What is transverberation of the heart? Transverberation describes a form of religious ecstasy in Catholic Christianity. It is a mystical grace. During transverberation the soul experiences a piercing sensation in the heart. This phenomenon is connected to adoring Christ in the Eucharist. The duration of the mystical sensation varies, and the onset of transverberation cannot be self-induced. Souls who experience it are docile to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
I want to introduce you to some mystical saints who experienced heart pangs in prayer. Do you get heart pangs in prayer? If you do, you will learn what you can do when your heart radiates with pain in prayer.
Transverberation Meaning Relatively Unknown
Transverberation is a relatively unknown term for many lay people in the Church. Many people have never heard about the mystical phenomena of transverberation and what this charism of heart pangs in prayer is all about. Maybe you have landed here because you’ve had a similar mystical experience and you are trying to understand what this unique charism is and how God wants you to use it.
Have you experienced heart pangs in prayer more than a few times? What do you do when it begins? Are you asking Jesus to help you discern? You may have a form of mystical transverberation. I want to give you a closer look at what is the meaning of transverberation below.
Transverberation of the Heart
I have experienced heart pangs in prayer myself. They come unexpectedly and while sometimes they may last more than a few minutes, for me, the heart pangs in prayer are often short-lasting. They are unlike a physical pain in the heart. These are radiating waves of pain in the heart. Over the years I have noticed a pattern.
I believe my charism is tied to my gift of intercessory prayer. The phenomena of transverberation, for me, is a call to intercede for a loved one and sometimes an unknown soul. My first transverberation began in 2017, and this gave me a desire to research the phenomena of experiencing heart pangs in prayer. For a few years I could not find any information about it. I had to rely on God to help me sort out what I should do when they started. It was a long slow learning process.
Eventually I learned to respond immediately to the transverberation in my heart. Often in the beginning I failed to pray for discernment about the heart pangs in prayer that I was experiencing. This was a mistake, and I have since learned to be more receptive to the Holy Spirit. I learned this through my own life experiences around these promptings to intercede in prayer, mostly.
As months rolled into years and I had times when these heart pangs in prayer intensified I realized that I needed to grow closer to the Lord so that I could understand better what He was calling me to. I prayed regularly to Jesus to help me understand this mystical gift in hopes that I could use it for Him in a way that was more pleasing to Him. I didn’t want to be the tenant who was given talents and had buried them in the ground.
A few years ago He answered my prayer on the Feast of the Transverberation. He is just so wonderful, like that. I had no idea such a feast day existed, and on that day I discovered that my heart pangs were really a form of transverberation. Now I was able to properly research it, because I had the word. It was after this that I began to study what is the meaning of transverberation and it has led me to discover this not so uncommon phenomenon among the saints in our Church who were devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is "the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body." He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in charity: by God's Word "which is able to build you up"; by Baptism, through which he forms Christ's Body; by the sacraments, which give growth and healing to Christ's members; by "the grace of the apostles, which holds first place among his gifts"; by the virtues, which make us act according to what is good; finally, by the many special graces (called "charisms"), by which he makes the faithful "fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church."
When Your Heart Radiates with Pain in Prayer
If your heart radiates with pain in prayer this is a charism. The Church teaches us that all charismatic gifts are unmerited graces given to us by the Holy Spirit, and their purpose is to directly or indirectly benefit the Church. This means that these charisms, such as transverberation, are not meant to benefit the one experiencing them as a private individual consolation. The charism of heart pangs in prayer is given to a soul so that he or she can use it for the good of others, and ultimately, to benefit the needs of the world by his or her dedication to intercede when called.
What I have learned about Transverberation
It took me years to understand this, and with the help of my spiritual director, I have become better at responding to these special moments that come randomly and without forewarning.
When your heart radiates with pain in prayer, you need to put yourself in the presence of the Lord in that moment or as soon as you are able. I have learned that these mystical pangs are timely and promptness is prudent. So ask for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the moment your heart radiates with pain in prayer. Ask the Lord to know how to pray for the soul in need that the Spirit has put upon your heart. Sometimes you may be told who the soul is that needs prayer and sometimes you may not. That’s okay. The Lord will tell you what to pray if you ask Him. I have learned to continue praying until my heart no longer radiates with pain in prayer.
Saints Are Familiar with the term Transverberation
In fact, there is a long history of mystical saints in the Church who have experienced transverberation. They have described it as mystical heart pangs, some of them sweet, and some sharp. Their personal experiences in prayer offer very similar descriptions of what transverberation is like, but their situations varied and so did the degree of pain they felt and the duration of their heart pangs in prayer.
Since experiencing mysterious heart pangs in prayer is not that uncommon with saints in the Church, I decided to begin this page devoted to the term transverberation and provide links to the biographies of some of these saints.
Throughout Church history a number of mystical saints have experienced the heart pangs of transverberation. Over time I will add biographical information about more saints who have experienced transverberation. This phenomena of mystical heart pangs comes from a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Eucharistic adoration, and perhaps you are here because you too have felt something similar.
Feast of Transverberation: St. Teresa of Avila
Now that you know what is the meaning of transverberation and you understand what you should do next, you may want to start with St. Teresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church, and the foremost teacher in the Church on mystical prayer. The Feast of the Transverberation is celebrated by the Discalced Carmelites and it is attributed to her well-documented famous experience of transverberation. The Feast of the Transverberation is celebrated by the Order of Discalced Carmelites every year on August 26. This feast day commemorates the piercing of St. Teresa of Avila’s heart.
Teresa’s experience with transverberation first happened in 1559 while she was praying. An angel appeared to her and pierced her heart with a fiery spear. St. Teresa described this moment. She said the spear sent God’s pure, passionate love into her soul, sending her into ecstasy.
List of Saints who Experienced Mystical Heart Pangs
Featured below are a handful of mystical saints who have also experienced mystical heart pangs, or transverberation, in their lives. This list will grow over time. The saints featured are listed in chronological order. This page is offered as a reference to anyone who has experienced transverberation and would like to learn more about the mystical saints who wrote about it in the Church.
If you’d like to pray the Litany of Transverberation, the prayer is listed on our website.
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
St Hildegard of Bingen’s Feast Day is September 17. She is the Patron Saint of musicians and writers.
St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
St Catherine of Siena’s Feast Day is April 29. She is the Patron Saint of Italy, journalists, media, and nursing.
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
St Teresa of Avila’s Feast Day is October 15. She is the patron saint of Spain, of lace makers, and against headaches and sickness.
St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)
St John of the Cross’s Feast Day is the 14th of December. He is the Patron Saint of Contemplative life, contemplatives, mystics, Spanish poets.
St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi (1566-1607)
St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi’s Feast Day is the 25th of May. She is the Patron Saint of illnesses and temptations.
St. Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727)
St. Veronica Giuliani’s Feast Day is the 9th of July. She is a stigmatist and mystic who had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was known as a victim soul.
St. Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
St. Peter Julian Eymard’s Feast Day is the 2nd of August. He is known as the “Apostle of the Blessed Sacrament” and a saint for our 21st century Eucharistic Revival.
Bl. Concepción Cabrera de Armida (1862-1937)
Bl. Concepción Cabrera de Armida’s Feast Day is the 3rd of October. She is the Patron Saint of wives and mothers.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Feast Day is the 1st of October. She is the Patron Saint of missions and florists.