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 SPIRITUAL
DIRECTION FOR TODAY
[The works of a well known Catholic Spiritual Director will
be featured in this space each week.] SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
ASCENT OF MOUNT CARMEL
CHAPTER XIII
Wherein is described the manner and way which the soul must follow in order to
enter this night of sense.
IT now remains for me to give certain counsels whereby the soul may know how to
enter this night of sense and may be able so to do. To this end it must be known that the
soul habitually enters this night of sense in two ways: the one is active; the other
passive. The active way consists in that which the soul can do, and does, of itself, in
order to enter therein, whereof we shall now treat in the counsels which follow. The
passive way is that wherein the soul does nothing, and God works in it, and it remains, as
it were, patient. Of this we shall treat in the fourth book, where we shall be treating of
beginners. And because there, with the Divine favour, we shall give many counsels to
beginners, according to the many imperfections which they are apt to have while on this
road, I shall not spend time in giving many here. And this, too, because it belongs not to
this place to give them, as at present we are treating only of the reasons for which this
journey is called a night, and of what kind it is, and how many parts it has. But, as it
seems that it would be incomplete, and less profitable than it should be, if we gave no
help or counsel here for walking in this night of desires, I have thought well to set down
briefly here the way which is to be followed: and I shall do the same at the end of each
of the next two parts, or causes, of this night, whereof, with the help of the Lord, I
have to treat.
2. These counsels for the conquering of the desires, which now follow,
albeit brief and few, I believe to be as profitable and efficacious as they are concise;
so that one who sincerely desires to practice them will need no others, but will find them
all included in these.
3. First, let him have an habitual desire[195] to imitate Christ in
everything that he does, conforming himself to His life; upon which life he must meditate
so that he may know how to imitate it, and to behave in all things as Christ would behave.
4. Secondly, in order that he may be able to do this well, every pleasure that presents
itself to the senses, if it be not purely for the honour and glory of God, must be
renounced and completely rejected for the love of Jesus Christ, Who in this life had no
other pleasure, neither desired any, than to do the will of His Father, which He called
His meat and food.[196] I take this example. If there present itself to a man the pleasure
of listening to things that tend not to the service and honour of God, let him not desire
that pleasure, nor desire to listen to them; and if there present itself the pleasure of
looking at things that help him not Godward, let him not desire the pleasure or look at
these things; and if in conversation or in aught else soever such pleasure present itself,
let him act likewise. And similarly with respect to all the senses, in so far as he can
fairly avoid the pleasure in question; if he cannot, it suffices that, although these
things may be present to his senses, he desires not to have this pleasure. And in this
wise he will be able to mortify and void his senses of such pleasure, as though they were
in darkness. If he takes care to do this, he will soon reap great profit.
5. For the
mortifying and calming of the four natural passions, which are joy, hope, fear and grief,
from the concord and pacification whereof come these and other blessings, the counsels
here following are of the greatest help, and of great merit, and the source of great
virtues.
6. Strive always to prefer, not that which is easiest, but that which is most
difficult; Not that which is most delectable, but that which is most unpleasing; Not that
which gives most pleasure, but rather that which gives least; Not that which is restful,
but that which is wearisome; Not that which is consolation, but rather that which is
disconsolateness; Not that which is greatest, but that which is least; Not that which is
loftiest and most precious, but that which is lowest and most despised; Not that which
is[197] a desire for anything, but that which is a desire for nothing; Strive to go about
seeking not the best of temporal things, but the worst. Strive thus to desire to enter
into complete detachment and emptiness and poverty, with respect to everything that is in
the world, for Christ's sake.
7. And it is meet that the soul embrace these acts with all
its heart and strive to subdue its will thereto. For, if it perform them with its heart,
it will very quickly come to find in them great delight and consolation, and to act with
order and discretion.
8. These things that have been said, if they be faithfully put into
practice, are quite sufficient for entrance into the night of sense; but, for greater
completeness, we shall describe another kind of exercise which teaches us to mortify the
concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life,
which, says Saint John,[198] are the things that reign in the world, from which all the
other desires proceed.
9. First, let the soul strive to work in its own despite, and
desire all to do so. Secondly, let it strive to speak in its own despite and desire all to
do so. Third, let it strive to think humbly of itself, in its own despite, and desire all
to do so.
10. To conclude these counsels and rules, it will be fitting to set down here
those lines which are written in the Ascent of the Mount, which is the figure that is at
the beginning of this book; the which lines are instructions for ascending to it, and thus
reaching the summit of union. For, although it is true that that which is there spoken of
is spiritual and interior, there is reference likewise to the spirit of imperfection
according to sensual and exterior things, as may be seen by the two roads which are on
either side of the path of perfection. It is in this way and according to this sense that
we shall understand them here; that is to say, according to that which is sensual.
Afterwards, in the second part of this night, they will be understood according to that
which is spiritual.[199]
11. The lines are these: In order to arrive at having pleasure in
everything, Desire to have pleasure in nothing. In order to arrive at possessing
everything, Desire to possess nothing. In order to arrive at being everything, Desire to
be nothing. In order to arrive at knowing everything, Desire to know nothing.[200] In
order to arrive at that wherein thou hast no pleasure, Thou must go by a way wherein thou
hast no pleasure. In order to arrive at that which thou knowest not, Thou must go by a way
that thou knowest not. In order to arrive at that which thou possessest not, Thou must go
by a way that thou possessest not. In order to arrive at that which thou art not, Thou
must go through that which thou art not.
12. When thy mind dwells upon anything, Thou art
ceasing to cast thyself upon the All. For, in order to pass from the all to the All, Thou
hast to deny thyself wholly[201] in all. And, when thou comest to possess it wholly, Thou
must possess it without desiring anything. For, if thou wilt have anything in having
all,[202] Thou hast not thy treasure purely in God.
13. In this detachment the spiritual soul finds its quiet and repose; for, since
it covets nothing, nothing wearies it when it is lifted up, and nothing oppresses it when
it is cast down, because it is in the centre of its humility; but when it covets anything,
at that very moment it becomes wearied.
CONTINUED
ASCENT OF MOUNT CARMEL, BOOK I
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