''The Three Ages of the Interior Life: Prelude of Eternal Life'' (''Les trois âges de la vie intérieure, prélude de celle du Ciel'') is the ''magnum opus'' of Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, a French theologian of the

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

(

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

). The two volume publication represents both the summary of teaching

ascetical Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

and

mystical theology Mystical theology is the branch of theology in the Christian tradition ...

for twenty years at the Angelicum and the synthesis of two other works: ''Christian Perfection and Contemplation'' and ''L’amour de Dieu et la croix de Jesus''. The work is framed according to three stages that mark the common path of

Christian perfection Christian perfection is the name given to theological concepts within some sects of Christianity that purport to describe a process of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by ...

, which are described in conformity to the preexisting theology and wisdom of

Catholic saints This is an incomplete list of people and angels whom the Catholic Church has Canonization, canonized as saints. According to Catholic theology, all saints enjoy the beatific vision. Many of the Calendar of saints, saints listed here are to be f ...

and

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

. His synthesis has become one of the most the dominant present-day interpretations of this patrimony.

Overview

The namesake and structure of the work are based on the three stages of

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

. Numerous

and

have attempted to articulate the typical stages, ways, ages, or conversions of spiritual maturation, some of whom proposed a threefold division. Although he explicitly integrates a significant portion of these references, Garrigou-Lagrange prioritizes the terminology of

Pseudo-Dionysius Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of works known as the ''Corpus Areopagiticum' ...

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

, and

John of the Cross John of the Cross, OCD ( es, link=no, Juan de la Cruz; la, Ioannes a Cruce; born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figu ...

as the most representative of their accumulated insight. Those who are spiritual children, beginning their Christian maturation, require a generous exercise of

asceticism Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

and

virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...

to remove the most serious obstacles to communion with God. This effort with sensible experiences of God's presence and favor. The person typically begins to associate sensible confirmations with God himself, which impedes the capacity to perceive and commune with God more profoundly. In response, God withdraws this sensible presence to dispose the person to spiritual realities and receive the

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

for further prayer and union. Generosity begets a more proficient spiritual rapport with God with greater light from the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

. Further advancement reveals subtle remains of

pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

and selfishness, which can only perfected by a path of humility directed by the

. Perseverance through this purification allows the person to be perfected in spiritual adulthood, which entails mystical union with God in love. Garrigou-Lagrange is not the first to recapitulate the common insights of

and

. However, his model is preeminent in representing the importance and normalcy of infused contemplation, which culminates in a “quasi-experimental” knowledge of God through the gift of wisdom. In other words, the person knows God by recognizing the effects produced from the Trinity dwelling in the soul, particularly that of filial affection, and inferring him to be their cause. The importance of this infused contemplation is not diminished by the call to an active and apostolic lifestyle. On the contrary, infused contemplation is all the more necessary to preserve the integrity and fruitfulness of the mission.

Impact and Criticism

Some have challenged Garrigou-Lagrange’s Neo-Thomistic approach to concepts that are significant to ''The Three Ages of the Interior Life''.

Robert Barron Robert Emmet Barron (born November 19, 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester since 2022. He is the founder of the Catholic ministerial organization Word on Fire, and ...

, acknowledging the significant influence of Garrigou-Lagrange’s years at the Angelicum, generally associates him with a “strict rationalistic, somewhat ahistorical, very deductive, and somewhat defensive reading of

.” The nature of and normalcy of infused contemplation has been debated since Garrigou-Lagrange’s time, and the question was raised if he understands the nuances behind

’ use of term “quasi-experimental knowledge.” The basic concepts of his interpretation continue to be referenced in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. This influenced the section entitled "Chapter V: The Universal Call to Holiness in the Church" in the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, ''

Lumen gentium ''Lumen gentium'', the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. This dogmatic constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964, following approval by the assembled bishop ...

''.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, who was taught by Garrigou-Lagrange, alludes the three ages as the horizon for the spiritual life. Servais-Théodore Pinckaers, another student of Garrigou-Lagrange, also references the three stages in his ''Sources of Christian Ethics''. At large, the model is also commonly used as a reference for providing

spiritual direction Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the div ...

.See Burke & Bartunek (2012)
"Catholic Spiritual Formation – Catholic Spiritual Direction"
Retrieved Oct 31, 2021.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

''The Three Ages of the Spiritual life According to the Fathers and the Great Spiritual Writers''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Ages of the Interior Life Religious studies books 1938 books Catholic spirituality Christian theology books Catholic theology and doctrine French-language works 20th-century French literature

Overview

Impact and Criticism

References

Bibliography

See also

External links