark night of the spirit has begun, or by the words of John of the Cross, the master of the dark night,
Before transforming the soul, it
purges it of all contrary qualities. It produces blackness and darkness
and brings to the fore the soul's ugliness; thus one seems worse than
before and unsightly and admonible. The divine purge stirs up all the
foul and vicious humors of which the soul was never aware; never did it
realize there was such evil in itself, since these humors were so
deeply rooted. And now that they may be expelled and annihilated they
are brought to light and seen clearly through the illumination of this
dark light of divine contemplation . Although the soul is no worse than
before, either in itself or in its relationship with God, it feels it
clearly that it is so bad as to be not only unworthy that God see it
but deserving of his abhorrence. In fact, it feels that God now does
abhor it. [3]
The great seven days sun of the Uncreated Light has begun to shine above the fertile soil in the garden of the souls heart and just as takes place in tropical forests, the damp from the earth rises up and obscures the sight to the sun, or by the words of Simeon the New Theologian,
I often saw the Light, sometimes
it appeared to me within me when my soul possessed peace and silence;
sometimes it only appeared afar off, and even hid itself altogether.
Then I suffered an immense sorrow, thinking that I should never see it
again. But when I began to weep, and witnessed to my complete
detachment from everything, and to an absolute humility and obedience,
the Light reappeared like the sun which chases away the thick clouds
and which gradually disclose itself, and brings joyfulness. Thus didst
Thou, O Thou, Ineffable, Invisible, Intangible Mover of all things,
present in all things, at all times, filling all things, showing
Thyself and hiding Thyself at every hour, thus didst Thou appear to me,
and disappear, by night and by day. Slowly didst Thou disperse the
mists around me, and dispatch the clouds which covered me. Thou didst
open my spiritual ear, and didst purify the sight of my soul. At last
having done as Thou didst will, Thou didst reveal Thyself to my
cleansed soul, coming to me, but still invisible. And suddenly Thou
didst appear as another Sun, O ineffable and divine condescension! [4]
The spirit is like a log or wood engulfed in living flames of love which blaze in its essence in vehement consummation, “We see that the fire is more intense the greater is the union, and that this flame unites and carries up the acts of the absorbed and stolen will into the Holy Spirit, just as the angel rose to God in the flames of Manoah’s sacrifice (Jg 13. 20). In this state the soul is not able to act on her own. It is the Holy Spirit Who performs all her actions and moves the soul.” [5]
The love game which God plays with the soul – this Ludis Amoris – are the sweet hands of the Holy Spirit which inflects wounds of love upon the spirit in order to enkindle its vehement love still further as a separation still exist in this world of radiant graces and glory. The soul must adjusts herself gradually more to this spiritual reality which she left behind when she was excluded from the garden by the original sin. Thus the spirit can flee from its prison of transgressions,
Two prisoners whose cells adjoin
communicate with each other by knocking on the wall. The wall is the
thing which separates them but is also their mean of communication. It
is the same with us and God. Every separation is a link. [6]
This link of communication is the essence of the human spirit – its deepest and truest ground or sparkle – and seat of the personality, the throne of God in the human being as His creation, as Teresa of Avila reminded her spiritual daughters of where Almighty God is “seated upon an extremely valuable throne, which is your heart,” [7] the Throne of mercy: “There I shall come to meet you; from above the mercy seat” (Ex 25. 22).
It is here where God manifests Himself to the human spirit as its Maker and Creator not above the spirit but within the spirit – in its inmost essence – in the glory of His transcendent Essence, in the power of His closeness but simultaneously remote and even frightful in the Light of Glory,
Nor was it above my soul, as oil
is above water, nor yet as heaven above earth: but above my soul,
because it made me; and I below It, because I was made by it. He that
knows the Truth, knows what that Light is; and he that knows It, knows
eternity. Love knoweth it. O Truth Who art Eternity! and Love Who art
Truth! and Eternity Who art Love!” [8]
The “old order is gone” (2 Cor 5. 17) and God manifests Himself as “I am He who is” (Ex 3. 14) and the Spirit of life says, “I am has sent me to you”. This ontological difference between the human spirit and its God and Creator is the source of all the holy tears which the soul sheds in this night flowing from the inmost being of its essence as her charity has not been put into order. God takes His becoming bride “to his cellar” (Sg 2. 4) as His banner over the human spirit shall be love.
Thus He must restore the human spirit with the apples of the pomegranate tree revealed on the robe and that is why the soul is sick of love (see Sg 2. 5). This is the Tree of Life “which bears twelve crops of fruits in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the nations” (Rv 22. 2). The twelve crops of fruits are the foundation stones of the Celestial City and the leaves the infused virtues.
In the revelation of the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle these leaves of the virtues are exposed by almond blossoms. We have encountered them before on the rim of the bronze laver in the courtyard (Med. 36) and sewed on the curtain of the Second entrance (Med. 42). Now these same almond blossoms are exposed on the leg and arms of the lamp stand which we will soon see. It is here in the first stage of the prayer of union at the golden table where they begin to bloom as they nourish themselves on the light from the lamp stand, as all other light was prohibited in this Golden House of God: all natural light was strictly excluded in accordance with the degrees of the commandments. The souls power shall only be nourished on this light.
This is a serious admonition to all souls that try to seek nourishment in another source of light as the great cherubim and enemy of salvation disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11. 14).
[1]. Summa Theologiae, 1. 1, a. 7.
[2]. Interior Castle, 6. 9, 3.
[3]. Dark night, 2. 10. 2.
[4]. Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, p. 226.
[5]. The Living Flame of Love, 1. 4.
[6]. Gravity and Grace, p. 132.
[7]. Life, 14, 9.
[8]. Confessions, 7, 10.
[2]. Interior Castle, 6. 9, 3.
[3]. Dark night, 2. 10. 2.
[4]. Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, p. 226.
[5]. The Living Flame of Love, 1. 4.
[6]. Gravity and Grace, p. 132.
[7]. Life, 14, 9.
[8]. Confessions, 7, 10.
