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One of Christianity’s most celebrated mystics, St. John of the Cross, was a 16th century Spanish Carmelite monk whose inspired poetry and writings are timeless guides those who seek union with God.
The Dark Night of the Soul is the most notable of St. John’s works. It consists of an eight-stanza poem, followed by his commentary on it. He describes the journey of a committed soul towards ultimate union with God, citing the spiritual trials of Old Testament mystics and the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas. The first step, described in Book I, is to detach the soul from the senses and from the consolatory experiences of active meditation which many are loathe to progress from. This detachment from the lower faculties is a prerequisite for the next stage of passive contemplation - described in Book II - when God works on the soul. It is an arduous phase achieved by few, requiring great faith and fortitude but the end result is an ecstatic experience of Divine Love and a sublime peace that is impossible to describe in words. St. John guides us through each step with loving encouragement until the soul’s metamorphosis is complete - the human will and the holy Will of God are now in total alignment.
David Lewis’ 1908 translation is a first-rate rendering of The Dark Night of the Soul and, with Benedict Zimmermann’s inspired introduction and footnotes, offers a valuable contribution to any student of Christian mysticism.
