In Chapter 31, the Soul reaches a profound peace through her union with Love, recognizing that although she is limited and cannot love or comprehend God as He deserves, her will to love suffices. Love assures her that God, her Beloved, does not require more than what she can give and that He lacks nothing-this truth becomes the source of her calm. The Soul accepts that God’s incomprehensibility is not a frustration but a consolation, because it means that her love for Him can endlessly grow without limit. She no longer needs to hear about Him through intermediaries; knowing that He is beyond all knowing is itself enough. This chapter teaches that the soul’s true repose lies in loving God for His own sake, trusting that what is lacking in her is more than fulfilled in Him, and resting in the silence of what cannot be said.
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1. “Ah, very sweet Soul, says Love, what do you want Him to give you? Are you not a creature? Do you want to have from your Lover something which is not entrusted to Him to give you, nor to you to take?”
Love begins by gently reminding the Soul of her creatureliness and the bounds of divine generosity. The Soul must be content with the measure given her, not striving to receive what cannot be possessed by a creature. This affirms humility as the foundation of divine love.
2. “For you told me that between a lover and a beloved there is no lordship. But indeed there is, as it seems to me, since the One has everything and the other has nothing compared to His All.”
The Soul expresses a poignant realization: despite Love’s earlier teaching of equality in love, the apparent imbalance between God’s plenitude and her nothingness still wounds her. This is the cry of a lover who wants full reciprocity but acknowledges the abyss between Creator and creature.
3. “Your will suffices for your Lover … He will love nothing without you, thus you are not without Him.”
Love consoles the Soul by revealing that her willing desire is enough. God does not seek equivalency in giving but communion of will. The profound mutual indwelling-“He will love nothing without you”-shows how divine love elevates the soul into partnership, not possession.
4. “I do not have anything which I love more strongly than the one who suffices me … if what I love is not sufficient for me, I would disintegrate or diminish from so little of love as I have.”
The Soul reaches a sublime honesty: her entire being is anchored in God, and without Him, she would dissolve. This line is a mystical confession of utter dependence-her identity, peace, and even capacity to love hinges upon God’s sufficiency.
5. “He has in Him the abundance of all goodness without any lack. And this is the sum of my peace and the true repose of my thought, for I do not love except for His sake.”
This is the heart of mystical peace. The Soul finds rest not in what she receives but in the perfection of the One she loves. Her love is entirely theocentric-directed toward God’s goodness for its own sake-and this detachment becomes her repose.
6. “The best thing which one could say about Him to me is nothing compared to what He is in Himself … I have the sum of my questions in what cannot be said to me about Him.”
In this luminous conclusion, the Soul transcends all speech and knowledge. What truly satisfies her is the truth that God is incomprehensible. The unknown depths of God become her final peace; her questions dissolve into awe, not answers.
7. “And such is the Lover of my soul, says the Soul herself.”
The Soul closes with this serene affirmation. Having passed through desire, longing, and divine correction, she comes to simple clarity: the incomprehensible God is her Lover, and this is enough. She no longer seeks anything but to rest in what she cannot grasp.
—
1. Why does Love initially challenge the Soul’s desire to receive more from God?
Love reminds the Soul that she is a creature and that God does not give anything beyond what is appropriate for a creature to receive. This is meant to calm the Soul’s restless longing by grounding her in the truth of her created nature and the sufficiency of what she has already received.
2. What tension does the Soul express regarding the idea of equality in love between the Lover (God) and the beloved (herself)?
The Soul recalls that Love once told her that there is no lordship in true love, implying equality. However, she now feels there is lordship, because God has everything and she, by comparison, has nothing. This reveals the Soul’s deep longing for complete mutuality with God and her pain at the perceived imbalance.
3. How does Love respond to the Soul’s desire to improve her capacity to love?
Love assures the Soul that her will is sufficient for her Lover. God values her desire and intention more than her capacity. Her sincere will to love is accepted by God as full love, and this divine acceptance brings peace.
4. What central conviction gives the Soul peace in the face of her perceived insufficiency?
The Soul finds peace in the fact that although she lacks fullness, her Beloved lacks nothing. Since He is the sum of all goodness, her love is satisfied not by her own possession, but by the certainty that He possesses all. This trust in God’s sufficiency becomes the ground of her own rest.
5. Why does the Soul say that the best thing someone can tell her about God is “nothing”?
Because God is incomprehensible, no human description can do Him justice. The Soul finds peace in the mystery itself-she desires no words or images to replace the truth of God’s unknowability. This mystical insight affirms that love for God grows by loving what cannot be grasped.
6. How does the chapter depict the dynamic between longing and satisfaction in divine love?
The Soul experiences both intense longing and deep satisfaction. Her desire to love as God deserves is met by the assurance that her will suffices. She is calmed not by fulfillment of desire in a finite sense, but by entering into the infinite mystery of God’s being, where love continually renews itself without end.
7. What does this chapter suggest about the nature of perfect love in the spiritual life?
Perfect love rests not in possession or comprehension but in total surrender to the Beloved. It is a love that finds peace in the mystery, accepts its own limits, and rejoices in the other’s perfection. True spiritual maturity is shown in this tranquil, trusting love.
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Chapter 32 teaches that the soul, wholly enflamed by divine Love, rests in the stillness of her own mind because her entire being is centered not on what she can receive from God, but on God Himself in His unknowable abundance. She declares that the infinite, incomprehensible goodness that remains hidden in God is more hers than any gift or grace she could possess, because she loves it more. This radical orientation of love toward what cannot be grasped means that her treasure is entirely in God’s mystery, and her will is so united with His that she cannot will anything apart from Him. Even if glory or joy were offered from another source, she would refuse it unless it came directly from God. Though she recognizes the limits of speech in describing God, she affirms that even hearing something imperfectly expressed is better than silence, because it still kindles love for the incomprehensible Spirit who is her All.
