THE UNITIVE WAY
PROGRESSIVE STATES
A deep, habitual, and transforming union with God
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WHAT IS THE UNITIVE WAY?
The Unitive Way is the third great way of the spiritual path and the state in which the soul, after having been purified (Purgative Way) and illuminated (Illuminative Way), enters into a deep, habitual and transforming union with God, when the human will is conformed to the divine, love is pure and disinterested, the entire life is spontaneously oriented to God, prayer is mainly contemplative. It does not mean absence of suffering, but living everything in God and with God.
The clearest sign of the Unitive Way is not mystical phenomena, but that the soul wills what God wills, loves what God loves, rejects what He rejects, and serenely abandons itself to His will. At this stage, the soul begins to live the life of heaven and experiences the great love of the Heart of the Lord Jesus. This moves it to sacrifice itself for the salvation of others and to give itself freely for the good of the mission entrusted to it. The way culminates in the Dark Night of the Spirit, and its fruit is the Alter Christus—the other Christ.
The brothers who have reached this progressive state live permanently at the service of others and actively participate in the life of the Church. They are usually seen as happy in their daily lives and maintain a deep inner peace, even in the midst of adverse circumstances. In them we can see a notable absence of fear, a heroic charity towards their brothers and a unique capacity for intercession in prayer, which bears abundant fruit.
Their concern for others, especially for poor sinners, is evident. They neither judge nor condemn; instead, they approach them with authentic compassion and sincere love. This attitude is born of personally experiencing the fire and infinite tenderness of the Heart of Jesus, which transforms their gaze and enlarges their hearts.
Their union with the Good Lord is stable and profoundly transforming. From this union, they clearly understand the mission entrusted to them and are able to undertake great and demanding works, always directed toward the good of others. In some cases, this self-giving is accompanied by actions that surpass ordinary human abilities and discreetly manifest the supernatural action of God.
They live a deep joy, which does not depend on fleeting emotions or external circumstances, but on their constant communion with God. Therefore, they can make great sacrifices with freedom and love, giving their own lives to the service of the Kingdom, until they become, in the full sense, another Christ for the world.
VIEW SPIRITUAL AGES 23–26