Dark Night of the Soul

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ErikaA

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Sorry if I posted this in the wrong spot, but I’m reading St. John’s “Dark Night of the Soul” right now. I love what he writes, but I feel personally convicted by it. Rightly so I think. But I read this and think, there is no hope for me. I routinely think this anyway, when I read the Sermon on the Mount for example. I’m becoming almost convinced that faith is impossible for me, that the only thing I can possibly do is pray for my kids and husband, for others who have a shot at heaven. I sense that the chasm between me and God is so vast that He Himself cannot reach across it as my pride and other frailities prevent it. Anyone else struggle with this?
 
Erika - many people feel the way you do. Many feel that they are just not worthy enough for His love. It is a terrible mistake to feel such despair. Jesus loves us all. There is no sin anyone can do that He will not forgive. His name is mercy and His mercy cannot be measured.

You stated that your pride gets in the way of your faith. It is okay to have pride. Pride in yourself for the good things you do for others, just as your praying for your family. That is okay. Other things to be proud of, your home, your job, your kids, your husband…these are good things to be proud of. The pride that goeth before a fall is the pride that places you before Jesus. This pride is an arrogance that “YOU” are the center of your accomplishments, and if it wasn’t for “YOU,” all would be lost. It is an arrogance that others should be looking up to “YOU,” because you are their bread and butter, not God. See the difference?

All things are possible in Jesus. One must be humble, as a child, before our Heavenly Father. Pray…pray for that humility. “Ask, and it shall be given. Knock, and the door shall be opened.” Pray with a contrite heart for the things you need, and listen for His whisper in answer to your prayers. Look around you at the blessings you have and give thanks. Do little things with great love, for Him that has died for you, and us.

The best thing you can do is to TRUST in Him. Do not fall into despair, but give those worries over to Him…offer them to Him. He will carry that burden for you.

I will pray for clarity for you, so that you may see His love for you and His great mercy for all of His children.
 
Erika,

First off, with God all things are possible. Remember Jesus talking to the rich man who had many possessions and went away sad becasue Jesus told him to sell all that he had. After the man walked away the Apostles asked who then can be saved and Jesus responded with, for man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Don’t let writings of great saints lead you to despair. They are supposed to build you up and show you the depth of God’s love showing through the life of another. God loves you with that same love. Saints like John of the Cross are led by God to be an example to those of us who try to follow Jesus more intimatley. Many people have advanced in their spiritual life by the writings of Saints like John of the Cross. He is our teacher, for those who choose that path, to have a closer relationship God. By telling us what lies ahead of us we can better prepare ourselves for the journey and won’t be disheartened when things like “dark nights” come over us.

Sorry, did not mean to ramble on like that. 😃

About the chasm that you spoke of. Jesus bridged that gap with His death on the cross. In our sinful state we could never bridge the gap between us and God. So that may be the reason that you feel like you cannot reach God. We have to rely on God’s grace to attain Heaven. We have to live the Christian life, but it is our faith in Jesus and His death and resurrection that gets us across that chasm you mentioned.

I wrote this in a hurry forgive any grammatical or structural errors.

Pray for faith and hope when you feel your unworthiness and despair.

Jesus I trust in you! 👍

God Bless,
Craig
 
the Dark Night, or all of it, may not be the best book for you at this time in your life. It was written as a poetic analogy of a soul whose journey has gone beyong initial perfection (described in Ascent to Mt Carmel), and is now undergoing purification as the prelude to more perfect union with God. Most of us just are not there yet. I have read and meditated on the first two stanzas for over 10 years, and simply am not ready to move on, and may never be ready in this life. that is because, like many I take two steps forward and 3 steps back most of the time. spiritual direction has been most helpful for me

it is a huge mistake to compare oneself to the some of the great saints and assume we can copy their accomplishments. we are all called to be saints in our own way, within our own vocation and life circumstances, and the best saint guides are the ones who speak to those circumstances.
 
puzzleannie said:
the Dark Night, or all of it, may not be the best book for you at this time in your life. It was written as a poetic analogy of a soul whose journey has gone beyong initial perfection (described in Ascent to Mt Carmel), and is now undergoing purification as the prelude to more perfect union with God. Most of us just are not there yet. I have read and meditated on the first two stanzas for over 10 years, and simply am not ready to move on, and may never be ready in this life. that is because, like many I take two steps forward and 3 steps back most of the time. spiritual direction has been most helpful for me

it is a huge mistake to compare oneself to the some of the great saints and assume we can copy their accomplishments. we are all called to be saints in our own way, within our own vocation and life circumstances, and the best saint guides are the ones who speak to those circumstances.
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I think you’re right, that this book is far beyond me in terms of faith. I am definitely a child.

