In this session, we discuss the dark night of the sense and the dark night of the soul. We focus especially on the illuminate way of the proficients - the way of infused contemplation. Additionally, we discuss the poetry of St John of the Cross.
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Carmelite
Spirituality
Adult
Faith Formation Series, October/November 2021
Session 4:
St John of the Cross and the Dark Nights
Class Schedule, Tuesdays from 7
to 8pm
October 12th –
Introduction to Christian Prayer and Carmelite Spirituality
October 19th –
Historical Notes on the Carmelites; Introduction to the Three Ages of the
Interior Life
October 26th – St
Teresa’s Insights, The Seven Mansions of the Interior Castle
November 2nd – No
Class, Catholics For Life Meeting
November 9th – The
Dark Nights of St John of the Cross; Appreciating St John’s Poetry
November 16th – The
Little Way of St Therese of Lisieux
November 23rd –
Carmelite Saints and other Resources (Divine Intimacy)
November 30th –
Carmelite Devotions, especially those suited to Advent (The Infant of Prague)
I. Review:
A. The
Three Ages of the Interior Life
Active or Purgative way of
Beginners – Illuminative way of Proficients – Unitive Way of the Perfect.
Comparisons of attitudes in each
age: Desire for death, fear of praise/blame.
B. The Dark Night of the
Senses and the Dark Night of the Soul within the Three Ages.
II. Poetry of St John of the
Cross
|
Spiritual Verses Seeking love always with hope that cannot
falter I flew ever higher till I overtook my prey. I. So I might seize the
prey in this divine venture I flew ever higher from sight was forced to
stray, yet love so far did fly that though in my flight I faltered in the height I caught the prey on
high. II. As higher I ascended so the hardest conquest came about in darkness, all my sight was
dazzled: yet since love was my
prey from blind dark a leaper I flew on ever higher till I overtook the
prey. |
III. In this highest
game, the further I ascended the humbler, more
subdued more abased I became. ‘None attains it’, I did
say. I sank down lower,
lower, yet I rose higher,
higher and so I took the prey. IV. My one flight in
strange manner surpassed a hundred thousand for the hope of highest
heaven attains the end it hopes
for: there hope alone did fly unfaltering in the
height: hope, seeking in its
flight, I caught the prey on
high. |
|
STANZAS OF THE SOUL THAT
SUFFERS WITH LONGING TO SEE GOD I live, but not in
myself, and I have such hope that I die because I do
not die. I. I no longer live
within myself and I cannot live
without God, for having neither him
nor myself what will life be? It will be a thousand
deaths, longing for my true life and dying because I do
not die. II. This life that I
live is no life at all, and so I die continually until I live with you; hear me, my God: I do not desire this
life, I am dying because I do
not die. III. When I am away from
you what life can I have except to endure the bitterest death
known? I pity myself, for I go on and on
living, dying because I do not
die. IV. A fish that leaves
the water has this relief: the dying it endures ends at last in death. |
What death can equal my
pitiable life? For the longer I live, the
more drawn out is my dying. V. When I try to find
relief seeing you in the
Sacrament, I find this greater
sorrow: I cannot enjoy you
wholly. All things are
affliction since I do not see you
as I desire, and I die because I do
not die. VI. And if I rejoice,
Lord, in the hope of seeing
you, yet seeing I can lose
you doubles my sorrow. Living in such fear and hoping as I hope, I die because I do not
die. VII. Lift me from this
death, my God, and give me
life; do not hold me bound with these bonds so strong; see how I long to see
you; my wretchedness is so
complete that I die because I do
not die. VIII. I will cry out for
death and mourn my living while I am held here for my sins. O my God, when will it
be that I can truly say: now I live because I do
not die? |
|
Summa de la perfeccion Olvido de lo criado, memoria del Criador, atencion a lo interior y estarse amando al
Amado. |
The Sum of Perfection Forgetfulness of created
things, remembrance of the
Creator, attention turned toward
inward things, and loving the Beloved. |
|
A
GLOSS (WITH A SPIRITUAL MEANING) Not
for all of beauty will
I ever lose myself, but
for I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly gained. I. Delight
in the world's good things at
the very most can
only tire the appetite and
spoil the palate; and
so, not for all of sweetness will
I ever lose myself, but
