Quote of the day, 18 February: St. John of the Cross

Oh, how sweet your presence will be to me, you who are the supreme good! I must draw near you in silence and uncover your feet that you may be pleased to unite me to you in marriage [Ru 3:7], and I will not rest until I rejoice in your arms. Now I ask you, Lord, not to abandon me at any time in my recollection, for I am a squanderer of my soul.

Saint John of the Cross

Sayings of Light and Love, 124

John of the Cross, St. 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Revised Edition, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K and Rodriguez, O with revisions and introductions by Kavanaugh, K, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Ruth places herself at Boaz’s feet, where we see the interior of a barn with Ruth sleeping by Boaz’s side and covering herself with his cloak; we also see bundles of wheat by the threshing floor. Beyond, we see Ruth looking back and carrying a sack of grain at right. The earliest known print (first state), Gerard de Jode; after Adriaen de Weerdt, 1579; engraving with contemporary coloring. Image credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum (Some rights reserved).