The inner vision: some notes on mysticism

in other words, we shall reflect ourselves in the purity of virgins and observe how they fought and conquered 'flesh and blood,' meaning the inclinations of nature. This is why they wear the golden crown and follow the Lamb, who is Christ, with new songs that none shall sing except those who have preserved chastity in soul and body. But even if we have lost our purity, we may still acquire innocence and clothe ourselves with other virtues; thus, we may reach the Day of Judgment shining brighter than the sun and possess the glory of God through an unending eternity. In this way, we shall cover our inward devotion with four kinds of scales, and each side shall have the active fins of goodwill; that is, we must desire to carry out in good works what we understand through our intelligence. Thus shall our spiritual nourishment be clean; for knowledge and wisdom without a virtuous life are like scales without fins, and practical virtues without reflection are like fins without scales. We must know, love, and practice virtues so that our life may be pure; then we shall be nourished with clean fish that have scales and fins."

And there is great beauty in this passage:

"Above all things, if we desire to enjoy God or to experience eternal life within us, we must rise far above human reason and enter into God through faith. There we shall remain pure, at rest, and free from all mental images, lifted by love into the open nakedness of thought. For when we die to all things in love—when we die to all the world's attention in ignorance and obscurity—we are shaped and transformed by the Eternal Word, who is the image of the Father. In the stillness of our spirit, we receive the incomprehensible splendor that envelops and penetrates us, just as the air is penetrated by the brightness of the sun. This splendor is simply a boundless vision and a boundless witnessing. What we are, that we behold; and what we behold, that we are. For our thought, our life, and our essence are closely woven with that truth which is God, and are raised up along with it. That is why, in this pure vision, we are one life and one spirit with God; and that is what I call a contemplative life. By binding ourselves closely to God through love, we choose the better part; but when we behold God in His divine essence, we possess Him entirely."

I give next the following passage:

"Furthermore, each lamp has a golden vase full of water, in which the fire taken from the wicks was extinguished. By this, we learn that every gift demands from our mind a desire for every cardinal virtue—a desire so simple that we can feel within ourselves the yearning of love for union with God. We see this in Jesus Christ, who is our mirror in all things; for in every virtue He practiced, He excelled so lovingly that He sought