—
1. “Love makes them remain, Love who is the mistress of the doing of this book.”
Love is presented not merely as an emotion but as the very agent of stillness, interiority, and authorship. The Soul remains in her mind-detached from external distraction-through the action of Love, who governs the entire unfolding of this spiritual journey. Love is personified as both guide and authority, implying that the depth of the soul’s contemplation and interior rest is Love’s own doing.
2. “I do not love myself nor Him nor His works except for the sake of Himself.”
This radical purity of intention defines the soul’s perfection. Even her love for God is not motivated by personal gain, consolation, or reward but solely for God’s own sake. The soul renounces even spiritual possessiveness, reflecting a self-emptying love that mirrors divine charity.
3. “What He possesses is more mine than what I possess or ever will possess… I love better what is in Him beyond my intellect than I do what is in Him and in my intellect.”
The soul’s treasure lies not in her own experience or understanding of God but in what remains utterly inaccessible-God’s infinite, ungraspable goodness. This paradoxical claim reveals a spiritual maturity: what the soul cannot possess or comprehend is more “hers” because her love is anchored in God’s mystery rather than in finite gifts.
4. “Where the greater part of my love is, there is the greater part of my treasure.”
This line echoes Matthew 6:21, but with a mystical twist. The soul’s treasure is not in anything tangible or intelligible but in the infinite unknown of God. This is a contemplative love that surrenders the need to grasp or claim, resting instead in what surpasses understanding.
5. “If He himself would not give it to me properly from Himself, I would lack it for all me forever… I cannot will anything without Him.”
The soul has been so consumed by divine Love that she can no longer accept even joy or glory unless it comes directly from God. Her will is utterly united to His-any other source of consolation or joy is repugnant. This is a description of total spiritual poverty and radical dependence on God alone.
6. “To hear one describing it and talking about it is better than hearing nothing said!”
Although the soul acknowledges that God is ultimately incomprehensible, she still finds value in human attempts to speak of Him. This humility accepts the poverty of language without dismissing it, cherishing every effort to articulate divine things as better than silence, even though silence is the true dwelling place of God.
—
1. What role does Love play in keeping the soul within her own mind?
Love is the force that stabilizes and gathers the soul inward. She is described as the “mistress” of the book’s unfolding, suggesting that it is through Love alone that the soul can dwell in her own depths, detached from external distractions. Love is the agent of stillness and interiorization.
2. Why does the soul say that what God possesses is more hers than what she herself possesses?
The soul values what remains in God’s infinite being beyond her comprehension more than the gifts or experiences she receives from Him. Because her love is focused more on what she cannot grasp than what she can, the “greater part” of her treasure is in the unknowable abundance of God. Her love determines her ownership-what she loves more, she claims more deeply.
3. How does the soul respond to Reason’s challenge to prove this claim?
She explains that she loves the infinite, incomprehensible goodness in God far more than the portion she can understand or experience. Her argument is that because her love is centered on the unknowable, this makes the unknowable more hers than anything she could actually receive, comprehend, or hold.
4. What does the soul say about receiving anything from another source besides God?
The soul adamantly refuses to receive even joy or glory from any creature-even if it were offered in abundance-unless it comes directly from God. She would rather be deprived or die eternally than accept anything apart from Him. This demonstrates the soul’s radical fidelity and total dependence on God alone.
5. What does the soul say about her ability to desire anything apart from God?
She declares that she has been so inflamed by Love that she literally cannot will anything apart from God. Her will has become one with His, and she no longer has the capacity or inclination to desire anything outside of that union.
6. How does the soul describe the limitations of speaking about God?
She admits that no one can comprehend or describe the Spirit, and she compares such efforts to trying to count the waves of the sea in a storm. Nonetheless, she concludes that hearing someone speak of God-even inadequately-is better than hearing nothing at all. This shows a humble acknowledgment of the value of limited human expression in contemplating divine mystery.
7. What is the central proof the soul offers for her total possession of God?
Her central proof is that her love is placed more in what she cannot understand about God than in what she can. Since her heart is set on His infinite, ungraspable goodness, that is where her treasure lies. The intensity and direction of her love-not her understanding-determine her possession.
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Chapter 33 portrays the soul’s ecstatic wonder at the limitless generosity of God, who grants her not only the vision of the Triune God but also perfect insight into all created beings-angels, saints, and even the smallest creatures-illuminated by that primary vision. Overwhelmed, the soul confesses she can scarcely remain composed, for the sheer immensity of these gifts eclipses any spiritual practice or method. She recognizes that her physical body is incapable of such perception, yet her purified spirit beholds these realities for eternity, as a testament to God’s unending goodness. Ultimately, the chapter teaches that the pinnacle of the contemplative life is sustained amazement-a continual, passive reception of divine revelation that transcends effort and occupies the soul in perpetual praise and wonder.
—
1. “Ah, Lord, says the Soul, how am I still remaining in my mind when I ponder the gifts of your goodness, you who have given my soul the vision of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit whom my soul will see for eternity?”
The soul begins in a state of awe and spiritual astonishment, overwhelmed by the immensity of divine generosity. The promise of eternal vision of the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-is too great to be grasped or even endured calmly. This ecstatic amazement suspends ordinary consciousness, shaking the very foundation of the soul’s mental composure.
2. “Since I will see so great a thing as the Trinity, the understanding of angels, souls, and saints will not be taken from me, nor even the vision of little things, which is to say, all things which are less than God!”
The soul acknowledges that in receiving the beatific vision of God, she is also gifted with knowledge and perception of all creation. Nothing-from the highest celestial beings to the smallest created things-is excluded. This reflects the completeness of divine illumination: to see God is to see all things in their proper light.
