J
JWL
Guest
I read on the internet about an experience of a saint. It was a vision, and perhaps a vision of God. Unfortunately, now I cannot find the description of the experience, and I was hoping you could help me figure out who the saint was and where to find this particular passage:
I remember the saint wrote that during this experience, she could not think a clear thought – and that overall she could not even fully articulate the experience. I think maybe during the experience she also felt that she could not physically move. What really impressed me is that she seemed to be describing a consciousness that went beyond the intellect, that her mind was not formulating thoughts and ideas in the normal way. The description of the experience seemed to describe a higher state of intellect than normal, but one that was at the same time simpler than normal.
Unfortunately, I cannot again find a description of this experience! I think it might have been by St. Therese of Lisieux or St. Faustina. It might also have been written by St. Teresa of Avila - some of her passages seem similar to what I am describing, but I haven’t been able to find the specific passage that I remember reading.
Any ideas?
Thank you for your help!
~ joe
UPDATE (01/05/2018): Thank you so much @BarbTh for your reply in November, 2017. I really appreciate it and it was very, very helpful!!!
– St. Angela of Foligno’s descriptions on pp. 151-152, 213, 208 were exactly what I was looking for! (“Angela of Foligno: Complete Works”, trans. Paul Lachance, O.F.M., Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1993).
– I also found St. Teresa of Avila’s descriptions as being in a similar vein as well, pp. 161, 164 (“The Interior Castle: Study Edition”, prepared by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Carol Lisi, O.C.D.S., trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Otilio Rodrigues, O.C.D. Washington, D.C.: Institute of Carmelite Studies (ICS) Publications, 2017).
– I was writing a paper that touched on the similarities between St. Bonaventure’s idea of the contemplative state and other mystics’ observations. If interested, the paper is available at theologydose[dot]wordpress[dot]com
I remember the saint wrote that during this experience, she could not think a clear thought – and that overall she could not even fully articulate the experience. I think maybe during the experience she also felt that she could not physically move. What really impressed me is that she seemed to be describing a consciousness that went beyond the intellect, that her mind was not formulating thoughts and ideas in the normal way. The description of the experience seemed to describe a higher state of intellect than normal, but one that was at the same time simpler than normal.
Unfortunately, I cannot again find a description of this experience! I think it might have been by St. Therese of Lisieux or St. Faustina. It might also have been written by St. Teresa of Avila - some of her passages seem similar to what I am describing, but I haven’t been able to find the specific passage that I remember reading.
Any ideas?
Thank you for your help!
~ joe
UPDATE (01/05/2018): Thank you so much @BarbTh for your reply in November, 2017. I really appreciate it and it was very, very helpful!!!
– St. Angela of Foligno’s descriptions on pp. 151-152, 213, 208 were exactly what I was looking for! (“Angela of Foligno: Complete Works”, trans. Paul Lachance, O.F.M., Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1993).
– I also found St. Teresa of Avila’s descriptions as being in a similar vein as well, pp. 161, 164 (“The Interior Castle: Study Edition”, prepared by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Carol Lisi, O.C.D.S., trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Otilio Rodrigues, O.C.D. Washington, D.C.: Institute of Carmelite Studies (ICS) Publications, 2017).
– I was writing a paper that touched on the similarities between St. Bonaventure’s idea of the contemplative state and other mystics’ observations. If interested, the paper is available at theologydose[dot]wordpress[dot]com
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