Quietism
A Historical Error in Contemplative Practice
Quietism was a 17th-century spiritual movement that taught the soul should remain in complete passivity before God, abandoning all human effort, including resistance to temptation and concern for personal salvation. The Church condemned Quietism in 1687 because it undercut human responsibility, depreciated the sacraments, and led to moral and spiritual disaster. Understanding this error is essential for any serious contemplative, as Quietist tendencies can subtly re-emerge in modern spiritual practice.
The Rise of Quietism
Quietism emerged in 17th-century Rome through the teachings of Miguel de Molinos (1628-1696), a Spanish priest whose book Spiritual Guide (1675) became a bestseller. For twelve years, Molinos was celebrated as a great spiritual master, attracting followers across Europe including cardinals, bishops, and nobility.
The movement drew on genuine contemplative themes—surrender to God, moving beyond self-effort, resting in divine presence—but pushed them to dangerous extremes. What began as mystical aspiration became theological error.
“The soul must annihilate itself in the presence of God... It must neither will nor desire, neither think nor perceive, neither reflect nor speculate.”— Miguel de Molinos, Spiritual Guide
What Quietism Actually Taught
The 68 propositions condemned by Pope Innocent XI in the bull Caelestis Pastor (1687) reveal the errors of Quietism:
Total Passivity
The soul must remain entirely passive, making no effort of any kind. All human activity in prayer—including resisting temptation, asking for grace, or even desiring heaven—was considered an obstacle to pure contemplation.
Abandonment of Virtue
The advanced soul need not practice virtues deliberately; virtue would flow automatically from contemplation. Explicit acts of faith, hope, charity, and contrition were deemed unnecessary and even harmful for the contemplative.
Indifference to Temptation
Resisting temptation was itself an imperfection because it involved human effort. The soul should remain passive even when experiencing temptation, including violent or impure thoughts, trusting God to handle everything without human cooperation.
Disinterested Love
True contemplatives should be indifferent to their own salvation. Desiring heaven or fearing hell was considered impure self-interest. The soul should love God “without any admixture of self-interest”—even the interest of being saved.
Depreciation of External Devotion
Meditation, vocal prayer, sacramental confession, and external devotions were for beginners only. The advanced contemplative had moved beyond such “crutches.”
Why the Church Condemned Quietism
Quietism was not condemned because it valued contemplation—the Church has always treasured contemplative prayer. It was condemned because it distorted contemplation in ways that destroyed the spiritual life:
- It denied human cooperation with grace. Catholic theology insists that grace and free will work together. Quietism eliminated human responsibility.
- It undermined moral vigilance. Passivity toward temptation led predictably to moral failure. Molinos himself was convicted of immoral conduct with his directees.
- It depreciated the sacraments. Treating confession and Eucharist as unnecessary for the “advanced” contradicted the Church's constant teaching.
- It made spiritual progress dependent on special experiences. By privileging passive contemplation over ordinary practice, it created a two-tier Christianity.
- It led to despair or presumption. Either the soul despaired of attaining such passivity, or it presumed to be beyond ordinary Christian duties.
“The life of the just is not one of inaction but of heroic cooperation with grace.”— Catholic theological principle
The French Controversy
After Molinos' condemnation, a similar controversy erupted in France involving Madame Guyon (1648-1717) and the great Archbishop François Fénelon (1651-1715).
Madame Guyon taught a form of “pure love” and passive prayer that drew accusations of Quietism. Fénelon defended her, leading to a famous dispute with Bishop Bossuet that divided French Catholicism. In 1699, Pope Innocent XII condemned 23 propositions from Fénelon's book Maxims of the Saints.
Fénelon's Response
To his eternal credit, Fénelon submitted immediately and completely to the papal judgment, even reading the condemnation of his own book from his cathedral pulpit. His humility in submission demonstrates the proper response when the Church corrects even sincere spiritual teaching.