3. “Ah, Lord, says the Soul, what have you done for me? Truly, Lord, I am completely amazed over what I understand about it, so that I do not know what amazes me, nor do I have any other practice, nor can I have, for the continuation of this understanding.”
The soul expresses total disorientation in the face of such divine generosity. Her amazement is so deep that it becomes her only spiritual “practice.” She no longer strives through effort or method; her whole spiritual life is absorbed in wonder, a passive receptivity to what God is doing in her. This reveals a contemplative state beyond discursive reasoning or structured devotion.
4. “Lord, as I have no other cause to be amazed than that you have given to my soul the vision of the whole Trinity, of angels and souls, such as you have not given to your precious body which is joined to the nature of the Father in the person of the Son, so it is a marvel that I am able to live!”
In a bold and paradoxical statement, the soul claims to have received a vision even beyond what was granted to Christ’s physical body. This is not theological assertion but mystical hyperbole: the soul is so enraptured by divine intimacy that it feels as though it has been uniquely privileged-even more than what the senses could grasp in the Incarnation. The weight of this intimacy feels unbearable, and yet the soul survives it.
5. “But still, Lord, it is so great a thing to see the angels and the souls to whom you have given the vision of your sweet face. Corporality is not worthy to see such angels and souls, and, by greater reason, corporality cannot see the Trinity since it cannot see the angels nor the souls.”
The soul reflects on the limitations of the body. Corporeal vision is too coarse to perceive angels, let alone the Trinity. This underlines the spiritual nature of her gift-her spirit alone is capable of receiving this vision, suggesting a purification and elevation that bypasses the limitations of physical existence.
6. “Nevertheless, you have given this gift to my spirit for eternity, as long as you are God.”
The chapter concludes with a declaration of permanence: the soul’s vision of God and of all creation is not temporary or fleeting but eternal. This is a divine pledge, grounded not in the soul’s merit but in God’s unchanging nature. The eternal duration of the vision is a reflection of God’s own eternity, into which the soul is invited.
—
1. What is the Soul’s initial reaction upon contemplating God’s gifts?
She is utterly amazed and almost unable to remain composed in her mind, overwhelmed by the promise of eternal vision of the Trinity and all creation.
2. What additional “visions” does the Soul realize she will share along with the Trinity?
She will also see angels, souls, saints, and even “little things”-all created order-in their true light, because knowing God fully illumines the knowledge of all that exists.
3. Why does the Soul claim she has “no other practice” or way to continue after this amazement?
Her amazement itself becomes her sole spiritual “practice”-no further method or exercise is needed because wonder at God’s generosity fully occupies her spirit.
4. How does the Soul compare her gift to what was given to Christ’s human nature?
She exclaims that she seems privileged even beyond Christ’s physical experience-having received a vision surpassing what His body could behold-emphasizing the boundless nature of divine gift.
5. What limitation of the body does the Soul acknowledge in perceiving these gifts?
She notes that corporeal (bodily) vision is too coarse to perceive angels or the Trinity; only the purified spirit can receive these supernatural visions.
6. What assurance does the Soul receive about the duration of these gifts?
She is assured that these visions are given “for eternity,” lasting as long as God Himself, so that her contemplative amazement will never cease.
7. What does this chapter teach about the relationship between divine revelation and the contemplative life?
It shows that the highest contemplative state is one of sustained wonder and passive receptivity, in which the soul’s sole “work” is to remain amazed and receptive to God’s boundless generosity, rather than to perform structured practices.
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Chapter 34 reveals that the soul, transformed by divine Love, finds its true activity in perfect non-action: by fully embracing her utter nothingness, she allows God to work within her and thereby receives all that He wills to give. Love instructs that only when the soul ceases striving from its own power does it enter into the fullness of divine action. Yet, acknowledging human frailty, Love permits the soul to “do the best she can” until she truly understands her nothingness-always remembering her creaturely origins to guard against pride. The soul’s humble confession of unworthiness before Christ’s infinite mercy culminates in a plea to be freed from the debt of love so that her will may henceforth be wholly conformed to God’s perfect will.
—
1. “For God’s sake, Love, says this Soul, I pray that you say what I will do, for you know this and you know the gifts from the goodness of my Lover.”
The Soul, aware of her own incapacity, appeals to Love to prescribe her next steps. She acknowledges Love’s intimate knowledge of her state and the divine gifts she has received, seeking guidance that transcends her own feeble will.
2. “The best that I can tell you is that if you understand perfectly your nothingness you will do nothing, and this nothingness will give you everything.”
Love teaches the core mystical paradox: perfect non-action-recognizing one’s utter nothingness-is itself the path to receiving all from God. True union requires the soul to relinquish all self-effort, thereby making room for divine action.
3. “If you cannot come perfectly to understand your nothingness … it is necessary for you to do something, truly, the best that you can do, or you will diminish … As God has transformed you into Himself, so also you must not forget your nothingness.”
Recognizing human frailty, Love allows that the Soul may need to act-“the best that you can do”-until she fully realizes her nothingness. Even in the midst of divine transformation, the soul must remember her creaturely origin and continue a humble practice as long as self-forgetfulness is incomplete.
4. “Ah, Lord … I am certain that I am worthy of nothing other than my horrible faults … but my goal and my hope is … that, if none had sinned except me alone, so you would have ransomed my soul by your overflowing love …”
The Soul lays bare her sense of unworthiness, contrasting her sins with Christ’s sacrificial love. In a bold act of faith, she claims that even if she alone had sinned, God’s mercy would have sufficed-affirming both God’s infinite charity and her total dependence.
5. “I pray you … that you free me of this debt … so that from now on I might will in all things your perfect will.”