for I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly found. II. The
generous heart never
delays with easy things but
eagerly goes on to
things more difficult. Nothing
satisfies it, and
its faith ascends so high that
it tastes I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly found. III. He
who is sick with love, whom
God himself has touched, finds
his tastes so changed that
they fall away like
a fevered man's who
loathes any food he sees and
desires I-don't know-what which
is so gladly found. IV. Do
not wonder that
the taste should be left like this, for
the cause of this sickness differs
from all others; and
so he is withdrawn from
all creatures, and
tastes I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly found. |
V. For
when once the will is
touched by God himself, it
cannot find contentment except
in the Divinity; but
since his Beauty is open to
faith alone, the will tastes
him in I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly found. VI. Tell
me, then, would you pity a
person so in love, who
takes no delight in
all creation; alone,
mind empty of form and figure, finding
no support or foothold, he
tastes there I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly found. VII. Do
not think that he who lives the
so-precious inner life finds
joy and gladness in
the sweetness of the earth; but
there beyond all beauty and
what is and will be and was, he
tastes I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly found. VIII.
Whoever seeks to advance takes
much more care in
what he has yet to gain than
in what he has already gained; and
so I will always tend toward
greater heights; beyond
all things, to I-don't-know- what which
is so gladly found. IX. I
will never lose myself for
that which the senses can
take in here, nor
for all the mind can hold, no
matter how lofty, nor
for grace or beauty, but
only for I-don't-know-what which
is so gladly found. |
|
Letrilla
Navideña Del
Verbo divino la
Virgen preñada viene
de camino: si le
dais posada! |
Christmas
Refrain The
Virgin, weighted with
the Word of God, comes
down the road: if
only you’ll shelter her. |
|
SONG
OF THE SOUL THAT REJOICES IN KNOWING GOD THROUGH FAITH For I
know well the spring that flows and runs, although
it is night.; I. That
eternal spring is hidden, for I
know well where it has its rise, although
it is night. II. I
do not know its origin, nor has it one, but I
know that every origin has come from it, although
it is night. III. I
know that nothing else is so beautiful, and
that the heavens and the earth drink there, although
it is night. IV. I
know well that it is bottomless and
no one is able to cross it, although
it is night. V. Its
clarity is never darkened, and I
know that every light has come
from it, although
it is night. |
VI. I
know that its streams are so brimming they
water the lands of hell, the heavens, and earth, although
it is night. VII. I
know well the stream that flows from this spring is
mighty in compass and power, although
it is night. VIII.
I know the stream proceeding from these two, that
neither of them in fact precedes it, although
it is night. IX. This
eternal spring is hidden in
this living bread for our life's sake, although
it is night. X. It
is here calling out to creatures; and
they satisfy their thirst, although in darkness, because
it is night. XI. This
living spring that I long for, I see
in this bread of life, although
it is night. |
|
The
Dark Night Songs
of the soul that rejoices in having reached the high state of perfection,
which is union with God, by the path of spiritual negation. I. On
a dark night, Kindled
in love with yearnings –oh,
happy chance!– I
went forth without being observed, My
house being now at rest. II. In
darkness and secure, By
the secret ladder, disguised –oh,
happy chance!– In
darkness and in concealment, My
house being now at rest. III. In
the happy night, In
secret, when none saw me, Nor I
beheld aught, Without
light or guide, save
that which burned in my heart. |
IV. This
light guided me More
surely than the light of noonday To
the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me– A
place where none appeared. V. Oh,
night that guided me, Oh,
night more lovely than the dawn, Oh,
night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover
transformed in the Beloved! VI. Upon
my flowery breast, Kept
wholly for himself alone, There
he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him, And
the fanning of the cedars made a breeze. VII. The
breeze blew from the turret As I
parted his locks; With
his gentle hand he wounded my neck And
caused all my senses to be suspended. VIII.
