Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
St. John of the Cross echoes the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas at several points in his writings. In discussing revelation in Book II of the Ascent of Mount Carmel, John adheres closely to Thomistic teaching in the Summa Theologiae.
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The apostolic visitation of Discalced Carmelite religious caused many headaches for St. Teresa of Avila. Today is the anniversary of Pius V’s decision to entrust those visitations to the Dominican friars.
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On the anniversary of St John of the Cross’s canonization, we read a quote from St Edith Stein’s “Science of the Cross,” which recounts an assault on John from an angry lover whose girlfriend John converted.
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With our thanks to all of our readers, friends, and followers, we wish you a beautiful and blessed Christmas!
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St. John of the Cross describes the birth of Christ and the amazement of his “gracious Mother” who “gazed in sheer wonder” to see “in God, man's weeping, and in man, gladness.”
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St. John of the Cross, using only four lines of poetry, fashions the Christmas story to become an appeal to welcome Mary, "the Virgin weighed down with the Word of God."
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St. John of the Cross describes with exquisite beauty the goal of every Christian: “the soul's aim is a love equal to God's. [...] In the strong union of glory,” he adds, “her love will be God's love.”
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In the waning hours of 13 December 1591, St. John of the Cross predicted his death at midnight. Fr. Iain Matthew, O.C.D. and St. Edith Stein provide us with the account of John's holy death.
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“I abandoned and forgot myself, laying my face on my Beloved…” Thank you for joining our St. John of the Cross novena; join us once again for our St. Joseph novena in March 2023.
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John was born at Fontiveros in Spain about 1542. He entered the Carmelites and with the permission of his superiors began to live a stricter life. Afterward, he was persuaded by Saint Teresa to begin, together with some others, the Discalced reform within the Order; this cost him much hard work and many trials. He died in Ubeda in 1591, outstanding in holiness and wisdom, to which his many spiritual writings give eloquent witness.
Discalced Carmelite scholars Kieran Kavanaugh and Iain Matthew help us to trace the origins and outcome of St. John of the Cross’s planned mission to Mexico, where the Discalced friars first arrived in 1585.
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“Let Christ crucified be enough for you,” writes St. John of the Cross, adding: “with him suffer and take your rest…” O Lord, “even the darkness is not dark to you!” (Ps 139).
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In his letter to a Carmelite nun from Segovia, St John of the Cross encourages her to “pass the time in the virtues of mortification and patience,” reminding her that “this life is not good if it is not an imitation” of Christ’s life.
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The Virgin Mary’s charity at work in her Visitation to St Elizabeth highlights the teaching of St John of the Cross, “charity prepares the will and unites it with God through love.”
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St John of the Cross explains: “hope always pertains to the unpossessed object. If something were possessed there could no longer be hope for it.” The annunciation to St Joseph give us hope, as well.
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“When the soul is clothed in faith the devil is ignorant of how to hinder her,” says St. John of the Cross, because “faith gives her strong protection” against that “most astute enemy,” the devil.
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“Love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave,” we read in the Song of Songs. Similarly, St. John of the Cross cautions us that love doesn’t consist “in feeling great things...”
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Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. ~ St. Teresa of Avila
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