The chapter closes with the Soul asking to be unbound from her sense of indebtedness, so that her will can be wholly aligned with God’s. This complements Love’s earlier teaching: only when the Soul is freed from her own striving and debt can she will and act in full conformity with divine will.
—
1. What does the Soul ask Love to tell her at the chapter’s outset?
The Soul pleads with Love to instruct her in what she should do next, acknowledging that Love alone understands her condition and the divine gifts she has received.
2. What is Love’s primary prescription for the Soul, and why is it paradoxical?
Love advises the Soul to do nothing by fully realizing her own nothingness. This is paradoxical because non-action-perfect surrender-becomes the means by which she receives everything from God.
3. Under what condition does Love permit the Soul to act, and what is the caveat?
If the Soul cannot yet fully grasp her nothingness, Love allows her to “do the best that she can.” However, she must continually remember her creaturely origin and remain humble, lest she “diminish” from the spiritual heights she has attained.
4. How does the Soul express her unworthiness in relation to Christ’s sacrifice?
The Soul confesses she merits only condemnation for her sins but trusts that even if she alone had sinned, Christ’s overflowing love would have ransomed her. She thus accentuates both her sinfulness and Christ’s infinite mercy.
5. What debt does the Soul feel she owes God, and what does she request?
The Soul feels indebted because she can “do nothing” to repay God’s love. She asks to be freed from this debt so that her will may be completely aligned with God’s perfect will going forward.
6. How does Chapter 34 illustrate the interplay between divine transformation and human effort?
It shows that while divine love calls the Soul to perfect non-action (surrender), human frailty may still require provisional acts of striving (“the best you can do”) until full passivity in God’s will is achieved.
7. Why must the Soul continually remember her “nothingness,” even after being transformed by God?
Remembering her nothingness preserves humility and prevents spiritual pride. It honors the truth of her creaturely dependence and keeps her receptive to grace rather than relying on her own perceived progress.
8. What is the ultimate goal the Soul expresses at the chapter’s end?
The Soul’s ultimate goal is to will only God’s perfect will in all things-achieved by being released from her sense of debt and fully surrendered to divine love.
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In Chapter 35, Marguerite Porete explores the radical intimacy between the soul and God by showing that if divine love is truly eternal and inseparable-God will never love without the soul-then the soul must have been loved from eternity, even before her temporal creation. The Soul boldly employs mystical logic to assert her timeless participation in God’s eternal will and wisdom, challenging Reason’s temporal categories. Although Reason initially rebukes this claim, it ultimately yields to Love’s higher authority, acknowledging that in the transformed soul “Love who accomplishes her will” supersedes all ordinary reason. The chapter thus affirms that in mystical union the soul transcends linear temporality, existing within God’s eternal knowledge and love, and that divine authority and insight take precedence over human logic.
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1. Soul: “You have said that He who is in Himself and of Himself without beginning will never love anything without me, nor I without Him.
Love: It is true, says Love, I assure you.”
The Soul begins by recalling Love’s own teaching: divine love is inseparable between God and the soul. If God will never love anything apart from her, the Soul reasons, then that mutual love must have no beginning. Love’s affirmation underscores that this bond transcends temporal sequence.
2. Soul: “Since He will never love … without me, I say therefore that He never loved anything without me. In addition, since He will be in me through love forever, therefore I have been loved by Him without beginning.”
The Soul draws a daring logical syllogism: God’s eternal future love implies an eternal past love. She claims that if God’s willing of her is timeless, then she must have been loved from eternity-a mystical claim that dares to place her in the eternal “before” Creation.
3. Reason: “Watch what you say … Have you forgotten that you have just barely been created, and that once you were not?”
Reason objects with ontological realism: the Soul had a beginning in time and did not exist before Creation. Reason warns that the Soul’s conclusion contradicts basic creation doctrine, revealing a tension between mystical logic and rational order.
4. Soul: “If I err … Love errs with me who makes me believe and think and speak.”
The Soul appeals to Love’s authority, suggesting that any error must lie in Reason, since Love is the source of her mystical convictions. This turns the debate from logical deduction to a question of spiritual authority.
5. Soul: “If I am loved without end … I have also been loved by them without beginning. For as He will love me without end … I have been in the knowledge of His wisdom … since He loved … the work which He would do in me by His divine power.”
The Soul refines her argument: God’s timeless knowledge and will toward her created effect means that, in God’s eternal knowing, she “existed” as the object of love before creation. Mystically, she participates in God’s eternal purpose, bridging the gap between creaturely beginning and divine eternity.
6. Reason (after hearing Love): “Now … I promise you obedience and peace … because Love wills it I cannot do the contrary.”
Reason, humbled, yields to Love’s higher authority. Even the rational faculty concedes that in the soul transformed by Love, mystical logic and divine authority override ordinary ontological categories. Reason pledges to abide in the harmony Love dictates.
—
1. What syllogism does the Soul use to argue that she has been loved “without beginning”?
She argues that because God will never love without her in eternity (future), He therefore has never loved apart from her (past). Thus, her relationship with God precedes time.
2. How does Reason initially object to the Soul’s claim?
Reason reminds the Soul that she was created in time and did not exist “once”-so she cannot have been loved before her creation.
3. On what authority does the Soul reject Reason’s objection?
The Soul appeals to Love’s authority, claiming that because Love instills these convictions in her, any error must reside in Reason, not in Love.
4. How does the Soul refine her mystical logic to bridge divine eternity and creaturely creation?
She points out that in God’s eternal wisdom and will, she was “known” and “loved” before being brought into temporal existence; her creation was the realization of an eternal divine purpose.
5. What does Reason’s final response reveal about the relationship between reason and Love in Porete’s mysticism?
Reason ultimately yields to Love, acknowledging that when Love dwells in the soul, divine authority and mystical insight supersede ordinary rational categories; Reason pledges obedience and peace to Love’s will.