I remained, lost in oblivion; My
face I reclined on the Beloved. All
ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving
my cares forgotten among the lilies. |
III. The Dark Nights of
St John of the Cross
A key note: The Darkness
of these Dark Nights is not because God has removed all light, but because the
light given the soul is intensely spiritual and the soul is too weak and too
dark itself to perceive this new light.
A. Dark Night of the
Senses
St John of the Cross
says, “The night of sense is common, and the lot of many: these are the
geinners.”
And, “The soul began to
set out on the way of the spirit, the way of proficients, which is also called
the illuminative way, or the way of infused contemplation, wherein God Himself
teaches and refreshes the soul without meditation or any active efforts that
itself may deliberately make.”
Need of the night of
sense and purification, due to: Spiritual pride, spiritual sensuality
(especially spiritual gluttony), and spiritual sloth.
Signs of the night of
sense:
1) No comfort in the
things of God, but also none in created things
2) The memory dwells
ordinarily upon God with a painful anxiety and carefulness, the soul thinks it
is not serving God but going backwards, because it nis no longer conscious of
any sweetness in the things of God. The
spirit is, nevertheless, ready and strong.
The cause of this dryness
is that God is transferring to the spirit the good and energies of the senses,
which having no natural fitness for them, become dry, parched up, and empty;
but the spirit, having received its proper nourishment, becomes strong, more
vigilant and careful than before.
3) The inability to
meditate and make reflections; for God begins nw to communicated Himself, no
longer through the channel of sense, as formerly, in consecutive reflections,
but in pure spirit and in the act of pure contemplation. This is the principal sign, since this is the
entrance to the way of infused contemplation.
Conduct of the soul
during the night of sense:
1) Docility to our
spiritual director and confessor (not trying to hide our weaknesses, obediently
taking his advice, humility).
2) Trust in God, not
trying to move forward but also not giving into anxiety. Simply examining our
conscience to see whether there is anything we should do differently, and then
trusting in God’s plan for our soul.
3) A simple and loving
gaze on God, without forcing a return to meditation or active reasoning in
prayer. In this, a simple reflection upon the Our Father or some other such
prayer can help us to be open to infused contemplation – also focusing on love
in our prayer.
4) Do not seek
consolation in prayer, or try to work up the emotions.
B. Dark Night of the Soul
For St John of the Cross,
the night of the soul is an anticipated participation in the purification of
purgatory.
As the passive purification
of the sensible part of the soul is manifested by the loss of the sensible
consolations to which is was excessively attached, the passive purification of
the spirit seems at first to consist in the deprivation of the lights
previously receive on the mysteries of the faith.
Having become too
familiar with them, the facility with which the soul considered them in prayer
caused it to forget their infinite elevation.
No longer only a sensible
aridity, it is a dryness of the spiritual order. The sadness of the purification of the spirit
is accompanied by an ardent desire for God and perfection, by a persisten
seeking after Him who alone can nourish the soul and vivify it.
The soul should then walk
“in the dark, in pure faith, which is the dark night of the natural faculties.”
Consider that at night,
we can see the stars in the far distant heavens – we can see much farther at
night than in the day. So also, we
perceive more clearly the infinite majesty of God.
Consider the image of the
damp log which burns – first it becomes very dark, until all the moisture is
purified. Then, after being all blackened, the log takes on the nature of the
first which burns it – and now it is bright and fully one with the flame.
Conduct during the night
of the spirit:
1) Generous acceptance of
this purification, conformity to the Divine Will
2) Faith in the mystery
of the Cross
3) Firm hope and constant
prayer
4) The Love of conformity
to God’s will and of submission to God’s good pleasure
