John of the Cross

Today the church commemorates the feast of John of the Cross, a Carmelite priest, born in 1542 as Juan Alvarez.

It was in 1564 that St. John of the Cross declared his religious vows as a Carmelite. He moved to Salamanca where he studied theology and philosophy at the university there. In 1567, his turning point came with his ordination as a priest.

At first, he wanted to enter the strict Carthusian Order. It was an order that attracted him because of its encouragement of solitary and silent contemplation. Nevertheless, in September 1567 after a visit to Medina Del Campo, he decided to do otherwise and remain a Carmelite.

It was there that he met St. Theresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun, who was looking to reform & restore the purity of the Carmelite Order. She wanted to restart the observance of its “Primitive Rule” of 1209 which had become lenient under Pope Eugene IV in 1432. John worked with her to reform not only the Carmelite Nuns, but the friars and priests as well. He was met with great resistance and as a result suffered greatly in trying to answer God’s call to have the Carmelite Order live a stricter life of silence and prayer.

John of the Cross would go on to write such classics as The Spiritual Canticle, The Dark Night of the Soul and The Living flame of Love. In these books he would teach the importance of prayer and contemplation in one’s spiritual life in order to be open to the Will of God.

John is quoted as saying, “Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love” and “What we need most in order to make progress is to be silent before this great God with our appetite and with our tongue, for the language he best hears is silent love.”

In this day and age of noise and distractions, it is hard to be able to feel God’s presence in our day to day existence. We have so many distractions from cell phones, TV’s, radios, and the constant noise of living in New York City. It’s hard to make time to be silent and still before God. Yet, it is only in silence that we can hope to hear with our inner ears what God is telling us and teaching us.

I would like to encourage each one of us to set aside at least 15 minutes per day at a time that’s most convenient for you. Have the daily mass readings in front of you and slowly read them. Then, once you’re finished reading them, just sit for the rest of the time, with the readings in front of you, and ponder what God may be teaching you. After a few days of doing this you will find that inner peace that can only come from the presence of God within you.