Lent is marked by a time of intentional mortification—that is, the purifying of the faculties of the soul—namely through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which correspond respectively to the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes (see 1 John 2:16). Yet so many flounder through Lent without a clear end in mind—without a singular purpose to which penances are directed.
In my article “Lent Is Only Step 1 of 3,” I outlined that the purification during Lent highlights a particular stage of the spiritual life—the first of three (the purgative stage, followed by the illuminative stage and finally the unitive stage). The purgative stage is the threshold by which we pass into the interior life. It is a time of purification that readies us to experience God’s penetrating and purifying love in a spiritual way, rather than merely through our senses. As such, Lent is a fitting time to meditate upon and pray that God would continue to purify us so that we may enter more deeply into a relationship with him.
The conclusion of Lent, and more evidently, the transition from the purgative stage into the illuminative stage, does not mean purification is over. The spiritual life never leaves purification behind entirely. But after the initial purgation, there comes a new light. After the labor of repentance, mortification, and growth in self-knowledge, God begins to act in the soul in a more manifest way.
“It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you” (John 16:7).
This is why Easter and the Ascension make fitting points of reference for the second stage of the interior life. Lent is marked by combat, repentance, and self-denial. Easter is marked by new life, divine light, and the presence of the risen Christ. The Ascension directs us upward, reminding us that the Christian life is not meant to remain earthbound. The soul must be lifted and taught to live more interiorly and more supernaturally.
Additionally, Christ himself told us that it is better for us that he ascend to heaven, because he would send us the Holy Spirit, our advocate, who would illuminate our souls (see John 16:7, 13).
We recall that the mystical writers describe this second stage as the illuminative way. After the purgative way of beginners comes the illuminative way of proficients, and after that the unitive way of the perfect. In this second age, the soul begins to be led more noticeably by God (tasting, even, of his presence). Effort does not disappear (we won’t get away from work that easily), but divine initiative becomes more evident.
The Second Conversion
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, following the great spiritual masters, emphasizes what he calls the second conversion. Most Christians understand conversion in its first sense: turning from sin to God. But many do not realize that there is often a second and more profound turning—not necessarily from grave sin, but from mediocrity, self-seeking, and imperfect love of God and of self.
As he writes, “Scripture often recalls, even to those who are in the state of grace, the necessity of a more profound conversion toward God.” Even souls already living in grace may need a deeper conversion, a more radical turning of the heart toward God. Think of the rich young man who followed the Commandments but did not want to give away all his possessions.
This is exactly what we see in the apostles. Christ spoke to them—not to pagans, but to his own disciples—about conversion. Garrigou-Lagrange reminds us of our Lord’s words: “Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The issue was not whether they belonged to Christ, but whether they were ready to enter deeply into his intimacy.
That is the meaning of the second conversion. It is not merely moral reform. It is a more childlike dependence on God, a deeper humility, and a more purified love.
Garrigou-Lagrange points especially to St. Peter. Peter had already left everything once. Yet Christ still said to him before the Passion: “And thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.” Peter needed to be broken of presumption and self-reliance. His tears after the denial were not simply the end of a failure; they were the beginning of a deeper transformation.
Easter and the Illuminative Way
That is why Easter is such a fitting image for the illuminative way. The apostles who had fled and hidden are not left there. The risen Christ returns to them. He enlightens them. He restores Peter. He opens Scripture to them. Resurrection is not merely victory over death; it is the beginning of a new mode of divine life in the soul.
This second conversion often comes through trial. Garrigou-Lagrange draws heavily from St. John of the Cross, who identifies the entrance into the illuminative way with the passive purification of the senses. He quotes him directly: “The night of sense is common, and the lot of many: these are the beginners.” And again: “The soul began to set out on the way of the spirit, the way of proficient . . . wherein God himself teaches and refreshes the soul.”
God Leads the Illuminative Way
In the purgative way, the soul labors generously through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the struggle against sin. In the illuminative way, that effort continues, but God becomes more evidently the interior teacher. The soul begins to experience more deeply the vanity of created things and the surpassing reality of God. Prayer becomes simpler and more interior. Instead of many reflections and methods, the soul is drawn toward a quieter, more direct attention to God.
This transition often begins with dryness. The soul is not used to experiencing God more directly, but is accustomed to experiencing God through the senses.
Garrigou-Lagrange speaks of the need for “turning the depths of its will more completely toward God.” Not just the surface of our actions, but the depths of the heart must be turned. He compares this to a field that must be plowed a second time: “The laborer who has plowed a furrow goes over it a second time to force the plow deeper and turn over the earth which must nourish the wheat.”
God Brings Us Deeper Than Before
This deeper purification is necessary because beginners—even devout ones—are often still ruled by subtle forms of self-love. Garrigou-Lagrange, drawing from St. Catherine of Siena and Fr. Lallemant, shows that a soul may serve God faithfully while still seeking itself. One may love prayer for its sweetness, apostolic work for its fruitfulness, or spiritual practices for the security and esteem they provide.
Even in the things of God, we can still quietly be seeking ourselves.
Catherine of Siena illustrates this through Peter. Before his fall, Peter loved Christ sincerely—but his love was still imperfect. He delighted in Christ’s presence, yet he had not yet learned to love Christ even in suffering and humiliation. His fall cured him of presumption and forced him to place his confidence no longer in himself, but in God. That lesson lies at the heart of the illuminative way.
The paschal mystery helps us understand this stage. Resurrection does not erase the cross; it transfigures it.
The Ascension makes this even clearer. Christ ascends to draw his disciples upward and send the Spirit to them. He withdraws his visible presence so that they may live by a deeper faith. Something similar often happens in the spiritual life: consolations lessen, former supports disappear, and the soul is forced into a more interior fidelity. God may seem more hidden, but he is actually drawing the soul into a deeper relationship with him.
So what does this mean for us?
It means that the work begun in Lent must continue in the light of Easter. Prayer becomes more interior and recollected. Fasting remains necessary, because the senses are never fully disciplined on their own. Almsgiving remains essential, because charity widens the heart and loosens it from attachment to self.
But now these practices begin to take on a deeper character. We are no longer only fighting sin. We are learning to be led by God in docility.
That is the illuminative way: the soul purified more deeply, instructed more interiorly, and gradually lifted toward divine things.
Lent prepares for it. Easter reveals it. The Ascension directs us upward toward it.
A reflection on Pentecost will bring us to our treatment of the final stage of the spiritual life: the unitive way, where the soul, made docile to the Holy Ghost, begins to live in a deeper and more stable union with God.