The Different Ways the Heart Is Pierced

But how, and in what way, these piercings of the heart are produced from the innermost depths of the soul is no less difficult to trace. Often, through some delight and keenness of spirit beyond words, the fruit of a most healing piercing of the heart springs up, so that it actually breaks out into shouts because of the greatness of its uncontrollable joy. The delight of the heart and the greatness of its rejoicing can be heard even in a neighbor’s cell. But sometimes the mind hides itself in complete silence within the secret places of a deep quiet, so that the amazement of a sudden illumination chokes every sound of words. Then the awed spirit either keeps all its feelings to itself or loses them, and pours out its desires to God with groanings that cannot be uttered. And sometimes it is filled with such overwhelming piercing of heart and grief that it cannot express it except in floods of tears. [a]