Monday, December 14, 2020

St John of the Cross - reflection on his feast day - 14 December 2020

 Today, we celebrate St John of the Cross (1542-1591), Carmelite priest and Doctor of the Church.  A reformer of his Carmelite order in Spain in the middle of the Protestant Reformation and the Spanish Inquisition, John used his time of imprisonment and suffering to write poetry about the dark night of his soul.  In fact, aside from his profound contributions to Catholic spirituality, he is considered one of the greatest poets in the Spanish Language.  Here are two quotes from St John of the Cross that speak to me in the midst of our Advent journey: 

“The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great light.”

"Well and good if all things change, O Lord God, provided I am rooted in You."

Below is a drawing he made that is know of the cross of St John of the Cross.  It later served as inspiration of a great work by Salvador Dali.  








No comments:

Post a Comment