DIVINE LOVE MAKES USE OF ALL THE PASSIONS AND AFFECTIONS OF THE SOUL AND BRINGS THEM UNDER ITS OBEDIENCE
Love is the life of our heart, and as the weights give movement to all the movable parts of a clock, so love gives to the soul all the movements it has. All our affections follow our love and according to this love we desire, we rejoice, we hope and despair, we fear, we take courage, we hate, we run away, we are sad, we become angry, we are victorious. Do we not see that men who have given their heart as a prey to the base and ignoble love of women have no desires but according to this love? They take no pleasure but in this love, they neither hope nor despair but on this account, they neither fear nor undertake anything but for it. They are neither disgusted nor run away from anything except what diverts them from it, they are only sad at what deprives them of it, they are never angry but from jealousy, their only triumph is in this infamous thing. It is the same with those who love riches and those ambitious of honours. They become slaves to what they love. They no longer have a heart in their breast, nor a soul in their hearts, nor affections in their soul but only for that.
Hence when Divine love reigns in our hearts, it royally subjects all the other loves of the will and consequently all its affections, because they naturally follow the loves. Next it tames sensual love and brings it to its obedience. It brings also after it all the sensual passions. For, in short, this sacred love is the saving water of which our Lord said, Whoever shall drink of the water that I will give shall not thirst for evil (Jn 4:13). No truly, Theotimus, the one who has the love of God in some abundance shall have neither desire, nor fear, nor hope, nor courage, nor joy but for God, and all his movements shall be at rest in this one heavenly love.
Divine love and self-love are in our heart like Jacob and Esau in Rebecca’s womb (Gen 25:22). They have a very great antipathy and opposition to one another, and struggle in the heart continually. This makes the poor soul cry out, “Alas! Wretched that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death (Rom. 7:24), so that only the love of my God may reign peacefully in me?" But for all that we must take courage putting our trust in our Lord’s word who promises in commanding and commands in promising victory to his love. It seems that he says to the soul what he caused to be said to Rebecca, Two nations are in your womb and two peoples shall be divided from your body; and one of the peoples shall overcome the other, and the elder shall serve the younger (Gen. 25:23).For just as Rebecca had only two children in her womb, but because two peoples were to be born from these it is said that she had two nations in her womb. So also the soul having two loves in its heart has consequently two great groups of movements, emotions and passions. As the two children of Rebecca by their contrary movements caused her great convulsions and pains in the womb, so also the two loves of our soul cause great troubles in our heart. And as it was said, that between the two children of this lady, the elder should serve the younger, so also it has been ordained that of the two loves of our heart the sensual should serve the spiritual, that is, self-love should serve the love of God.
But when did the elder of the nations which were in Rebecca’s womb serve the younger? Surely it was not until David overcame the Idumeans in war and Solomon governed them in peace. Oh! When therefore shall it be that sensual love shall serve Divine love? It shall be then, Theotimus, when armed love having become zeal will subject our passions by mortification. And far better when in heaven above beatified love will possess our whole soul in peace.
Now the method by which divine love is to subject the sensual appetite is similar to that which Jacob used. As a good presage and beginning of what was to happen later, after Esau left his mother’s womb, Jacob came out with his hand gripping Esau’s heel (Gen 25:26). It was as if to take Esau’s place, supplant him and keep him subject. Or, as it is said, to keep him tied by his foot like a bird of prey, such as Esau was being a hunter and a terrible man. In the same way, holy love, seeing some passion or natural affection rising in us, takes it immediately by the foot and brings it to its service. But what is meant by taking it by the foot? It means to bind it and subject it to the aim of serving God. Do you not see how Moses transformed the serpent into a rod, simply taking it by the tail (Ex 4:4)? Surely, in the same way when we give a good purpose to our passions, they take on the quality of virtues.
But then what method should one follow to bring the affections and passions into the service of Divine love? The Methodical physicians always have in their mouth this saying, “Contraries are cured by their contraries". The Spagyrists glorify another maxim opposed to this, “Likes are cured by their likes". Whatever it may be, we know that two things make the light of the stars disappear, that is, the darkness of the mists of night and the brighter light of the sun. Similarly we fight the passions either by opposing contrary passions to them, or by opposing stronger affections of their own kind. If some vain hope presents itself to me, I could resist by opposing to it some just discouragement as this: “O foolish man, on what foundations are you building this hope? Do you not see that this great man in whom you hope is as near to death as you yourself? Do you not know the instability, weakness and foolishness of the human spirit? Today this heart from which you expect something is yours. Tomorrow another will take it away for himself. On what then is your hope grounded?" I can also resist this hope by opposing it with one that is more solid: Hope in God, O my soul! for it is he who will deliver your feet from the snare (Ps 24:15; 41:6). No one ever hoped in him and was confounded. (Sir 2:11). “Place your expectations in eternal and imperishable things". Similarly I can combat the desire for riches and passing pleasures, either by the contempt they deserve or by the desire of immortal ones. By this means sensual and earthly love will be destroyed by heavenly love. It will happen either as fire is put out by water on account of its contrary qualities, or it will happen as fire is put out by fire from Heaven on account of its stronger and more powerful qualities.
Our Lord makes use of both these methods in his spiritual cures. He cures his disciples of worldly fear by imprinting in their heart a higher fear. Do not fear, he says, those who kill the body, but fear him who can destroy the soul and body in hell. On another occasion, wanting to cure them of a lower joy, he assigned them a nobler one. Do not rejoice, he said, that the evil spirits are subject to you, but that your names are written in heaven. (Lk 10:20). Moreover, he himself sets aside joy by means of sorrow: Woe to you who laugh, for you shall weep (Lk 6:25).
In this way then Divine love supplants and subjects the affections and passions, turning them from the end to which self-love wants to take them and directing them to its spiritual intention. The rainbow touching the aspalathus plant deprives it of its odour and gives it a far more excellent one.[1] So also sacred love touching our passions takes from them their earthly end and gives them a heavenly end. The appetite for food is made very spiritual if before gratifying it one gives it the motive of love: “Ah! no, Lord! It is not to satisfy this poor stomach, nor to gratify this appetite that I go to table. I do it according to your Providence to nourish this body you have given me which is subject to such a need." Yes, Lord, because so it has pleased you. (Mt 11:26). Suppose I expect help from a friend, can I not say: “Lord, you have so arranged our life that we need to take help, comfort and consolation from one another. Since it pleases you I shall make use of this person, whose friendship you have given me, for this purpose." Is there some occasion for just fear? “It is your will, O Lord, that I should fear so that I may take proper means to avoid this trouble. I shall do so, Lord, since such is your good pleasure". If the fear is very great: “O God, Father eternal, what is it that your children can fear, the chickens living under your wings (Ps 91:4; Mt 23:37)? So then, I shall do whatever is suitable to avoid the evil that I fear. After that, “Lord, I am yours, save me (Ps.119:94), if it pleases you. I will accept whatever happens to me for such will be your holy will". O holy and sacred alchemy! O Divine alchemy powder by which all the metals of our passions, affections and actions are transformed into the most pure gold of heavenly love.
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[1] Pliny