[1] The work is framed according to three stages that mark the common path of Christian perfection, which are described in conformity to the preexisting theology and wisdom of Catholic saints and Church Fathers.

Numerous Catholic saints and Church Fathers have attempted to articulate the typical stages, ways, ages, or conversions of spiritual maturation, some of whom proposed a threefold division.

[3] Although he explicitly integrates a significant portion of these references, Garrigou-Lagrange prioritizes the terminology of Pseudo-Dionysius, Thomas Aquinas,[4] and John of the Cross[5] as the most representative of their accumulated insight.

[6] Those who are spiritual children, beginning their Christian maturation, require a generous exercise of asceticism and virtue to remove the most serious obstacles to communion with God.

Robert Barron, acknowledging the significant influence of Garrigou-Lagrange’s years at the Angelicum, generally associates him with a “strict rationalistic, somewhat ahistorical, very deductive, and somewhat defensive reading of Thomas Aquinas.”[15] The nature of and normalcy of infused contemplation has been debated since Garrigou-Lagrange’s time,[16] and the question was raised if he understands the nuances behind Thomas Aquinas’ use of term “quasi-experimental knowledge.”[17] The basic concepts of his interpretation continue to be referenced in the Catholic Church.