Intense old man, away in the cellar dark.
Treasure a tiny space every now and then
Absent thoughts and consolation
Consent in Silence
I first encountered the sixteenth-century mystic John of the Cross in Thomas Merton’s book titled, The Ascent to Truth. Not only in Merton’s book did I encounter the Carmelite theologian but also a deeper understanding of the spiritual path of purgation, illumination, and unitive.
Its timing was a gift through Grace as I was journeying through my own Dark Night. John’s poetic writings especially his Spiritual Canticle pierced my soul and wakened me to his soul and place of writing.
John of the Cross played a significant role in the reform movement of the Carmelite Order known as the Discalced Carmelites. The following narrative from Mirabai Starr’s translation of Dark Night of the Soul offer a short bio.
“John (of the Cross) paid for his participation in this (Carmelite reform) effort. In 1577, at the age of 35, he was captured by a group of friars committed to upholding the traditions of the established Church. He was taken to Toledo where he was interrogated and tortured. They tried to force him into denouncing the reform but he refused. And so he was imprisoned in a tiny dark closet that had previously served as a toilet. He was brought out only to be flogged in the center of the dining commons while the monks ate their dinner.
John himself suffered virtual starvation. That first winter, he endured brutal cold and was offered neither cloak nor blanket. In the summer, the heat was stifling and his clothes began to rot on his body. At first, he took comfort in his quiet interior connection to God, but over time the divine presence began to fade and John could not help but wonder if his Beloved had abandoned him. He was Jonah languishing inside the belly of the whale.
In the depths of his despair, John composed passionate love poems to God. Although his creative flow saved his sanity, it could not save his life. Convinced after nine months that if he endured another moment of incarceration he would die, John tied knots in scraps of cloth and slipped through a tiny window at the upper edge of his cell. He lowered himself down the long wall of the monastery and into the safety of the night.
He had traveled through perfect darkness and emerged to find the living God waiting for him in the depths of his own heart. For the next two decades he John dedicated himself to the reform, and the sweet simplicity of guiding the spiritual lives of his Barefoot Sons and Daughters.”
Toward the end of the saint’s life, envies and disquietudes led to a secret effort to remove him from the sphere of influence. He died in 1592 at the age of 49. He was canonized in 1726. Today he is one of thirty-six Doctors of the Church. He is also considered the patron saint of poets.
Sacrament of Surrender
Legacy of violence shows no heart: Only power and its pride
Adding harm to wounded souls: not work of God
The good shepherd recovers the lost: Not abandon
From the throne: “You did nothing wrong”
Rendered judgment: Empty words
Under what circumstances: Truth, justice, and charity ignored?
Back laid bare, branded: Worth-less
No satisfaction, no absolution: Paper speaks a self-indictment
Stay in the dark, hide: Shame does as shame is
In Light, you would see: Scandal of your making
In Light, you would see: Spirit and soul transcend fortress walls
In Light, you would see: A thread left for redemption
Idols fallen, veil torn: Tears melt the scales
Advocate, Counselor, and Healer: Walking and talking
Burning heart, breaking bread: Consent in Silence
Outside the Word: There are no vows
Called by name, Grace bestowed: Not by man, nor to be hidden
Communion of Saints, Church: Welcomes, heals, …does no harm
It is finished: Only in God, …not in man.
“When members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.” Acts 7:54
Icons of Christ the Servant
First obligation, restore justice
Some stand, others carry stone
Blood is drawn
Now truth be told.
...another excerpt
So Now What?
Now an angel of the Lord said to Phillip, “Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Acts 8:26
Messenger
Who is to be deprived of justice, you ask?
Go South! …no dead ears there.
There you will find living water
Enter Grace and Rejoice!
Gille Chrìost (Servant of Christ)
