[Catholic Caucus] Day by Day -- Saints for All, St. John of the Cross, 12-14-18

FranciscanMedia.org ^ | 12-14-18 | FranciscanMedia

[Salvation]

Franciscan Media

Image: Saint John of the Cross | Diego de Sanabria | photo by igH09d8z-bGi8g at Google Cultural Institute

Saint John of the Cross

Saint of the Day for December 14

(June 24, 1541 – December 14, 1591)

 

Saint John of the Cross’ Story

John is a saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: “of the Cross.” The folly of the cross came to full realization in time. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34b) is the story of John’s life. The Paschal Mystery—through death to life—strongly marks John as reformer, mystic-poet, and theologian-priest.

Ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at age 25, John met Teresa of Avila and like her, vowed himself to the primitive Rule of the Carmelites. As partner with Teresa and in his own right, John engaged in the work of reform, and came to experience the price of reform: increasing opposition, misunderstanding, persecution, imprisonment. He came to know the cross acutely—to experience the dying of Jesus—as he sat month after month in his dark, damp, narrow cell with only his God.

Yet, the paradox! In this dying of imprisonment John came to life, uttering poetry. In the darkness of the dungeon, John’s spirit came into the Light. There are many mystics, many poets; John is unique as mystic-poet, expressing in his prison-cross the ecstasy of mystical union with God in the Spiritual Canticle.

But as agony leads to ecstasy, so John had his Ascent to Mt. Carmel, as he named it in his prose masterpiece. As man-Christian-Carmelite, he experienced in himself this purifying ascent; as spiritual director, he sensed it in others; as psychologist-theologian, he described and analyzed it in his prose writings. His prose works are outstanding in underscoring the cost of discipleship, the path of union with God: rigorous discipline, abandonment, purification. Uniquely and strongly John underlines the gospel paradox: The cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to light, abandonment to possession, denial to self to union with God. If you want to save your life, you must lose it. John is truly “of the Cross.” He died at 49—a life short, but full.

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Reflection

In his life and writings, John of the Cross has a crucial word for us today. We tend to be rich, soft, comfortable. We shrink even from words like self-denial, mortification, purification, asceticism, discipline. We run from the cross. John’s message—like the gospel—is loud and clear: Don’t—if you really want to live!

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Saint John of the Cross is the Patron Saint of:

Mystics

[Salvation]

Feel free to post additional Catholic information about this saint or any other Catholic saint who might share this feast day.

Religion Moderator's Guidelines to Caucus/Prayer/Ecumenical threads

[Salvation]

Some Hard Spiritual Truths That Will Set You Free. A Meditation on a Teaching from St. John of the Cross
Some Hard Spiritual Truths That Will Set You Free. A Meditation on...
A Love for Which He Suffered. A Meditation on the Poem of St. John the Cross: Un Pastorcico [Ecumen]
Ten Steps of Love through the Dark Night -- St. John of the Cross [Catholic Caucus]
On St. John of the Cross
DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL, St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church
Church to celebrate feast of saint who wrote about the 'long dark night of the soul'[Saint John of the Cross]
Counting All Else as Lost: The Poetic Life of St. John of the Cross [Catholic Caucus]
Free St. John of the Cross Program [free mp3 audio files series by Fr. Thomas Dubay from EWTN]
St. John of the Cross

[Salvation]

Saint of the Day Ping!

[pax_et_bonum]

“Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love.”

Thanks, Salvation.