Still, St. John doesn’t really say anything I haven’t thought before. And I feel as though I’m being called to walk a spiritual tightrope that I am so weak and ill equipped to manage. I understand that faith in Christ is all that keeps us from falling into the pit that awaits us on either side and yet, how can my faith in Jesus be genuine if I do not obey his words and truly follow in his path? And the more I fail in obedience and charity, the more I must wonder if I have any faith in Christ.

As a Protestant, I could muddle through these times of despair by saying, “Well it doesn’t really matter what I do cause faith alone saves.” Unfortunately however, that line of reasoning is disingenuous. It excuses me from personal responsibility, absolves me of my duty to be truly obedient to the Word. That is why I can no longer embrace it, because I do not believe faith is a cover for inaction. But when I truly inspect my actions, I must question the veracity of my faith. And so now, I wonder what trusting in Christ’s redemptive work really means? What is that trust and how does one know they are trusting in him at all?

Sorry if I sound utterly confused and erratic.
 
I agree with puzzleannie. You are probably not ready for this book, yet.

In our Secular Order Discalced Carmelite formation, The Dark Night of the Soul, is well after promises are made, and even then, we had a spiritual assistant to help us through, all of the works by St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross.

As far as your faith goes, remember, God is the source of faith and in His mercy and compassion, he will give you faith, if you open yourself up to Him.

No one can give you have faith. Faith isn’t the suppression of doubt, but an actual relationship with, Jesus Christ.

So, go to the source, Jesus Christ.

God Bless
Jim
 
Thank you for the advice. I agree I should stop reading this book. I am probably misunderstanding it.

Still, it is quite a work of art.
 
Erika,

When I struggle with recurring sin, I take comfort in St. Paul who also had a thorny sinful area in his life that God left him with to keep him humble. Peter had to live with denying Jesus three times immediately after saying that he would die for Him.

Seeing our unworthiness is the first step, accepting His love is the second. I have to admit, I don’t know how He could love me, but He does, as does my husband. I don’t understand it, but I am eternally grateful for it.

And remember, Jesus promised us that those of us who sin more are forgiven more when we repent, and forgiven more, can love more. That mystery contains the why and wherefore of the Fall, I think. Never having lost God, I know I would take Him for granted–something I never want to do.

I have also come to learn that once overcome, my past sinful tendencies allow me to help others–perhaps thats why I had to suffer through them…

In Christ’s peace and joy,

Robin
 
I have also heard that one should not read the book until they are spiritually mature (not sure what that means). I love the poem, One Dark Night, which is at the beginning of the book, but I have not yet read it. Then again I haven’t brought the idea of reading it to my spiritual director. He keeps me pretty busy.
 
I’ve been thinking about this a bit more and it’s really getting to me - this idea that one should not read a book when one is of a certain spiritual maturity.

Is it that I don’t understand St. John? From what you have all suggested, I think that is not the case. I very well understand what he’s saying, how seriously he treats the subject of sin and inner motivation. The problem as I see it is that I take his implications to their extreme end. This you could argue is due to some spiritual immaturity on my part. But then, what exactly is it that God expects of us? Seriously, why put before me a desire to deepen my faith if all it ends up doing is causing me to question the possibility of my salvation?

I have real issues here. Not so much with God but with our human characterizations of Him. Somehow I think we all shortchange God and He becomes this jealous, unreachable Perfection which weeps for His poor imperfect creation. I’m unsatisfied with this idea.
 
I agree with most of the previous posters. That is:
  1. stop reading the Dark Night of the Soul it is only shaking your faith
  2. Find a copy of “Divine Mercy in My Soul: The Diary of St. Faustina” And pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
3)pray the Litany of Humility It really helps with pride issues.

