Francisco de Osuna
# Francisco de Osuna

Part of a series on :

Christian mysticism :

Theology · Philosophy

Apophatic

Ascetical

Cataphatic

Catholic spirituality

Hellenistic

Mystical theology

Neoplatonic

Henosis :

Practices

Monasticism

Monasticism

Asceticism

Spiritual direction

Meditation

Meditation

Lectio Divina

Invoking of Mystic Saints

Active asceticism

Contemplation

Hesychasm

Jesus Prayer

Quietism

Stages of Christian perfection

Hesychia

Divinization

Catharsis

Theosis

Kenosis

Spiritual dryness

Religious ecstasy

Passive asceticism

Abstinence

Esoteric

Charismatic

Esoteric :

People (by era or century)

Antiquity

Ancient African

Origen

Thomasines

Gregory of Nyssa

Pseudo-Dionysius

Desert Fathers

Paul of Thebes

Anthony the Great

Arsenius the Great

Poemen

Macarius of Egypt

Moses the Black

Syncletica

Athanasius

John Chrysostom

Hilarion

John Cassian

11th · 12th

Bernard of Clairvaux

Guigo II

Hildegard of Bingen

Symeon the New Theologian

13th · 14th

Dominican

Dominic de Guzmán

Franciscan

Francis of Assisi

Anthony of Padua

Bonaventure

Jacopone da Todi

Angela of Foligno

English

Richard Rolle

Walter Hilton

Julian of Norwich

Margery Kempe

Flemish

Beatrice of Nazareth

Lutgardis

Hadewijch

John van Ruysbroeck

German

Meister Eckhart

Johannes Tauler

Henry Suso

Female

Beatrice of Nazareth

Bridget of Sweden

Catherine of Siena

Mechthild of Magdeburg

Marguerite Porete

15th · 16th

Spanish

Ignatius of Loyola

Francisco de Osuna

John of Ávila

Teresa of Ávila

John of the Cross

Others

Catherine of Genoa

17th · 18th

French

Margaret Mary Alacoque

Pierre de Bérulle

Jean-Jacques Olier

Louis de Montfort

Charles de Condren

John Eudes

John of St. Samson

Others

Mary of Jesus of Ágreda

Anne Catherine Emmerich

Veronica Giuliani

Francis de Sales

19th

Dina Bélanger

Catherine Labouré

Mélanie Calvat

Maximin Giraud

Bernadette Soubirous

Conchita de Armida

Luisa Piccarreta

Mary of the Divine Heart

Thérèse of Lisieux

Gemma Galgani

20th

Padre Pio

Therese Neumann

Marthe Robin

Alexandrina of Balazar

Faustina Kowalska

Sister Lúcia of Fátima

Edgar Cayce

Simone Weil

Alfred Delp

Thomas Merton

Charles de Foucauld

Edvige Carboni

Elena Aiello

Contemporary papal viewsAspects of meditation (Orationis Formas, 1989)

Reflection on the New Age (2003) :

Literature · Media

Lingua ignota

Ordo Virtutum

Scivias

Ascent of Mount Carmel

Dark Night of the Soul

Spiritual Canticle

Way of Perfection

Book of the First Monks

The Interior Castle

Abbey of the Holy Ghost

A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation

From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart

The Glories of Mary

The Imitation of Christ

The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Philokalia

Revelations of Divine Love

The Story of a Soul

Theologia Germanica

Devotio Moderna

Fatima in Lucia's Own Words

Calls from the Message of Fatima

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima

Sol de Fátima

The Cloud of Unknowing

On the Consolation of Philosophy

The Mirror of Simple Souls

Sister Catherine Treatise

Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii

The Vision of Adamnán

Divine Comedy

Inferno

Purgatorio

Paradiso

Fatima :

vte :

Francisco of Osuna, O.F.M. (1492 or 1497 – c. 1540), was a Spanish Franciscan friar and author of some of the most influential works on spirituality in Spain in the 16th century.