——————–
In chapter 36, the Soul celebrates her liberation from Reason’s authority through the “nobility and courtesy” of her Bridegroom, Divine Love. Love confirms that the Soul’s every thought, word, and deed now originates in Christ’s own will, rendering any human faculty subordinate. The mutual willing-God wills that the Soul will, and she wills only what God wills-establishes a perfect “concord” that becomes her rest. Reason, in humbled submission, acknowledges Love’s supremacy. Ultimately, the Soul’s mastery is won not through human striving or legal obligation, but through the gift of divine peace, which rules her heart and frees her from all debt and fear.
—
1. Soul: “Now the debts are turned, … for the nobility of the courtesy of my Spouse would not deign any longer to leave me in your service, nor in that of any other.”
The Soul declares that the roles of mastery and service have been reversed: Reason no longer governs her because her Bridegroom-Christ as Divine Love-has “redeemed” her from subjection. This overturning of “debts” emphasizes that the soul’s ultimate allegiance is to God alone, not to any created faculty or law.
2. Love: “This is the truth, most sweet Soul … I swear it and confess it to you.”
Love confirms the Soul’s liberation. This divine affirmation is itself a sacrament of freedom: the assurance that the Soul need no longer submit to Reason’s judgments, for she is now governed entirely by the will and courtesy of her Spouse.
3. Reason: “Ah … you think and say and do whatever you wish, since Love wills it and confirms it.”
Reason challenges the Soul’s assertion that her thoughts, words, and deeds now flow from Love’s authority and so she can do whatever she wills. Reason questions whether its own jurisdiction has really been superseded by the higher law of divine union-thereby acknowledging Love’s primacy over rational order.
4. Soul: “What is done is proper to herself, for by myself I cannot do anything if my Lover Himself does not do it in me.”
The Soul articulates the mystical principle of divine cooperation: no action of hers is possible apart from the Lover’s working within her. This echoes John 15:5 (“apart from me you can do nothing”) and underscores the soul’s absolute dependence on Christ’s indwelling power.
5. Soul: “Willing is always necessary for Him, for I do not will except that He wills in me, and He wills that I might will. In this He gives me rest by His courtesy.”
Here the Soul describes the mutuality of desire: God wills that she will, and she wills only what God wills. This reciprocal “concord” establishes the deepest rest-spiritual peace born of perfect harmony between divine and human will.
6. Soul: “By giving peace to me, you have made yourself the master. For whatever portion of my sins I find, whether to come or already there, always your peace dwells in me.
The Soul recognizes that true mastery-the power to govern her interior life-is exercised by means of peace. God’s gift of peace, not compulsion or law, secures her obedience. The indwelling peace eradicates guilt over past or future sins, making Love the sovereign guide of her life.
—
1. What reversal of roles does the Soul announce at the start of the chapter?
The Soul declares that her “debts are turned”-Reason no longer governs her because her Bridegroom (Divine Love) has redeemed her. She is freed from service to Reason and any created power.
2. How does Love confirm the Soul’s new state of freedom?
Love swears to the truth of the Soul’s liberation, affirming that the Soul is now governed entirely by the Spouse’s courtesy and will, not by Reason or any other created authority.
3. How does Reason respond when the Soul claims to act solely by Love’s will?
Reason first challenges, but then concedes that the Soul can “think and say and do whatever” Love confirms, acknowledging Love’s authority over Reason.
4. What is the “concord” between God’s will and the Soul’s will, and what fruit does it bear?
The concord is that God wills the Soul’s willing and the Soul wills only what God wills. This perfect harmony yields deep rest-inner peace-as the Soul’s primary spiritual fruit.
5. How does the Soul describe the way God exercises “mastery” over her?
God’s mastery is exercised through the gift of peace. By granting her peace, He guides her without compulsion or guilt, making peace the ruling principle of her interior life.
6. What is the chapter’s teaching about the relationship between human reason and mystical love?
The chapter shows that mystical love (Divine Love) ultimately transcends and subsumes human reason. Reason must yield to Love’s higher authority in the soul’s transformed state.
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In chapter 37, the Soul expresses that her sins-though incomprehensible in their true deformity to anyone but God-will one day be understood in paradise, not to her shame but to the glory of God’s mercy and generosity. The revelation of her faults will serve to highlight the immensity of divine compassion, bringing her peace rather than remorse. Love affirms that perfect charity consists in always willing God’s will, and that such union removes all grounds for a guilty conscience. The Soul acknowledges that she is merely the vessel of divine understanding and that any wisdom or insight she communicates is entirely the work of Love within her. Thus, the chapter reveals that true peace, glory, and understanding arise not from personal merit, but from the Soul’s transformation through divine charity and God’s gratuitous action.
—
1. Soul: “Lord, no one in this world can understand my sins in so ugly and hideous a figure as they are-only you can.”
The Soul acknowledges the unique clarity with which God alone perceives the depths of her sinfulness. Human judgment fails to grasp the full “ugliness” of her faults; only divine omniscience truly sees their gravity.
2. Soul: “But, Lord, in paradise all those who will be there will understand them, not to my distress but to my very great glory. For in seeing that by my sins I have angered you, your mercy … and your largesse full of courtesy will be understood.”
The Soul looks forward to heaven, where sins-and God’s response-will be perfectly transparent. Far from shame, this revelation will magnify God’s mercy and lavish grace, bringing the Soul “very great glory” as all see her redeemed by divine courtesy.
3. Love: “Such courtesy … gives peace of conscience to this Soul … to will perfectly your will is perfect charity.”
Love defines perfect charity as the will aligned with God’s will. In this union, remorse or guilt cannot abide, for they signal a failure of charity. Divine courtesy-God’s gracious forgiveness-secures the Soul’s conscience, enabling her to act from pure love without fear of condemnation.
