Book II, Chapter VIII Summary and Analysis

The inability to pray or feeling that prayers do not reach God is another of the pains felt, but his is not actually a problem, since the soul should spend the time being quiet and patient. The soul tends to be easily distracted, especially when the distractions are divine activities. Memory is also disturbed by the divine purgation. These disturbances occur so that the entire person can be perfected and ready for its union with God. St. John uses the example of a ray of sunlight to explain the idea of divine light. If there is nothing to impede the ray of light, it passes unseen. Divine light acts in much the same way when it enters the human soul. The soul is illuminated with divine light; however, the soul cannot perceive this light until...