The controversy produced one lasting clarification: while “disinterested love” is beautiful language, it cannot mean indifference to one's salvation. God commands us to desire heaven. Hoping for eternal life is not spiritual impurity—it is essential Christian faith.
How Quietism Differs from Authentic Contemplation
It is crucial to distinguish Quietist errors from genuine contemplative teaching. The great mystics taught themes that sound similar but differ fundamentally:
| Quietism | Authentic Contemplation |
|---|---|
| Eliminate all human effort | Human effort prepares for and responds to grace |
| Don't resist temptation | Resist through grace, not merely human strength |
| Abandon all desire, even for salvation | Desire purified, not eliminated—we desire God above all |
| Sacraments unnecessary for advanced souls | Sacraments essential at every stage |
| Acts of virtue are imperfections | Virtue deepens, becomes more spontaneous, but never abandoned |
| Permanent state of passive quiet | Contemplation alternates with active duty; life requires both |
John of the Cross taught that in contemplation, the soul should “do nothing”—but he meant during specific prayer times when God draws the soul into passive receptivity. He never meant the soul should cease moral effort in daily life, abandon the sacraments, or stop resisting temptation.
Teresa of Ávila experienced profound passive states but insisted on continued confession, Eucharist, obedience, and active charity. Her mysticism made her more active in reform, not less engaged with ordinary Christian duty.
Lessons for Today
Quietist tendencies can subtly resurface in modern spiritual practice:
Watch for Passive Spirituality
Any teaching that suggests moral effort is unnecessary, that we should simply “let go and let God” handle sin, or that advanced souls don't need to practice virtue echoes Quietism. Grace empowers effort; it does not replace it.
Maintain the Sacraments
If contemplative practice leads to treating confession and Eucharist as optional, something has gone wrong. The saints grew in appreciation for sacraments as their mystical life deepened.
Balance Receptivity with Responsibility
Centering Prayer and similar practices rightly emphasize receptivity. But receptivity in prayer should produce greater moral energy in life, not spiritual passivity that neglects duty.
Desire Heaven Rightly
It is not spiritual impurity to want salvation. God commands us to hope. The goal is to desire heaven because God is there, not merely for personal comfort—but desire is essential to Christian faith.
Resist Temptation with Grace
We resist sin not by human strength alone but by cooperating with grace. Yet we must cooperate—the fight is real, and passivity in the face of temptation leads to disaster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Doesn't Centering Prayer teach something like Quietism?
Critics have raised this concern, but the founders of Centering Prayer are clear that it differs from Quietism. Centering Prayer encourages receptivity during specific prayer periods but insists on continued moral effort, sacramental life, and active virtue outside prayer times. The key distinction is that passive receptivity in prayer should produce greater energy for duty in life.
How can I desire heaven without being selfish?
The desire for heaven is not selfish when heaven is desired for God's sake—to be with Him forever, to praise Him eternally, to be freed from sin that offends Him. We purify our desire by focusing on God Himself as the prize, not merely the pleasures of heaven. But the desire itself is commanded by God and essential to faith.
Was Molinos completely wrong about everything?
Molinos' Spiritual Guide contains much that is beautiful and drawn from the genuine mystical tradition. This is precisely what made it dangerous—error mixed with truth is harder to detect. The Church condemned specific propositions, not the entire contemplative tradition Molinos claimed to represent. Authentic contemplation remains valid; Molinos' distortions of it do not.
What about “letting go” language in contemplative prayer?
“Letting go” is legitimate when it means releasing anxiety, surrendering control to God, or ceasing to strain in prayer. It becomes Quietism when it means abandoning moral effort, ceasing to resist temptation, or treating sacraments as optional. The authentic tradition balances surrender to God with cooperation with grace.
Related Articles
- Discernment in Contemplative Practice — The essential practice of testing spiritual teachings.
- False Mysticism — Other historical examples of spiritual error.
- Centering Prayer — A modern practice and how it avoids Quietist error.
- John of the Cross — Authentic teaching on passivity in contemplation.
- Beyond Techniques — Moving deeper while remaining grounded.