7 MANSIONS

OUTER COURT

A life of sin

No supernatural life/love
Due to: ignorance, weakness, indifference, obstinacy, or diabolical malice

STAR OF JOURNEY

• Baptism
• Sacrament of Penance
• Perfect Act of Contrition

FIRST MANSION

FAITHFUL SOULS

• State of grace
• Supernatural life
• Awareness, sorrow, avoidance of sin
• Active purgation: penance
• Bare minimum practices of piety yet sometimes fail
• Vocal prayer; distracted, praying for material things instead of spiritual
• PURGATIVE STAGE

SECOND MANSION

GOOD SOULS

• Valiant struggle against mortal sin finding themselves in occasions which leads them to fall; they repent and promptly go to Confession; commit deliberate venial sins; frequent the Sacraments
• Prayer: vocal, distracted,
• PURGATIVE STAGE

THIRD MANSION

PIOUS SOULS

• Rarely commit mortal sin (once or twice a year; profound repentance, immediately confess; sincerely combat venial sin
• With others they are meek, patient, speak well of others, in control of their emotions
• Take small steps to improve along areas of virtues
• Regular Mass attendance, Holy Communion but in a spirit of routine, little preparations
• Need to practice mortification, fasting
• PURGATIVE STAGE

DARK NIGHT OF THE SENSES

DARK NIGHT OF THE SENSES

• Weaning period
• Passive purgation to get rid of unessentials due to concupiscence
• Dryness, sadness, feeling lost, emptiness, obscurity, trials, scrupolosity, temptations, misfortunes, infirmities, discouragement
• Dangers: backsliding, giving up
• Painful state: monotony, difficulty in apostolate, temptations to give up
• Love God of consolation, not the consolations of God; love God for his own sake; “sempre avanti”
• The soul is purified, humbled in the process; learns docility, cooperation, resignation, patience, loving submission to God’s will

FOURTH MANSION

FERVENT SOULS

• The “second conversion”
• Constant awareness of God’s presence
• Increasing, strengthening charity
• Never commit mortal sin in years, carefully avoid venial sin
• Daily Mass, Communion with fervent devotion
• ILLUMINATIVE STAGE
• Prayer: mental prayer

FIFTH MANSION

RELATIVELY PERFECT SOULS

• Never commit deliberate venial sin
• Frequent act of abnegation, renunciation
• Simpler practices of piety; more intense charity in thoughts, words, actions
• Love for solitude, sacrifices
• Habitual prayer; as natural as breathing
• ILLUMINATIVE STAGE
• Prayer: contemplative

SIXTH MANSION

HEROIC SOULS

• So in union with God; naturally doing the do’s and avoiding the don’ts
• Life of prayer becomes the breathing of the soul amidst occupations/duties
• Preoccupied with union with God and enjoying his presence; a foretaste of heaven while on earth
• Perform practices of piety with exquisite fidelity
• Forgetful of self, thirst for suffering and penitential practices; offer themselves as victims for the conversion of others

DARK NIGHT OF THE SPIRIT

DARK NIGHT OF THE SPIRIT

• Passive purification; completion of purification uprooting the defects of the soul at their very source
• Extremely painful terrifying anguish; a purgatory on earth
• Divine light shines upon the soul revealing all its imperfections
• Result: complete transformation, purification, lofty height of sanctity, “mystical marriage”

SEVENTH MANSION

GREAT SAINTS

• Simple exercises of love, incredibly intense yet tranquil
• Enjoying unchanging peace, serenity
• Manifest profound humility, unity of judgment, simplicity of intention
• Prayer life: enjoying certain intellectual vision of the Trinity
• Reached the transforming union
• UNITIVE STAGE
• Prayer: contemplative

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