Kisses? Yes, kisses. Throughout Marcel Văn’s Conversations with Jesus, his little Jesus strengthens him by giving him kisses. Throughout Catherine of Siena’s Dialogue, there is a spiritual journey discussed in terms of kisses: kissing the feet, kissing the body, kissing the face of Christ, as three distinct points of reference on the spiritual journey (beginners, proficients, the so-called “perfect”). We could probably multiply examples. This idea of a kiss is common.

It goes without saying that there is a great depth to the image of the kiss – and it is, of course, primarily as an image that the saints treat of it, for we are talking about spiritual  realities with our everyday, pliable human words – yes, that goes without saying… But just what is that great depth? Could we be more specific about the idea, the image, of the kiss? Why did Little Văn feel such confidence and comfort in a kiss? Why did Catherine base her description of the spiritual life on kisses?

Two quotes from Francis de Sales illuminate the subject:

And thus one mouth is applied to another in kissing to testify that we would desire to pour out one soul into the other, to unite them reciprocally in a perfect union.

Did you not note, Theotimus, that the sacred spouse expressed her desire of being united to her spouse by the kiss, and that the kiss represents the spiritual union which is caused by the reciprocal communication of souls?

Indeed,

the divine Saviour was accustomed to kiss his disciples when he met them; and not only his disciples but even little children, whom he took lovingly in his arms.

Yes, it is that intimate: a reciprocal communication of souls. And to all appearances, Jesus was fond of the gesture, not only in images, but in real life (after all, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, indicating the common but intimate feature of our Saviour’s relationships).

All that said, there’s a reason Saint Francis addresses these words, in his Treatise on the Love of God, to “Theotimus” (a man’s name). It’s actually because, apparently, some men found it difficult to follow Introduction to a Devout Life because it was addressed to “Philothea” (a woman’s name):

A great servant of God informed me not long ago that by addressing my speech to Philothea in the Introduction to a Devout Life, I hindered many men from profiting by it: because they did not esteem advice given to a woman, to be worthy of a man… Besides, it is the soul which aspires to devotion that I call Philothea, and men have souls as well as women.

(Hehe, “men have souls as well as women”; Francis has a ripe sense of humour and sharp wit…!) But it is precisely this idea that he will address his spiritual concerns this time to men that is interesting. The image of the kiss between Christ and the soul is, Francis feels, especially important for his treatise – a treatise which circumstances seem to have forced to be directed at a “man”.

These are not just images for women like Saint Catherine. They’re actually images and realities for all. Saint Francis made that pretty clear, in his witty way: “and men have souls as well as women.”

A few centuries later, Marcel Văn came along and expressed it this way: If you lack something of a spousal relationship to Christ, then you lack all the other relationships (father and son, teacher and pupil, friends, etc.) at the same time. Those are only human relationships. The divine relationship takes all. You can’t put aside the parts that make you uncomfortable.

Kisses it is then!