ecstasy
Greek: ek, out; histemi, place
Supernatural ecstasy may be defined as a state which, while it lasts, includes two elements:
* the one, interior and invisible, when the mind rivets its attention on a religious subject;
* the other, corporeal and visible, when the activity of the senses is suspended, so that not only are external sensations incapable of influencing the soul, but considerable difficulty is experienced in awakening such sensations, and this difficulty is experienced whether the ecstatic himself desires to do so, or others attempt to quicken the organs into action.
A large number of saints have been granted ecstasies from the spirit of God.