“Noche oscura del alma”
“Now that I no longer desire all, I have it all without desire.” ― St. John of the Cross, DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL
The DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL is a period of utter spiritual desolation, disconnection, and emptiness in which one feels totally separated from the Divine.
The DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL is the title of a poem written by our Holy Father Saint John of the Cross who was a 16th-century Spanish poet and Roman Catholic mystic.
This poem narrates the journey of the soul from its bodily home to its union with God. The journey is called “The Dark Night,” darkness representing the hardships and difficulties the soul meets in detachment from the world and reaching the light of the union with the Creator. He called this transition “The Dark Night of the Soul” and deemed it a prerequisite to a full union with God.
St. John of the Cross wrote this poem while imprisoned in a tiny prison cell for his attempts to reform the Church. His dark closet of confinement became what he called a Dark Night of the Soul. He was tortured because he loved Jesus Christ but the Lord didn't rescue him. He contended that the dry seasons teach us about our own powerlessness and our own need for complete reliance on Christ.
A sequel and continuation of ASCENT OF MOUNT CARMEL, THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL is a spiritually moving and mystical book.
One may read this book here:
http://www.carmelitemonks.org/
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