"Love follows knowledge."
"Beauty above all beauty!"
– St. Catherine of Siena

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross, Post 2

This is the second post in a series on St. John of the Cross’ Dark Night of the Soul. 

Post #1 can be found here.  



I do find one habit in these pages irksome.  It’s kind of obvious in Chapter VI, so I’ll use that as an example, but it’s elsewhere.  Let’s start with the first sentence.

 

With respect to the fourth sin, which is spiritual gluttony, there is much to be said, for there is scarce one of these beginners who, however satisfactory his progress, falls not into some of the many imperfections which come to these beginners with respect to this sin, on account of the sweetness which they find at first in spiritual exercises.  (15)

 

Who is he talking about?  He says beginners.  He continues in the next paragraph.


These persons are most imperfect and unreasonable; for they set bodily penance before subjection and obedience, which is penance according to reason and discretion, and therefore a sacrifice more acceptable and pleasing to God than any other.  (15)

 

And the next paragraph. 

You will find that many of these persons are very insistent with their spiritual masters to be granted that which they desire, extracting it from them almost by force; if they be refused it they become as peevish as children and go about in great displeasure, thinking that they are not serving God when they are not allowed to do that which they would…These persons think that their own satisfaction and pleasure are the satisfaction and service of God. (16)

 

“You will find that many of these persons …”  “These persons think…”  Every single paragraph in this chapter refers to “these persons.”  OK, they are beginners.  He knows they are all alike?  Every single beginner reacts the same?  And how does he know this?  Is he looking into his past and remembering when he was a beginner and projecting that to others?  Is he built up a sort of database in his head from teaching a lot of beginners?  Or is he just speculating from intuition?  He never tells us. 

In this case I don’t know if I’ve ever reached a spiritual gluttony.  Perhaps I’m even more of a beginner than beginners.  Would I be “peevish as a child” if my spiritual didn’t grant what I desired?  In paragraph six of this chapter he says “these persons… the business of prayer consists in experiencing sensible pleasure and devotion…”  I can tell you I don’t think the business of prayer consists of experiencing sensible pleasure.  So who is he talking about?

In fairness to St. John, I notice a lot of devotional books speak in this manner, where the author seems to project he has some special knowledge of others.  He is creating a sort of foil or strawman to show the opposite of his point.

My Reply to Irene:

Irene wrote: "Manny, I wonder if what feels uncomfortable in his writing is simply a popular style of devotional books for his time. I suspect, although I have not read much into the life and formation of St. John, that his generalizations are drawn from his wide reading of spiritual books of his time, his conversations with others on the spiritual journey and his own experience. "

Yes, I think so. I kind of remember the same sort of phrasing when we read Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle a few years ago.

I agree that the purgation of the senses is not original - heck that's just a variation of fasting - but the spiritual purgation strikes me as original. I don't think I've heard of it before. So if I understand it correctly, spiritual gluttony would be wanting too many spiritual consolations from prayer? Am I understanding that correctly?

My Reply to Casey:

Casey wrote: "So we are not moving through the seven Dante style. The idea is to show some of the many ways in which the beginners aim can be off. In removing those aims, God directs the aim at the only target - Himself."

Oh I see. The purgation redirects the beginner's aim toward God. Is that what St. John is getting at?

My Reply to Joseph:

Joseph wrote: "I think this phenomenon that he's describing is one that we don't see a lot today where people will beg their spiritual directors or confessors to give them harder penances. That being said, I thin..."

Like Irene, I can't even get through Lent with my sacrifices. I really should try something hard but it's really difficult to keep up when you're in the secular world with a routine. If I lived in a monastery I might do better. Nonetheless, real asceticism has never appealed to. Maybe because I don't feel I get these "consolations" from them.

Boy, I sound just like one of those beginners St. John is criticizing. ;)

Casey’s Reply:

Manny wrote: "Boy, I sound just like one of those beginners St. John is criticizing. ;)"

Au contraire mon frère! Not criticizing. What I'm getting is that he's speaking to those in the period of aridity. Explaining that you aren't doing anything wrong if you aren't getting what you used to get. Rather, what you used to get was this but now you are being trained to get that. And that is better than this.

