{"author":"San Juan de la Cruz","author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz","total_quotes":17,"quotes":[{"text":"As for the vice of lust - aside from what it means for spiritual persons to fall into this vice, since my intent is to treat of the imperfections that have to be purged by means of the dark night - spiritual persons have numerous imperfections, many of which can be called spiritual lust, not because the lust is spiritual but because it proceeds from spiritual things. It happens frequently that in a person's spiritual exercises themselves, without the person being able to avoid it, impure movements will be experienced in the sensory part of the soul, and even sometimes when the spirit is deep in prayer or when receiving the sacraments of Penance or the Eucharist. These impure feelings arise from any of three causes outside one's control. First, they often proceed from the pleasure human nature finds in spiritual exercises. Since both the spiritual and the sensory part of the soul receive gratification from that refreshment, each part experiences delight according to its own nature and properties. The spirit, the superior part of the soul, experiences renewal and satisfaction in God; and the sense, the lower part, feels sensory gratification and delight because it is ignorant of how to get anything else, and hence takes whatever is nearest, which is the impure sensory satisfaction. It may happen that while a soul is with God in deep spiritual prayer, it will conversely passively experience sensual rebellions, movements, and acts in the senses, not without its own great displeasure. This frequently happens at the time of Communion. Since the soul receives joy and gladness in this act of love - for the Lord grants the grace and gives himself for this reason - the sensory part also takes its share, as we said, according to its mode. Since, after all, these two parts form one individual, each one usually shares according to its mode in what the other receives. As the Philosopher says: Whatever is received, is received according to the mode of the receiver. Because in the initial stages of the spiritual life, and even more advanced ones, the sensory part of the soul is imperfect, God's spirit is frequently received in this sensory part with this same imperfection. Once the sensory part is reformed through the purgation of the dark night, it no longer has these infirmities. Then the spiritual part of the soul, rather than the sensory part, receives God's Spirit, and the soul thus receives everything according to the mode of the Spirit.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["communion","depravity","eucharist","fallen-nature","holy-spirit","lust","sin"],"id":10666,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"...The clearer the light is, the more it blinds and darkens the pupil of the owl; and the more we look at the sun, the greater is the darkness it causes in our vision ... In the same way, when the divine light of contemplation assails the soul that is not wholly enlightened, it causes spiritual darkness within it.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["mysticism","theology"],"id":20468,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"God has to work in the soul in secret and in darkness because if we fully knew what was happening, and what Mystery, transformation, God and Grace will eventually ask of us, we would either try to take charge or stop the whole process.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["change","discipleship","ego","transformation"],"id":31893,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"Songs of the SoulOn a dark night,Inflamed by love-longing -O exquisite risk! -Undetected I slipped away.My house, at last, grown still.Secure in the darkness,I climbed the secret ladder in disguise -O exquisite risk! -Concealed by the darkness.My house, at last, grown still.That sweet night: a secret.Nobody saw me;I did not see a thing.No other light, no other guideThan the one burning in my heart.This light led the wayMore clearly than the risen sunTo where he was waiting for me- The one I knew so intimately -In a place where no one could find us.O night, that guided me!O night, sweeter than sunrise!O night, that joined lover with Beloved!Lover transformed in Beloved!Upon my blossoming breast,Which I cultivated just for him,He drifted into sleep,And while I caressed him,A cedar breeze touched the air.Wind blew down from the tower,Parting the locks of his hair.With his gentle handHe wounded my neckAnd all my senses were suspended.I lost myself. Forgot myself.I lay my face against the Beloved's face.Everything fell away and I left myself behind,Abandoning my caresAmong the lilies, forgotten.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["dissolution","divine","enlightenment","god","love","soul","unity"],"id":38669,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"Sometimes, too, when their spiritual masters, such as confessors and superiors, do not approve of their spirit and behavior (for they are anxious that all they do shall be esteemed and praised), they consider that they do not understand them, or that, because they do not approve of this and comply with that, their confessors are themselves not spiritual. And so they immediately desire and contrive to find some one else who will fit in with their tastes; for as a rule they desire to speak of spiritual matters with those who they think will praise and esteem what they do, and they flee, as they would from death, from those who disabuse them in order to lead them into a safe road—sometimes they even harbour ill-will against them. Presuming thus, they are wont to resolve much and accomplish very little. Sometimes they are anxious that others shall realize how spiritual and devout they are, to which end they occasionally give outward evidence thereof in movements, sighs and other ceremonies; and at times they are apt to fall into certain ecstasies, in public rather than in secret, wherein the devil aids them, and they are pleased that this should be noticed, and are often eager that it should be noticed more.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["christianity","church","confession","discipleship","good-works","reputation","sin"],"id":66491,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"Where there is no love, put love -- and you will find love.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["love","spiritual"],"id":71915,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"Many beginners also at times possess great spiritual avarice. They hardly ever seem content with the spirit God gives them. They become unhappy and peevish because they don't find the consolation they want in spiritual things. Many never have enough of hearing counsels, or learning spiritual maxims, or keeping them and reading books about them. They spend more time in these than in striving after mortification and the perfection of the interior poverty to which they are obliged.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["avarice","christianity","discipleship","mortification-of-sin","pride","religious-education","spirituality","theology"],"id":145746,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"Well and good if all things change, O Lord God, provided I am rooted in You.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["change","christian","god-s-grace","god-s-love","hope","perseverance","truth"],"id":153947,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"No matter how much individuals do through their own efforts, they cannot actively purify themselves enough to be disposed in the least degree for the divine union of the perfection of love. God must take over and purge them in that fire that is dark for them, as we will explain.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["christianity","god","good-works","grace","holy-spirit","purifying"],"id":176312,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"},{"text":"There is another reason also why the soul has traveled safely in this obscurity; it has suffered: for the way of suffering is safer, and also more profitable, than that of rejoicing and of action. In suffering God gives strength, but in action and in joy the soul does but show its own weakness and imperfections. And in suffering, the soul practices and acquires virtue, and becomes pure, wiser, and more cautious.","author":"San Juan de la Cruz","tags":["catholicism","christianity","dark-night","dark-night-of-the-soul","god","jesus","religion-spirituality","saint-john-of-the-cross","saints","spiritual-reading"],"id":207498,"author_id":"San+Juan+de+la+Cruz"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":17,"pages":2,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}