Grade 5: Infused Contemplation

As the intensity of God's presence, grace or energy within us continues to increase through the first four grades of prayer, our prayer may be advanced by God to this first grade of mystical prayer, i.e., infused recollection or contemplation. From here on, God would become increasingly active and we passive. However, we cannot jump into this grade on our own ability. This prayer is totally beyond our control. We can only cooperate with God. As soon as this movement of the Holy Spirit is felt, we should instantly abandon our vocal prayer, meditation, affective prayer and prayer of simplicity.

This phenomenon seems common to a mature Spirit-filled and Spirit-led prayer group today. Oftentimes, after some intense vocal prayers, Christ-centred teaching and meditation, heart-felt singing, praising and communication with the Lord, the prayer group suddenly quiets down. During this short or long period of time, individuals in varying degrees begin to be infused with God's own supernatural knowledge, wisdom, understanding, insight, love, joy, strength, etc., beyond description. God gives to the soul a deep intellectual, experimental taste of His presence and even gifts, etc., which cannot be depicted clearly and distinctively. As the Good Shepherd is personally active and involved in leading us through this prayer, various breakthroughs over the veil or spell of unholy energies (which have not occurred) begin to take place. Increasingly, Psalm 23 as mentioned becomes unspeakably real and personal to us.

Fr. Aumann lists twelve characteristics of Infused Contemplation for us as follows (cf. Ibid., pp.331-336):

1. It is an unmistakable experience of God's presence, experimentally and intellectually.

2. This is also an invasion of the soul by the supernatural as God inundates the soul with supernatural life.

3. The experience will not last a second longer than is desired by the Holy Spirit who causes it with the operation of His gifts.

4. The soul cannot contemplate whenever it wants, but only when God desires and in the measure and degree He so wishes.

5. The experimental knowledge of God enjoyed is not clear and distinct but obscure and baffled.

6. During this mystical prayer it is impossible for the soul to doubt about God's very presence and activity within, although the soul may doubt about it afterwards.

7. The soul also enjoys a certain moral certitude of being in the state of grace. Yet this certitude is far superior to that possessed by ordinary Christians in the ascetical state.

8. This mystical experience is indescribable as such, beyond the expression of human languages.

9. Although this mystical union with God may last for a long time, sometimes it is so brief as if it is nothing more than a divine touch. It also admits of variations and fluctuations in intensity.

10. When mystical contemplation is very intense, the body may react visibly. "The eyes become clouded and dull, the organism is weak and intermittent, with an occasional deep breathing as if trying to absorb the necessary quantity of air; the limbs are partly paralyzed; the heat of the body decreases, especially in the extremities…" (Ibid., p.334) [Please take note that there are countless types of spiritual experiences.]

11. This prayer may be so intense that it results in an ecstatic trance. Because of the absorption in God, it is often difficult and even impossible for a mystic to give attention to any other prayers or activities during this prayer.

12. A surest sign of true contemplation is that the soul often leaves this prayer with a great impulse toward a virtuous life. Sometimes the soul may be given a degree of progress in a certain virtue which has been impossible to attain despite great efforts. However, this prayer does not instantaneously bring us to perfection..

Prof. Aumann further counsels us below (cf. Ibid., pp.336-337):

1. We should not cease discursive meditation until we clearly perceive the call to a higher grade of prayer. As St. Teresa warned us, when the soul is not sure, it should not try to remain passive and inactive. Such self-direction or pride would produce only empty aridity and restlessness which goes nowhere.

2. We should immediately terminate all discursive prayer as soon as we feel the impulse of grace toward infused contemplation. "Since this is God's activity, it would be most imprudent for a spiritual director to command a particular soul to discontinue mystical prayer in order to return to ordinary prayer." (Fr. Aumann, Spiritual Theology, p.332)

3. People so graced should give themselves completely to the interior life and the practice of virtues. They should also break with all attachments that still keep them in unholy or ungodly bondage.

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