And that, we will discover in Book the Second. Looking forward to that!




Catherine’s Reply:

Manny wrote: "I notice a lot of devotional books speak in this manner, where the author seems to project he has some special knowledge of others."

The thing with devotional books is they typically have a specific reader in mind. The first time I tried reading St John of the Cross I quickly gave up because I wasn't in a place to where it made sense. Recently, I was purging the ridiculous number of spiritual books I have, scanning each on whether to keep or give away. I found some were so elementary that they no longer were of benefit to me. Please don't mistake that for me saying I'm in the company with a St. Teresa of Avila or St Catherine of Siena. Not even close! It was just that I was in a different place spiritually. One of my favorite spiritual books, "Abandonment to Divine Providence" was written for Nuns of the Visitation in Nancy. I believe St Francis de Sales wrote "Introduction to the Devout Life" for sisters as well. St John seemed to have a bit of difficulty with his Carmelite brothers, given they felt the need to imprison him. Did he have them in mind? Perhaps he was the spiritual director to the Carmelite sisters? It's interesting to consider who he had in mind when writing. Regardless, we benefit!

My Reply to Catherine:

Interesting points. So who do you think St. John had in mind when he wrote Dark Night?

 

By the way we read Introduction to a Devout Life last year I think it was. Superb book. de Sales certainly had someone (a beginner looking for spiritual direction) in mind there.

Catherine’s Reply:

That is such a great question, Manny. It kept percolating in my head which is why I didn't answer immediately. It prompted two main thoughts. First, that St John didn't have a particular audience in mind as I first thought but was writing what the Holy Spirit inspired him to write. I think I was thinking more in linear terms with a designated timeline. I asked myself is it possible for someone to discover the Faith and immediately go into the dark night? If that's where God wants them I think so. I can also go back and read my journal entries from 10 years ago and still see the similar struggles. So I definitely still have the beginner tendencies St John describes, which leads to my next thought.

 

Is there really such a thing as a beginner, intermediate and advanced person? It implies a linear path but there is a lot of back and forth. Have there been individuals who reached the advanced stage only to fall completely down and leave the Faith? I don't know but it seems possible. In my own journey I feel like I bounce back and forth between beginner and intermediate as St John describes them. So I'm not sure a person can put themself in a bucket because it's always changing.

 

I still believe that many authors may have a particular audience in mind for a spiritual book but after chewing on it I've come to the conclusion that it depends on the Holy Spirit to enlighten the author on what to write and us when we're reading spiritual books to be able to comprehend it, no matter where we are in this earthly pilgrimage.

My Reply to Catherine:

I really don't know but I imagine it's the novices, postulants, and the not fully professed from his Carmelite order. Perhaps whoever he is giving spiritual direction to. It's easy for me; I am a complete beginner. Prayer for me is merely maintaining a relationship with God. We haven't talked about it much, but the overall process St. John is leading us through is purgative, illuminative, and finally union with God. That is St. John's aim in all this and the aim of ultimate spirituality. For me I don't think I even reach the purgative stage. The same sins I've always had are always there. I confess, I praise, I bless, I say prayers of gratitude, I have prayers of requests but there is no aridity for me because I haven't even reached a contemplative stage.

Is there a such thing as a beginner, intermediate, and advanced? That's a really good question.

My Reply to Casey:

Casey wrote: "The Dark Night, it should be noted, is not a program at all. There's nothing in the book that tells us what we ought to be doing. The book is to open our hearts to understanding our present state and become more receptive. In other words, it is a work of encouragement"

I agree with you Casey. This book does not offer guidance like, Introduction to the Devout Life. Dark Night explains the evolution of the soul as it brings itself in union with God. It does not explain how to bring oneself in union. Which I think makes it frustrating.

Casey Commented:

Timely:

 

Bishop Barron - Word on Fire - The Dark Night of the Soul

Premiering March 29 10:30am 





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