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About St. John of the
Cross
St. John of the Cross was an influential philosopher,
poet, and reformer during the sixteenth century. He
was a monk in the Carmelite order and founded many monasteries
with St. Teresa
of Avila.
St. John of the Cross was the author of many works of
Christian mysticism, poetry, and the spiritual journeys
of the soul.
Poems of St. John of the Cross
The following excerpts are taken from the St. John of
the Cross poem, The Spiritual Canticle:
I
THE BRIDE
Where have You hidden Yourself,
And abandoned me in my groaning, O my Beloved?
You have fled like the hart,
Having wounded me.
I ran after You, crying; but You were gone.
II
O shepherds, you who go
Through the sheepcots up the hill,
If you shall see Him
Whom I love the most,
Tell Him I languish, suffer, and die.
III
In search of my Love
I will go over mountains and strands;
I will gather no flowers,
I will fear no wild beasts;
And pass by the mighty and the frontiers.
THE BRIDEGROOM
Return, My Dove!
The wounded hart
Looms on the hill
In the air of your flight and is refreshed.
XIV
My Beloved is the mountains,
The solitary wooded valleys,
The strange islands,
The roaring torrents,
The whisper of the amorous gales;
XV
The tranquil night
At the approaches of the dawn,
The silent music,
The murmuring solitude,
The supper which revives, and enkindles love.
XVI
Catch us the foxes,
For our vineyard has flourished;
While of roses
We make a nosegay,
And let no one appear on the hill.
XVII
O killing north wind, cease!
Come, south wind, that awakens love!
Blow through my garden,
And let its odors flow,
And the Beloved shall feed among the flowers.
St. John of the Cross Quotes on the
Journey of the Soul
* Bk. 2. Ch. 5. #3.God sustains every soul and dwells
in it substantially, even though it be that of the greatest
sinner in the world, and this union is natural. The
supernatural union exists when God's will and the soul's
will are in conformity. Therefore the soul rests transformed
in God through love. #8. The illumination of the soul
and its union with God corresponds to its purity.
* Bk. 3. Ch. 40. #2. You should strive in your prayer
for a pure conscience, a will that is wholly with God,
and a mind truly set upon Him.
Many Catholics study the works of St. John of the Cross
and wear a St. John of the Cross pendant or a Saint
John of the Cross necklace. They hope for his inspiration
and guidance in their soul's journey to everlasting
life with Jesus Christ.
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