November 2005 Christian Spirituality By George A Lane SJ

Continue from ...... CONTEMPLATIVE CLIMATE IN 16TH-CENTURY SPAIN In every age of the Church God reveals Himself to men in the Sacred Scriptures, but not every age has always seen the message clearly and in proper perspective. To correct this vision can be one of the functions of the ecclesial mystic. Under God's direction he discerns something in the scripture which a whole age may have failed to perceive. It seems that few people in sixteenth-century Spain found God as Ignatius Loyola did. The religious climate with its contemplative ideal was quite contrary to that of Ignatius Loyola. The cultural and religious climates of sixteenth-century Spain interacted on each other and had a profound influence on the western world. We will try to indicate just what that atmosphere was. Spain was the great power of the sixteenth-century. She had just successfully concluded an eight hundred year struggle to drive the Moors out of her land. The people were basking in the glory of this final triumph. they had the finest army and navy in the world; and up to half of Europe — the Austrian Empire, the Low countries, and much of Italy — was under Spanish control. But more than all of this, the fact that Spain was pure Catholic made the Spaniards raise their heads in pride. Spain was untainted by the terrible Protestant Reformation, and this was her greatest glory. Sixteenth-century Spain witnessed a full flowering of the baroque spirit which was epitomized in the royal palace of Philip II, the Escorial. This huge complex of palace, fortress, library, and church was built around 1560 as a monument to the Catholic victory over the Moors. The Escorial, a contemporary historian has written, is no mere monument of victory, no triumphal arch, but a confession of Catholicity born of the Spanish soul. Here according to the chronicler we see the king's longing for unity, for he did not want to rule over heretics. The architecture aims at the expression of spiritual things, God is the intended goal. Eight hours a day are devoted to the Eucharistic litugry and the Divine Office in the church. The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament must be continuous, and no fewer than one hundred monks are constantly employed in this task. There was also a great library, for God must be served here too in study and scholarship. But in the midst of all this splendour and greatness we find the king himself living as a simple monk in an austere apartment, the most humble of the servants of the Lord. We see here greatness of soul together with religious devotion, penance, and renunciation. We must turn now to the contemplative ideal of this age if we are to understand the religious spirit which was at its heart. A reputable historian of the period claims that there were no fewer than three thousand writers on the contemplative life and mysticism in sixteenth-century Spain. This indicates how powerfully the mystical ideal had captivated the religious imagination of the age. If one wished to be a perfect Christian, he would have to go to a monastery and become a contemplative monk or nun. This identification of the contemplative life and Christian perfection gained great impetus from the writings of two great mystics of the period, John of the Cross and Theresa of Avila. Because these people wrote about their own deep mystical experiences, they influenced others and the popular religious imagination. Many wanted to have the same kind of experiences and to find the same intimate touch of God in mystical union. This was the perfection of the Christian life.

- To Be Continued - © Copyright Shalom 2005. All rights reserved.