Spiritual Life Dictionary

Today's Term:

DIVINE TOUCHES

A mystical touch is a deep , intimate contact-union- experience of God in one of His attributes such as power, light, goodness, beauty, or joy. It is not only a contact but also a union, and not only a union but also an experience.

Fire Within, Pg. 45 by Fr. Thomas Dubay,S.M.

St. John of the Cross describes the Divine Touch:

Some of these divine touches produced in the substance of the soul are so enriching that one of them would be sufficient not only to remove definitively all the imperfections that the soul would have been unable to eradicate throughout its entire life but also to fill it with virtues and blessings from God.

This description sounds like purgatory, only extremely delightful and perhaps of shorter duration. I have touched on this subject before-that we can experience our purgatory now-be purified now. According to St. Therese, if we love, love with a capital "L", the heroic type of love, we do not have to go to purgatory. And remember, Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity reminds us that Heaven begins now-not when we die. We are in our "state of being" now. We can ask ourselves, In what state am I? Am I in the state of grace? Am I in a state of great imperfection that needs purifying? Let's keep our goal of holiness in mind and ask for God's mercy, because we are weak and sinful creatures.

St. John of the Cross continues on Divine Touches:

These touches engender such sweetness and intimate delight in the soul that one of them would more than compensate for all the trials suffered in life, even though innumerable.

This can give us great consolation to keep in mind that all our suffering will be worth an eternity with our Savior, Jesus.

St. John says God grants these divine touches when the soul leasts expects it. Sometimes God uses the memory to inflict the divine touch. Have you experienced this? Have you heard a word of scripture that produced a Divine Touch within your soul? What about a beautiful hymn or someone's kind word or gentle touch? Some of these touches can be so deeply felt to cause the body to tremble.

Kinds of Divine Touches:

*Of Knowledge

* Of Love

*Of Understanding

*Of Union

The Effects of Divine Touches:

*Purify the soul

*Strengthen the soul

*Produce tranquility in the soul

*Cannot be forgotten

*Produce heroic virtue in the soul

When God touches us we should respond in kind and reach out to our neighbor. A good example of one who brought the healing touch to the "poorest of the poor" was Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. I'm sure the souls who lay dying in her arms experienced the Divine touch of God through her tender love and compassion .

May God give us the grace and desire to reach out to the untouchables in our society and be living instruments of Christ's compassionate touch to all those we meet.

God is the friend of silence. Trees, flowers, grass grows in silence. See the stars, moon and sun, how they move in silence.- Mother Teresa


As Fr. Dubay explained at the beginning of this meditation; A Divine touch is an experience of God in one of His glorious attributes. May you experience the love, joy, beauty, and goodness of God deep within your soul.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds