Today we celebrate Saint John of the Cross. He was born in Spain in 1542 and was ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567. After some years in the Carmelite order, he was persuaded by Saint Teresa of Avila in 1567 to initiate a reform. Saint John experienced and witnessed an increase in opposition, misunderstanding, persecution, and imprisonment of their reform efforts.
Saint John's reputation for sanctity and wisdom is confirmed by his spiritual writings. As a mystic-poet, John shared the ecstasy of mystical union with God in the Spiritual Canticle. His prose masterpiece Ascent to Mount Carmel reveals his gifts as psychologist and as a theologian.
In this work, he shares the three ways of his spiritual path to deeper union with God: the Purgative, the Illuminative, and the Unitive.
In the Purgative Way, we become aware of attachments to the world, wrongful passions, and evil inclinations to diminish and subjugate them in order to overcome temptations and exercise charity with humility.
In the Illuminative Way, even though we are still attracted to earthly things, we become more and more enlightened to spiritual things and the practice of virtue. Love is stronger and the soul seeks progress in the spiritual life and in all the virtues.
In the Unitive Way, those whose minds have been largely detached from temporal things and sinful passion are focused mainly on their union with God in love and the exercise of that love.
John of the Cross speaks to us today in our families: He tells us we need to ask God for awareness of our attachments to the world, for insight to break away from these earthly things, so that we may focus mainly on Him.
Then, when our young adults are making life-shaping decisions or a vocation-affirming decisions, they will be better prepared to follow the advice of Saint John of the Cross, "Never give up prayer, and should find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction."
Are we willing to follow the path of Saint John of the Cross in a purifying ascent?