4. Love: “The Soul was created for nothing other than to have within her without end the being of pure charity.”
This summation elevates the purpose of creation to its highest end: the Soul’s eternal indwelling of pure charity. All else-works, virtues, even the memory of sin-serves this single destiny of infinite love.
5. Soul: “Nothing comes from a work when it is necessary that the work is nothing … whatever is in me … of divine understanding … you … have said it in me and through me by your goodness …”
The Soul humbly recognizes that any spiritual insight she possesses is not her own achievement but the work of Love within her. Good works “come from nothing” when true transformation depends solely on divine agency, and she attributes all glory to Love’s gratuitous action.
—
1. Why does the Soul say only God can fully understand her sins?
Because human perception is limited; only God’s infinite knowledge can grasp the true “ugliness” and depth of her faults.
2. How does the Soul anticipate the revelation of her sins in paradise?
She expects that others’ understanding of her sins-and God’s merciful response-will bring her “very great glory” by showcasing divine courtesy and forgiveness.
3. How does Love define “perfect charity”?
Perfect charity is willing God’s will perfectly; when the Soul’s will is fully aligned with God’s, remorse and guilt disappear as they indicate a lack of charity.
4. What ultimate purpose of creation does Love state?
That the Soul be filled always with pure charity-divine love-as her eternal destiny.
5. Why does the Soul claim “nothing comes from a work” in her spiritual life?
Because genuine transformation and understanding arise not from her own efforts but from Love’s gracious action within her; her works are “nothing” apart from God’s work in her.
This chapter teaches that the full disclosure of our sinfulness in heaven will magnify God’s mercy, establishing perfect peace of conscience, and that our ultimate purpose is to be eternally possessed by divine charity-an outcome wholly rooted in God’s gracious love, not our own works.
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In Chapter 38, the Soul humbly acknowledges her utter poverty and unworthiness, marveling that divine Love would willingly “suffer” her presence and grant her such grace despite her failures and the irrecoverable loss of time spent in spiritual idleness. She recognizes that Love, as an expression of God’s mercy, places the treasure of divine grace precisely in the abyss of her insufficiency-not because she deserves it, but because such generosity magnifies the nobility and courtesy of the Giver. While Reason cannot fully comprehend this mystery, she concedes that everything accomplished in the Soul through Love is good and divinely ordered. The chapter thus affirms that the recognition of one’s spiritual poverty is not a barrier but the very condition in which the Holy Spirit plants His gift of love, far exceeding what words can express.
—
1. “O overflowing and abundant Lover, and courtesy without measure for my sake-for thus it seems to me, says this Soul-when you will to suffer [me]!”
The Soul begins in astonished reverence, marveling that Love-the Divine-chooses to tolerate and even embrace her poverty and imperfection. The phrase “suffer me” echoes the language of Christ’s patient endurance, indicating that Love freely bears with her despite her unworthiness.
2. “To suffer, Lord? Indeed, you will to suffer [me], more willingly than anyone could say, lest I remain in what I deserve, that is, in this wretched body without limiting the time.”
Here the Soul acknowledges that she deserves to remain forever bound to her corruptible, sinful condition. Yet Love wills otherwise-Love chooses to raise her up. The Soul sees this as unthinkable mercy, a divine preference for compassion over strict justice.
3. “And at the same time, because of whatever mercy might be in you, I cannot recover the loss of past time, for it is necessary, sweet Lover, to guard your righteousness.”
The Soul recognizes a divine paradox: God’s mercy is boundless, yet His righteousness must also be upheld. The time lost in sin and idleness cannot be undone, and she accepts that loss as irretrievable in justice.
4. “Nevertheless, it cannot be that the lost time might never be returned to me, and that I would be so far from loving and understanding and praising you.”
Despite her acceptance of divine justice, she believes Love will transform even lost time into an opportunity for greater praise and love. This anticipates a mystical restoration-perhaps not temporal, but spiritual-through grace.
5. “How many moments of an hour have I been idle, and in how many deficiencies have I fallen, I who am in the abyss of total poverty?”
The Soul contemplates the depth of her need and failure, measuring it not in general terms, but in precise, painful awareness of each moment of spiritual sloth.
6. “And nevertheless, so it seems to me, you have willed to place the gift of such grace, which you have described above, in this abyss of poverty.”
This is the mystery at the heart of divine love: that the very depths of human poverty are chosen as the dwelling place of God’s highest grace. The Soul marvels that divine generosity is not withheld from misery, but precisely directed toward it.
7. “Described? says the Soul. Truly, Lady Love, everything you have said about this grace through the mouth of a creature would only be muttering compared to your work.”
The Soul admits that human speech, even Love’s speech through her, can barely scratch the surface of divine grace. All expression pales before the lived, interior experience of Love’s action.
8. Reason: “Ah, for God’s sake! Lady Love,” says Reason, “I indeed have heard what is said, willingly I would hear no more, except that I might grasp this perfectly, says Reason.”
Reason, witnessing the overwhelming mystery of Love’s generosity, yields with reluctant awe. She longs to understand, but confesses that she cannot fully grasp such a sublime mystery.
9. Love: “Truly,” says Love, “and it is given by the Holy Spirit Himself.”
Love affirms that the experience the Soul speaks of-this grace in poverty-is not a human insight but a divine gift, bestowed by the Holy Spirit alone. It transcends the intellect.
10. Reason: “Therefore I say,” says Reason, “that I cannot grasp it, except that it seems to me that everything which this Soul has done, which is by you, is very well done.”
In the end, Reason concedes. Though she cannot comprehend the grace given, she sees its fruit and recognizes its divine origin. She bows to the mystery of Love at work in the Soul.
