Catholic Word of the Day: DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL, 10-01-09

CatholicReference.net ^ | 10-01-09 | Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary

[Salvation]

Featured Term (selected at random):

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

General term in mystical theology to identify every form of purification through which God leads persons whom he is calling to a high degree of sanctity. It is called "night" to distinguish a person's normal spiritual condition of seeing, although dimly, by the light of faith; whereas in mystical purification a person is deprived of much of this light. There is a "groping in the night." It is called a "dark" night to emphasize the intensity of withdrawal of God's illuminating grace. The purpose of such purification is to cleanse the soul of every vestige of self-love and unite a person more and more closely with God. As the intellect is thus mortified, the will becomes more firmly attracted to God and more securely attached to his divine will. This purification, however, is only a means to an end, namely, 1. to give greater glory to God, who is thereby loved for himself and not for the benefits he confers; 2. to lead the one thus purified to infused contemplation and even ecstatic union with God; 3. to enable the mystic to be used more effectively by God for the spiritual welfare of others, since the more holy a person is the more meritorious are that person's prayers and sacrifices for the human race.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

[Salvation]

Many saints have endured this. St. John of the Cross jumps to the forefront of my mind.

[Salvation]

No, you're not seeing things! 

 

I will be gone over the weekend and have a lot of errands to do on Thursday, so I will be double posting Mass Reading threads and other threads and will catch up on them as much as possible when I return on Monday from the Regional Serra Club Conference in Spokane.

 

Find out how to start a Serra Club to support vocations in your area by going to Serra International  http://www.serraus.org/

 

Priesthood Sunday -- October 28th -- Serra Club [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

[Salvation]

Catholic Word of the Day – links will be provided later by another FReeper.

 

Book of Zechariah	Temple (biblical)	Capsula
Holy Mary	Anaphora	Diana of the Ephesians
Evangelism	Eucharistic Oblation	Last Judgment
Veneration of Images	Aggiornamento	Pectoral Cross
Dark Night of the Soul

Catholic Word of the Day Ping!

Please send me a FReepmail if you would like to be on the Catholic Word of the Day Ping List.

[Jaded]

That would be now.

Thanks for keeping this list.