His book The Third Spiritual Alphabet influenced Saint Teresa of Jesus. It is considered a masterpiece of Franciscan mysticism. His premise in the book is that friendship and communion with God are possible in this life through cleansing one's conscience, entering one's heart, resting in loving stillness, and then rising above the heart to God alone.

## Life

### Early life

Francis was born in the village of Osuna, in the province of Seville, in either 1492 or 1497 (he himself was unsure), of poor peasants whose names are not recorded. In his writings, he described his ancestors as having long been in the service of the Counts of Ureña. Francis himself entered military service while in his teens, in the course of which he saw action at the conquest of Tripoli (25 August 1510) by Spain under Pedro Navarro, Count of Oliveto.

After his return to Spain from the campaign, Francisco chose to embark on a career in the Church. To this end he enrolled at the University of Seville, where he studied Latin and rhetoric. Shortly after this, he set out with a friend on a pilgrimage to the great shrine of St. James the Greater at Santiago de Compostella. In the course of this journey, according to his own account, he apparently had a religious experience. He completed his studies in 1513, whereupon he received the habit of the Observant branch of the Order of Friars Minor, with the Province of Castile. This was a reform movement in the Order then becoming widespread in Spain, which sought to re-establish the primacy of prayer and poor living as practiced by their holy founder, St. Francis of Assisi.

### Friar

Francisco made his profession of religious vows in 1514, under the reformist leader, Francisco de Quiñones, Vicar of the province and later Minister General of the whole Order. He then resumed his studies, first at the province's House of Philosophy in Torrelaguna (1514-1518), followed by theological studies at the Complutense University, then still in Alcalá (1518-1522). There he mastered the three schools of theology being taught in his day, viz., Scotism, Scholasticism and the Nominalism of Gabriel Biel.

In 1523, Osuna entered the Salceda retreat house, situated near Guadalajara, one of eight retreat houses in the province of Castile. It was an isolated house, large enough to accommodate up to 24 religious, and with five hermitages in the surrounding hills, so that one could spend up to a week in perfect seclusion.

Osuna’s life there was strictly regulated and dedicated to prayer and meditation. As part of this, he practiced recollection. In order to develop his inner prayer life, he formulated maxims as a guide for meditation, which he arranged alphabetically. He composed three such alphabets. The Tercer Abercedario (1527), the Primero (1528), the Segundo, Cuarto o Ley de amor, Gracioso convite (1530), Norte de estados (1531).

At the end of 1536 or beginning of 1537, Osuna returned to Spain. In these years, he composed the Fifth Alphabet, and the Sixth Alphabet. Between 1537 and 1540, the First, Second and Third Alphabets, and the Gracioso convite were reedited, though it is unclear whether Osuna himself was involved in this process. He died at some point between the end of 1540 and 31 March 1542. A note in a new edition of the Fifth Alphabet, dated 31 March 1542, advised readers of Osuna’s death.

### Mystical teacher

In fact, Osuna was the most read spiritual author in Spain between 1527 and 1559. His Spanish works emerged in 40 editions, and his Latin works in 23 editions. The Third Spiritual Alphabet was begun at Salceda, and probably finished at Escalona, where it is believed Osuna spent some time between 1526 and 1530; it was first published in 1527 in Toledo. The popularity of the work is shown by the fact it enjoyed several editions in the following decades (1527, 1537, 1544, 1554, 1555, 1638, 1911). Barring Fidèle Ros’s (1936) study of Osuna, most studies have been partial. The standard Spanish language edition of the Third Spiritual Alphabet is that of Miguel Mir (Madrid, 1911), but it contains numerous errors and important omissions, in part as it is based on the 1544 Burgos edition, not the original 1527 Toledo edition – around 50 lines of text are omitted, and numerous words misspelt as different words. A 1972 edition, based on the 1527 text, attempted to rectify this problem.

