The Bridegroom comes, bringing consolation and leaving desolated. He lets us taste a bit of his ineffable sweetness; but before it can penetrate us, he hides and leaves. Now, he does this in order to teach us to fly towards the Lord. Like an eagle, he extends his wings over us and pushes us to rise. And he says: You have tasted a bit of my sweetness. Do you want to be filled with it? Run, fly to my perfumes; lift up your hearts on high, to where I am at the right hand of the Father, where you will see me, no longer in figure or enigma but face to face, in the joy, full and complete, that no one can ever take away from you. –The Ladder of Monks by Guigo II the Carthusian

Be quiet, my soul, you’re talking too much!

It was good to be up there, with Peter and John, contemplating the Bridegroom’s glory, staying with him for a long time, and –if he would have wanted– putting up not two or three tents but only one in which to dwell together in his joy! Yet, the Bridegroom is already exclaiming: Let me leave, dawn is already coming. You have received the luminous grace and the so strongly desired visit. Then he blesses you and, as the angel once did to Jacob, mortifies the nerve of your thigh (Gen 32:25.31); he changes your name from Jacob to Israel and thereafter seems to leave. The Bridegroom, desired for so long, quickly hides himself; the vision of the contemplation fades and its sweetness evaporates. Yet the Bridegroom remains present in your heart, constantly governing it.  —Guigo II the Carthusian “The Ladder of Monks”

And now, gathered together as we (Carthusians) are on the site where our Father St Bruno lived, we would like to say to all our brothers in the Order:

“Let us rejoice in the generous outpouring of God’s grace on us; let us always give thanks to God the Father for all the gifts of prayer that he has showered upon us through-out the centuries. And to all those who labour and stumble along the tortuous paths of prayer, we say, with all the affection that the Spirit inspires in our hearts: do not hesitate to continue your journey, or to take it up again, even if you have the impression of gathering no fruit.

Remember that our prayer is not the result of our own efforts, but of the Spirit in our hearts. It is a long journey  between ourselves and the One who is completely Other. lt impliess a radical purification, the transformation of our entire being in God, after the image of Christ. For us, this can only be a path of poverty and hope. A hope that is obscure and dark, but full of joy, ‘for God is greater than our hearts’ (1 John 3:20).

‘Wound of Love’ A Carthusian

So, what do you think ought to be done, dear friend? What else, but to trust in the exhortation of God himself, and to believe in the Truth which cannot deceive? For he calls out to everyone, saying, ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Is it not, after all, a most ridiculous and fruitless labour to be swollen with lust, continually to be tortured with anxiety and worry, fear and sorrow, for the objects of your passion? Is there any heavier burden than to have one’s spirit thus cast down into the abyss from the sublime peak of its natural dignity – the veritable quintessence of right order gone awry? Flee, my brother, from these unending miseries and disturbances; leave the raging storms of this world… ‘The Wound of Love’ A Carthusian Miscellany

…Most men find their balance in life through action or creation. A totally contemplative life demands a special grace and a special faithfulness. It also requires a maturity, a richness of soul not often found among the converts. At least this seems to be the case from our experience. But to contemplate, in the first sense of the word, i.e. to gaze upon God while staying immobile, repose and purity being both the condition and the result of such a gaze, is truly speaking the real life, the eternal life for which we have been created.” –Carthusian spirituality

By faith we affirm the truth of the divine life that has been promised to us. Through love we possess it. Hope gives us the certainty that with the help of grace we will grow in this life and finally possess it perfectly and unendingly in heaven.

In this activity of the three theological virtues is the substance of every deep and sincere prayer. We can carry on a conversation directly with God in the innocence and simplicity of our souls. “In simplicitate cordis quaerite illum” “Seek him with simplicity of heart” (Wis 1:1). Why should we direct our first to this, then to that and thus split it up? Why should we philosophize about God, tiring intellect, will, and imagination through tedious presentations of pictures and scenes, when we can remain, through simple meditation in the spirit of faith and love, close to the source of life and thus connect ourselves directly with God?

Our divine Savior himself demands this simplicity of us: “Be as simple as doves” (Mt 10:16). God himself is, after all, also simplicity. The more innocent and simple we are, the more is our gaze directed upon him and so much <span;>the nearer we come to him; while on the contrary, the more complicated we are, the more we distance ourselves from him.

Simplicity is the atmosphere of God. We know that God, our Father, is present in us. Does a child, if it wants to speak with its Father, consult a book to see what subject of conversation it should choose, what forms of speech it should use? No, the child speaks directly and simply…  –a Carthusian