IN THESE TWO PARTS OF THE SOUL, THERE ARE FOUR DIFFERENT GRADES OF REASON
There were three courts in the temple of Solomon: one was for the gentiles and strangers who came desiring to pray to God and worship him in Jerusalem. The second was for the Israelites, men and women (The separation between men and women was not made by Solomon). The third was for priests and the order of levites. Finally, besides all these, there was the sanctuary or sacred shrine into which only the high priest alone could enter once a year (Heb 9:7).
Our reason or better to say, our human soul, in so far as it is rational, is the temple of the supreme God. In a very special way, he dwells in it. “I was searching for you”, says St. Augustine, “outside of me. I did not find you at all because you were within me.” In this mystical temple, there are also three courts which are three different grades of reason. In the first, we reason according to sense experience. In the second, we reason according to human sciences. In the third, we reason according to faith. Finally, besides these, there is a certain eminence, a supreme point of reason, the spiritual faculty. It is not led by the light of human reasoning or by reason itself. Instead, it is guided by a simple intuition of the understanding [intelligence] and a simple sentiment of the will by which the mind accepts and submits itself to truth and the will of God.
This extremity and apex of our soul,[1] this supreme point of our spirit is simply and quite well symbolized by the sanctuary or sacred shrine. 1) In the sanctuary, there were no windows at all to give light. In this summit of the spirit, there is no reasoning to enlighten it. 2) In the sanctuary, all the light entered there through the door. In this supreme point of the spirit, nothing enters there except through faith. This faith produces, like the rays of light, the intuition and experience of the beauty and goodness of the good pleasure [permissive will] of God. 3) No one entered the sanctuary except the high priest. In this supreme point of the spirit, reasoning has no entrance. Only, the great, universal and absolute conviction that the divine will should be supremely loved, consented to and embraced enters there. It is to be done not only as regards something particular but also in general for all things and in particular for each thing.[2] 4) The high priest on entering into the sanctuary obscured even the light entering through the door. As he put many perfumes into his censer, the smoke [arising from it] obstructed still more the clarity of the rays which the opened door let in. The whole intuition of the supreme point of the spirit is, in some way, darkened and clouded by renunciations and resignations which the soul makes. The human spirit does not wish so much to look at and see the beauty of the truth and the truth of the goodness which are presented to it as to embrace them and adore them. Hence it would be almost like closing the eyes as soon as it begins to see the dignity of the will of God. Its purpose: Without occupying itself more in considering it, it could all the more powerfully and perfectly accept it and by an absolute delight unite itself infinitely and submit itself to it.
Finally, 5) In the sanctuary was the ark of the covenant. In it or at least adjacent to it were the tables of the law, a golden urn containing manna, the rod of Aaron which flowered and produced fruit in a single night(Heb 9:4). In this highest point of reason are found: 1. The light of faith symbolized by manna hidden in the urn. By faith, we accept the truth of the mysteries which we do not understand. 2. The usefulness of hope symbolized by the blossomed and fruitful rod of Aaron. By hope, we accept the promises of goods which we do not see. 3. The sweetness of charity symbolized by the commandments which it includes. By charity, we accept the union of our spirit with that of God. We are scarcely aware of this union. Faith, hope and charity spread their divine movements on almost all the faculties of the soul, both sensitive and rational. They reduce and subject them in a holy manner to their authority. Even so, their special home, their true and natural abode, is in this highest point of the spirit. From there, like a blessed source of living water, they overflow by different springs and streams over the inferior parts and faculties.
Thus, Theotimus, there are two grades in the higher part of reason. One of them reasons according to faith and supernatural light. The other simply assents to faith, hope and charity. The soul of St. Paul felt urged by two different desires. One of them was to be released from his body, to go to heaven and be with Jesus Christ. The other was to remain in this world to work for the conversion of peoples (Ph 1:23, 24). The one and the other desire were, without doubt, from the higher part because both arose from charity. But the decision to follow the second was not the result of reasoning. It was a simple intuition and a simple feeling of the will of the Master. To it, the supreme point of the spirit of this great servant assented, rejecting all the conclusions reached by reasoning.
If faith, hope and charity form this holy assent given in the highest point of the spirit, how is it that the lower level can make reasoned arguments in the light of faith? We see often lawyers at the court discuss with many arguments about the deeds and rights of the parties. The parliament or the senate settles all difficulties by a judgment from its higher position. Once it is pronounced, the lawyers and the listeners do not cease to discuss among themselves on the motives which the parliament may have had. Similarly, Theotimus, the reasoning and above all the grace of God have persuaded the eminent, supreme point of the spirit to consent to and form the act of faith by way of judgment. After this, the understanding does not prompt us to discuss anew about the same faith already accepted and to reflect on the motives and reasons for it. However, theological discussion takes place on the floor and the bar of the higher part of the soul at the seat and tribunal of the highest point of the spirit [apex].
As knowledge of these four different grades of reason is very necessary for understanding all treatises on spiritual realities, I wished to explain it in detail.
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[1] St. Francis de Sales uses several terms to indicate the fourth level of the human reason or spirit. They are: cette extremite et acime de notre ame- this extremity and summit (apex, top) of our soul, cette pointe supreme de notre esprit the supreme (highest) point of our spirit, cette pointe de l'ame this point of the soul, supreme pointe de l' ame supreme point of the soul. Various translations have been made by authors: extremity and summit of the soul, supreme point of our spirit (John K. Ryan); apex, highest point of the soul (Kerns). More recently terms like “highest self’, “core” has been used. The four grades are also termed sense self, rational self, faith -self and core (see Devasia Manalel, Spiritual Direction, A Methodology, Bangalore: SFS Publications, 2005).
[2] Here ‘thing’ refers to every instance and occasion as God’s will extends even to the minutest details of human life.