Fr. Dale Matson
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.
The above graphic is from the book Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of
Spiritual Development by Benedict J. Groeschel, 1993, p. 118, Crossroads
Publishing Company.* You may click on the graphic to enlarge it.
This graphic by Fr. Groeschel depicts what he refers to as the
doctrine of the Three Ways. The idea of
three stages of spiritual development was first mentioned in the church in the
late 5th century in the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the mystical
theologian and philosopher.
This graphic depicts the path
of sanctification for the Christian. The graph has limitations because
spiritual growth unlike physical growth is more a cyclical than linear process.
The three categories Purgative, Illuminative and Unitive are not mutually
exclusive and an individual may be in more than one state of growth at the same
time.
What is incredible about this developmental process is that spiritual growth also yields a
transformation of the personality including the emotions, sensual, intellectual
and the will.
In the Purgative stage,
individuals resist sinning especially sexual sins and cultivate love. They are
at war with themselves. It reminds me of the struggle described by St. Paul in
Romans chapter seven. I once heard this person referred to as a carnal
Christian. It is a time of shedding of the old ways and a struggle that leads
to humility. This process is both active based on the efforts of the individual
and also passive based on the encouragement of God’s consolations. This is
primarily a behavioral stage and the individual is helped by the rituals of the
church.
In the Illuminative
stage, the passions of the individual are more controlled and the focus is
more cognitive. There is reflection and self-examination. Since the struggle
against the flesh has been reduced, the mind is free to entertain Divine
thoughts. There are still internal and external trials to be endured. In this
stage the individual is helped by exercising the theological and moral virtues.
In the Unitive stage, the
struggle can even be greater. There can be a dark night of the soul as a part
of this stage, with a spiritual thirst that cannot be quenched. It is a time
with no consolation and a state of desolation. I believe Mother Teresa
discussed this darkness in her private memoirs in the biography Come Be My
Light by Brian Kolodiejchuk, 2007, Doubleday. In this stage the soul is
united to God by love.
In Fr. Groeschel’s graphic, he introduces the ascending and
descending wavy lines that indicate as people progress spiritually, they
experience less anxiety and more peace and freedom. Notice also how the focus
of the prayers change in each stage and the foci and experiences differ also.
I also find it interesting that in the unitive stage that
there is a loss of all defenses. I believe this is a divestment of ego. The
only other individual that experiences this loss of defenses is the psychotic.
I have used this graphic in many wellness classes. I know of
no one who even claimed to be in the unitive stage and I only know one
person, my mentor, who existed in the illuminative stage. He had been diagnosed
with terminal cancer and accepted God’s will. He lived another twelve years
with it in remission. I hope you will find it useful as a way of helping you
understand your own spiritual progress. Amen
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