John of the Cross, or Juan de Yepes y Alvarez, was born in Avila, Spain in 1542. He came from a poor family, who suffered greatly. Juan experienced the tragedy of death early on in his life at the age of three, when his father died, and two years later when his older brother died. As a result of his father’s passing, his mother sought to financially support the family and began basket weaving to provide. Juan was eventually sent off to a boarding school for poor children. In the boarding school, Juan was formed in his Catholic faith and even served as an acolyte. As he grew in age, his religious vigor was cultivated, which led him to work in a hospital while attending a Jesuit school.
In 1563, Juan entered the Carmelite order as a monk and took the name “John of St. Matthias.” John was ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at the age of twenty-five and was particularly skilled in theology and philosophy. After his ordination, John met Teresa of Avila, a charismatic Carmelite nun. Teresa asked John to be her partner in the primitive Rule of Carmelites. From there, John became a reformer. As a reformer, he came to know the suffering Jesus on a very personal level, as he sat in a dark cell for months, in deep solitude and prayer. During this time of prayer, John’s spiritual life flourished. He uttered poetry, and had intense, mystical ecstasy with God. One of the poems that John of the Cross wrote was “Noche Oscura Del Alma” or “The Dark Night of the Soul.” In this poem, he expressed the fruits of his mystical union between his soul and the soul of Christ. In the Dark Night, perhaps one of his most famous works, John of the Cross describes the process by which the soul sheds its attachment to everything and eventually passes through a personal experience of Christ’s Crucifixion to his glory (1).
The Dark Night of the Soul is broken up into stanzas, or chapters, and is meant to be a continuation of the Ascent of Mount Carmel. John of the Cross describes the dark night as the state in which the soul begins, “To enter when God draws them forth from the state of beginners – which is the state of those that meditate on the spiritual road – and begins to set them in the state of the progressives – which is that of those who are already contemplatives – to the end that, after passing through it, they may arrive at the state of the perfect, which is that of the Divine union of the soul with God.”(2) In the Dark Night, John describes the first night or purgation as the sensual part of the book and the second, as the spiritual part. The third part of the Dark Night is focused on discussing the activity of the soul and the fourth part, its passivity.
John of the Cross analyzes the different types of imperfections of the soul by examining the seven deadly sins in the beginning of the Dark Night. From the analysis of the seven deadly sins, John of the Cross begins to describe the passive night of the senses, which is the purgation or stripping of the soul of its imperfections and the preparation of it for fruitive union (3). John of the Cross explains that the passive night of the sense is “common” and “comes to many,” whereas that of spirit “is the portion of very few” (4). John of the Cross then begins discussing the discipline which the soul in the dark night must impose on itself, which consists in allowing the soul to remain in peace and quietness, while remaining in loving attendance toward God (5) Once the soul remains in this discipline, it will soon experience the enkindlings of love, which will serve to purify the soul of its sins and draw it gradually closer to God (6).
As John of the Cross reflects on the state of the soul, he expounds upon the different types of sufferings and pains that the soul can experience while in the dark night. To this, he describes that the soul experiences the stripping of habitual affections and attachments. While this can be a painful purge, the soul will feel as though it is melting away in spiritual death. This is essential for the soul to achieve union with God (7).
Humility is another important theme discussed throughout the Dark Night by John of the Cross. The virtue of humility will combat the sin of pride. With the virtue of humility, the soul will be able to avoid the temptation to elevate their own spiritual advancements in the presence of others, dislike praising, and love to be praised themselves (8). In regard to spiritual humility, John of the Cross reflects that it is a fruit of the dark night and thus leads to love of neighbor (9).
John of the Cross is considered one of the greatest Christian mystics and Spanish poets. He is a Doctor of the Church, reformer of the Spanish monastic life, and co-founder of the contemplative order of Discalced Carmelites. The theological wisdom and spiritual insight passed on by this great Saint in the Dark Night of the Soul are invaluable. They will continue to be an incredible means by which individuals can grow in their faith and achieve better union with God.
St. John of the Cross, pray for us!
(1) Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia. "St. John of the Cross." Encyclopedia Britannica, December 10, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-of-the-Cross.
(2) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, book 1, Chapter 1.
(3) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Introduction.
(4) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 1, Chapter 8.
(5) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 1, Chapter 10.
(6) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 2, Chapter 11.
(7) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 2, Chapter 6.
(8) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 1, Chapter 2.
(9) Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 1, Chapter 12.
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