In a previous post, Levels of Prayer Part 1, we learned that there are nine levels of prayer. The end goal of these “levels of prayer” is to reach what is known as the Prayer of Transforming Union. At this ninth and final level of prayer, a person is living their life in a constant state of mystical marriage with God. The Holy Spirit is constantly present to them.
Consider this excerpt from the Divine Office.
When Saint Elizabeth was coming from private prayer, some religious men and women often saw her face shining marvelously and light coming from her eyes like the rays of the sun. – From a letter by Conrad of Marburg
I’m pretty sure St. Elizabeth was living her life at the ninth level. What a blessing!
If you have access to Formed.org, check out the documentaries on St. Andre Bessette, Father Solanus Casey, and especially Father Aloysius Ellacuria. These are saintly men of our modern times, and from the accounts provided in their documentaries, I believe they were living their prayer lives at the ninth level or not far from it.
Remove all obstacles and stumbling blocks so that you will be able to go straight along the road to eternal life. – St. Cyril
We also see indication of ordinary people like us living their life at the ninth level or prayer in the Bible. An example would be Simeon mentioned in St. Luke’s Gospel during the Presentation of the Lord, the fourth joyful mystery of the rosary.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. Luke 2:25
Notice in the next verse the holy Spirit is in communication with Simeon as if no there are no boundaries or barriers between his spirit and the spirit of God.
It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. Luke 2:26
Simeon conversed with God as if God was in plain view to him. And in fact, he was!
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, Luke 2:28-30
We’ll never know what Simeon saw and felt in his heart as he held the infant Jesus in his arms and looked in his Divine eyes. I would like to believe he felt a surge of the presence of God within him similar to what the apostles experienced during the day of Pentecost in the Upper Room (3rd glorious mystery of the rosary).
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Acts 2:3-4
The last four verses about the face of God in the New Testament awaits us!
As we journey to the end of the Bible, each verse burns brighter concerning the Divine face of God. Let us proceed with Jesus on our lips and humility in our hearts.
Christian Conduct
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers.” 1 Peter 3:12
Peter is quoting Psalm 34. Per Ignatius New Testament Catholic Study Bible (INTCSB),
- Blessings are promised to those who shun evil, for the Lord is good to those fear him, seek him, and direct their prayers to him.
We want to pray more with our hearts than with words. If we don’t pray at all, that basically puts us in spiritual freefall along with the wicked and ungrateful.
Never let us fall asleep in a state of sin, lest the prince of wickedness gain power over us and snatch us away from the kingdom of the Lord. – St. Barnabas, apostle
Let us climb spiritual altitude in fear of the Lord. As we ascend the heights of Sacred Scripture following the face of the Lord in the New Testament we have finally reached the end of our spiritual journey. We enter faithfully into the Book of Revelation.
The First Vision
In his right hand he held seven stars. A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest. Revelation 1:16
Is there any doubt the apostle John was living his earthly life at the 9th level?
I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day… Revelation 1:10
The rays of Jesus’ divine love shone brightly in the heart of St. John.
- Various Old Testament texts compare the splendor of God to the sun (Ps 84:12 ; Isa 60:19), and Christians will recall that Jesus’ “face shone like the sun” at his Transfiguration (Matt 17:2). Source: Catholic Commentary in Sacred Scripture, Revelation by Peter S. Williamson
The First Six Seals
They cried out to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, Revelation 6:16
To go a step further with the passage description of this verse CCSS has the title:
The Six Seal: Cosmic Signs of Final Judgment (6:12-17)
These verses are basically like the “victory formation snaps” that take place at the end of a rivalry football game. The drama of humanity on earth is coming to a close.
Just about every word has deep symbolic and prophetic meaning that often reverts back to events and passages from the Old Testament.
The Father, who sits on the throne in heaven, is ready to judge all classes of people, including you and me, with Divine justice and without partiality.
You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your neighbor justly. Leviticus 19:15
- The face of the one who sits on the throne – The breaking of the sixth seal reveals typical apocalyptic signs in the sky and the sheer terror of all people at the imminent divine judgment (Rev 6:12–17). Source: USCCB
There may or may not be a connection here, but if the sixth seal concerns the seal of God’s judgement, we can take comfort that the rosary meditation prayer has approximately six Our Father Prayers included in it. This is the prayer the Lord Jesus has instructed us to pray, and the Blessed Mother asks us to pray the rosary.
I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue to pray the rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes. – Our Lady, Oct. 13, 1917 at Fatima, Portugal
The New Jerusalem
They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:4
This final verse about the face of God is taken from the very last chapter of the New Testament. It is the end of the Christian spiritual journey for you and me.
If we have made it this far through the purification of suffering, perseverance and in prayer, we are at the ninth level and beyond. We are at the beginning and end of the River of the Water Life. We have been purified, and are forever with God in heaven!
- 22:4 shall see his face: The direct vision of God is the great hope of biblical spirituality (Ps 11:7 ; 42:2) and the preeminent blessing of heaven (Mt 5:8 ; 1 Cor 13:12). Seeing the face of God points to a profound personal intimacy with him; it is an experience of knowing God that is the fulfillment of human existence. Tradition calls this the Beatific Vision. Source: ICSBNT
Conclusion
Who is ready to start ascending the levels of prayer? We can start today!
- Prayer is a habit.
- Prayer takes time.
- Prayer requires effort.
- Prayer takes perseverance.
- Prayer calls for devotion.
Prayer leads us to happiness. We pray to God out of love for him just as the Father has shown his great love to us by the gift of his Son, Jesus.
Prayer offered in holiness from a faithful heart rises like incense from a holy altar. – St. Augustine
We are called to be children of God. May the holy Spirit be upon each of us as we pray and meditate on the divine mysteries and love of God in Sacred Scripture.
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3