—
1. Why is the Soul astonished that Love “wills to suffer” her?
Because she sees herself as deeply unworthy and immersed in spiritual poverty. That Love would tolerate-let alone embrace-her miserable condition is to her an overwhelming act of divine courtesy and compassion.
2. What does the Soul mean by “lest I remain in what I deserve”?
She acknowledges that, by justice, she deserves to remain trapped in her sinful, mortal condition. Yet Love’s mercy intervenes to draw her beyond this just fate.
3. How does the Soul reconcile God’s mercy with His righteousness?
She admits that even God’s mercy cannot undo the objective loss of time wasted in sin. God’s righteousness must be preserved, meaning that past time cannot be literally restored. However, she believes that Love can transform the loss into spiritual gain.
4. Why does the Soul refer to herself as being in “the abyss of total poverty”?
She is profoundly aware of her inner emptiness, failures, and lack of merit. She sees herself as utterly destitute before God, having wasted countless moments and fallen into many deficiencies.
5. How does the Soul interpret the placement of grace within this “abyss”?
She sees it as the supreme expression of divine generosity-that God chooses to deposit His most precious gift of grace in the very place of greatest need and unworthiness.
6. What does the Soul mean by saying that human language only “mutters” about divine grace?
She recognizes that even the most eloquent speech, including Love’s own articulation through her, falls short of capturing the mystery and magnitude of divine grace. It can only gesture toward the truth.
7. How does Reason respond to the Soul’s mystical experience?
Reason is overwhelmed and admits that she cannot fully comprehend what has been revealed. She no longer desires more words, only the ability to grasp what she’s already heard. In the end, she affirms that the fruits of the Soul’s life show that it is indeed the work of Love.
8. Who does Love say gives this gift of grace?
Love states that the gift is given “by the Holy Spirit Himself,” affirming that this is a supernatural action beyond human understanding.
——————–
Chapter 39 teaches that the Soul, transformed completely by divine Love, transcends the governance of Reason and the structured life of visible virtues. While Reason formerly guided the soul through counsel, virtue, and discretion, she now humbly desires to serve as the Soul’s handmaid, recognizing that a higher order has taken root-one invisible to most but superior in essence. Love affirms that the Soul, being wholly united with and transformed into Love, lives beyond the rule of Reason, just as Christ’s divinity remained untouched by His human suffering. In this state, the Soul owes no allegiance to Reason or to the moral order of virtue as such but owes only love to Love itself. This marks the soul’s true spiritual freedom, where discretion no longer applies, and every action flows from the immediate, sovereign movement of divine Love within her.
—
1. “Now, Lady Love, says Reason, I pray you, guide me so that I might serve her completely as her simple handmaid. For I understand that I cannot have greater joy nor greater honor than to be the servant of such a lady.”
Reason begins the chapter in a posture of humility, expressing a desire to become a servant of the transformed Soul. This reflects a reversal of the previous order, where Reason ruled. Now, Reason recognizes that there is something higher-namely, the state of the Soul who has been transformed by Love-and wishes to serve it.
2. “I confess it to you, says Love, that you cannot do better than to confess and say it.”
Love affirms Reason’s newfound humility. There is no higher role Reason can play now than to acknowledge her own limits and give way to the superior rule of Love within the Soul.
3. “Ah, most sweet Love, says Reason, what would I do with the people whom I have to govern who will never see any ordering in this Soul, that is, in her practices and activities?”
Reason struggles with the apparent disorder in the Soul’s external behavior. To those governed by Reason, the Soul seems disordered because she no longer follows the visible patterns of virtuous works and disciplined conduct. Reason is concerned with how others will perceive this.
4. “Why do you say that? says Love. Is there a better ordering than that of this Soul?”
Love challenges Reason’s criteria for order. What seems disordered to Reason is, from Love’s perspective, the highest order-a divine spontaneity that surpasses moral calculation and structured virtue.
5. “Not at all, says Reason … but of such types there are few on the earth. I dare to say it.”
Reason concedes that such a divine ordering exists, even if rare and misunderstood by most. This shows Reason’s growing humility and willingness to be taught by Love.
6. “I call an ordering, says Reason, the life of the works of the Virtues in perpetuity, through my counsel and the counsel of Discretion, as in the exemplar of the works of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Reason defines “ordering” as a life consistently shaped by virtues and moral reasoning, modeled after Christ. This is the classical Christian view of sanctity through habitual virtue.
7. “Reason, says Love … what the humanity of Jesus Christ suffered, the divinity did not feel. I speak in a similar way to you, says Love, concerning the Soul.”
Love offers a theological analogy: just as Christ’s divinity was untouched by the sufferings of His humanity, the inner life of the Soul, transformed by Love, is not disturbed by the operations of Reason or external virtues. This shows a mystical interiority beyond outward moral behavior.
8. “This Soul herself is Love, and Love has no difference from her. In everything it is appropriate to have discretion, except in Love.”
This is the central mystical teaching of the chapter: the Soul is so fully united with Love that she is Love. In her, all duality ceases-there is no longer a difference between lover and beloved. Discretion, which Reason values highly, has no place in such pure Love, which is beyond measure or calculation.
9. “All things owe me allegiance, including the works of the Virtues counseled by Reason, refined by Discretion, except the one alone who is grasped by Love and transformed into Love. This one owes me only love, and for this is he free, for Love has freed him.”
Love redefines allegiance. Even virtue, reason, and discretion owe allegiance to Love. But the Soul transformed into Love is no longer subject to them-she owes only love, and this is her freedom. This final image crystallizes the theme: true spiritual liberty comes not through the governance of reason, but through transformation into Love.
—
1. Why does Reason desire to serve the Soul, and how does Love respond?
Reason desires to serve the Soul because she recognizes the greatness and dignity of the Soul transformed by Love. She sees that there is no greater honor than to be a servant of such a lady. Love confirms that this is the wisest thing Reason could do, affirming her place now as a handmaid rather than a guide.
2. What concern does Reason raise about how others perceive the Soul’s lack of external order?
Reason is troubled that others, especially those governed by reason and discretion, will not understand the Soul’s way of life, since her practices and actions seem unordered or unconventional. This reflects the tension between visible virtue and hidden mystical union.
3. How does Love redefine what true “ordering” is in the spiritual life?
Love challenges Reason’s idea of order, saying that the Soul’s ordering is superior-though invisible to Reason’s standards-because it flows directly from Love. True order, for Love, is not the regularity of virtue but the spontaneous operation of divine Love in the Soul.
4. What does Love mean when she compares the Soul to the divinity of Christ in relation to His humanity?
Love uses the analogy to show that just as Christ’s divinity remained untouched by the suffering of His humanity, so too the Soul, transformed by Love, transcends the operations of Reason and Virtue. Her essence abides in God while her external life may appear unstructured.
5. Why does Love say that discretion is not needed in Love?
Because Love operates beyond measure, calculation, or moderation. While discretion is necessary in all other virtues and actions, pure Love is absolute and self-giving, and in it, the Soul acts not from calculation but from union with God’s own movement.
6. What is the ultimate freedom that Love gives to the Soul, according to this chapter?
The Soul who is transformed into Love owes nothing but Love itself-she is not subject to the law of virtues or the governance of Reason. This freedom is a spiritual liberation in which the Soul is no longer bound by external expectations but is moved directly by God.
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Chapter 40 teaches that true wisdom, according to Love, is found in the soul that dwells in the abyss of humility-one who acknowledges her complete lack of righteousness and sees herself beneath all creatures, even demons, without comparison or self-justification. This profound self-emptying is not an act of despair but the highest wisdom, because it opens the soul entirely to God’s mercy. Such a soul has become “nothing and less than nothing,” and it is precisely this nothingness that Love exalts, for God raises the least to the highest by His loyal goodness. The small-minded cannot grasp this paradox, but to Love, this soul is supremely wise.
—
1. “Among my chosen ones, I call this Soul supremely wise, but a small mind does not know how to estimate or understand a thing of great value.”
Love affirms that this particular Soul is supremely wise-not because of human understanding or intellectual greatness, but because of a deeper spiritual reality that surpasses common perception. Those with “small minds” (attached to worldly judgment) cannot comprehend the worth of this Soul, for true wisdom here is not measured by visible virtue or learning but by hidden depth.
2. “What do you call wise? … The one in the abyss of humility.”
In a striking inversion of worldly values, Love defines wisdom not as knowledge, power, or outward righteousness, but as the Soul’s radical awareness of her own unworthiness. This abyss of humility is not self-hatred but a clear spiritual perception: she knows she possesses no righteousness of her own and is thus utterly dependent on God’s grace.
3. “One … who has no injustice in anything and knows he has no righteousness in anything.”
This paradox expresses perfect humility. The Soul commits no injustice (because she is aligned entirely with God’s will) but claims no merit of her own. Her wisdom is the fruit of detachment from both guilt and self-congratulation-she does not measure herself at all, living instead in God’s truth.
4. “She sees herself beneath all creatures, in the sea of sin.”
The Soul does not compare herself with others favorably but sees herself as the lowest of all. This isn’t scrupulous exaggeration-it is a deep interior vision of her radical poverty before God. She even perceives herself as beneath the demons-not in moral standing, but in her utter emptiness of merit.
5. “She has heard for a long time through the Holy Spirit that God will put the least in the highest solely by His loyal goodness.”
This is the culmination of her wisdom: she trusts entirely in God’s mercy, not in her own virtue. It is by divine goodness alone that she will be raised up. Her humility becomes the foundation for exaltation, in keeping with the Gospel truth that “the last shall be first.”
Overall Insight:
Love’s declaration that this Soul is “supremely wise” reveals a mystical theology of humility as the highest wisdom. The Soul’s self-knowledge, born of grace, leads her to see herself as less than nothing-yet without despair, for she clings to divine goodness. In this lies her true greatness.
—
1. Why does Love call this Soul “supremely wise”?
Because she dwells in the abyss of humility-she recognizes she has no righteousness of her own and sees herself beneath all creatures. Her wisdom is not based on human reasoning but on her radical self-emptying and her full dependence on God’s mercy.
2. What is Love’s definition of wisdom in this chapter?
Wisdom is being in “the abyss of humility,” which means having no sense of injustice in oneself but also no claim to righteousness. It is the complete acknowledgment of one’s nothingness and unworthiness before God.
3. How does the Soul view herself in relation to other creatures and even demons?
She sees herself as beneath all creatures, including the demons-not because she is more evil, but because she makes no comparisons or claims at all. In her self-perception, she is nothing and less than nothing.
4. How is the Soul’s understanding of her own sinfulness described?
She sees herself in “the sea of sin,” as a slave to it, without making comparisons to others. This radical self-awareness strips her of all pride and places her at the bottom-where she becomes the object of God’s pure mercy.
5. What is the source of the Soul’s assurance despite her sense of unworthiness?
Her confidence comes from the Holy Spirit, who has revealed to her that God will raise the least to the highest by His “loyal goodness.” Her humility opens her to God’s gracious exaltation.
6. What does Love say about those with “small minds”?
Love says that small minds cannot recognize the greatness or value of this Soul, because such wisdom-rooted in profound humility and self-emptying-is invisible to worldly or superficial judgment.
7. How does this chapter reinforce the central spiritual theme of transformation in Love?
It shows that true transformation happens through utter self-surrender and humility. The Soul’s transformation into Love itself is not through virtue in a moralistic sense, but through her recognition of complete dependence on God’s mercy.