God Bless
Joyful_1
 
ErikaA
I’ve been thinking about this a bit more and it’s really getting to me - this idea that one should not read a book when one is of a certain spiritual maturity.
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Is it that I don’t understand St. John? From what you have all suggested, I think that is not the case. I very well understand what he’s saying, how seriously he treats the subject of sin and inner motivation.
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If you understand it, correctly, you are ready for it.

If it confuses you, you are not.

Its that simple.

Either way, what you think you understand needs to be compared with how the teachers of the Church present it.

The first time I picked up St. Teresa’s “Way of Perfection,” it was confusing for me and I had to put it down. Ten years later, I picked up the same book and I understood every word St. Teresa wrote. It was a matter of my own spiritual immaturity, that prevented me from understanding it, the first time.

And let me be clear here, it doesn’t mean that other people who don’t understand, St. Teresa aren’t spiritually mature, but rather, the Lord is leading them in a different direction.

I’m speaking for myself and my own experience. I know I was spiritually immature at the time, and could not have gotten through anything that was that spiritually deep, at the time.

Jim
 
I’ll have to agree with most of the posters that have responded to your question. I think that sometimes we are not spiritually ready to read certain spiritual books. I have put off reading St John of the Cross for about 8 years merely because I know that many people have had trouble with his writings. I’ve also read postings that say that it shouldn’t be done without the help of a Spiritual Director.

Interesting enough, I was planning on reading Ascent to Mount Carmel this Lent and this thread may have motivated me to do it. I’ve read so many postings in this forum that attribute just about anything to his “Dark Night”, which I doubt is likely in many cases. This has seriously put me off from reading his material, but I think it may be the right time for me to at least give it a try.
 
ErikaA said:
I’ve been thinking about this a bit more and it’s really getting to me - this idea that one should not read a book when one is of a certain spiritual maturity.
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I too will echo what others here are saying and add the following observation: The point that often gets over looked on this forum about the Dark Nights is that St. John’s purpose is not so much to describe the trials, suffering, tribulations, depression or the like that have their basis in natural causes - it’s all about the purifying fire of contemplation which is entirely supernatural in origin. Absent the context of contemplation, IMO, we fail to see the meat of St. John’s teaching. While we might grasp it in some obscure way, we are “seeing” on a different plane than what St. John intends.

So who is St. John’s audience?

Part 1 (night of sense) of the Dark Night is addressed for those faithful, virtuous souls who find they can no longer meditate. Each time these souls begin prayer they feel very dry and unable to reason or ponder on the life of Christ. They “feel drawn” to put down their book, rosary or whatever to simply “be” with Christ in a wordless, imageless and formless way. The mental activity of these souls at prayer is being stilled and interior silence is becoming the norm. The trials St. John describes in this part of the Dark Night are meant to be understood in that context.

Now, let’s say this way of prayer goes on far a very long time . . . maybe even years. This inner silence or stillness while at prayer gets very, very deep and all the faculties are often suspended by God. St. Teresa describes this as the Prayer of Union in the 5th Dwelling of Interior Castle. This is who St. John has in mind for Part 2 (night of spirit) of the Dark Night. And all the trials and tribulations he speaks of at this point are to be understood in the light of this way of prayer. In fact St. Teresa speaks of many of the same types of interior suffering as she transitions from the 5th to 6th dwelling of Interior Castle.

So, Erika, this is just my slant on the “maturity” aspect you raise. Nobody here mentions this as a judgement of any kind; rather, it is a simple recognition that the way of prayer (contemplation) for the soul truly enduring the Dark Nights is vastly different from what readers often think it is . . . at least from my experience on these forums.

Bottom line for me: unless the soul can see themselves in the type of comments I make above, I’m not sure how helpful the Dark Night will be as a spiritual guide . . . the time and place probably just isn’t right. If you’re drawn to St. John, The Ascent of Mt. Carmel might be a better starting point. Or perhaps his Spiritual Canticle to become immersed in his wonderful language of love 🙂

Hope this helps . . .
Dave. 🙂
 
DBT said:
I too will echo what others here are saying and add the following observation: The point that often gets over looked on this forum about the Dark Nights is that St. John’s purpose is not so much to describe the trials, suffering, tribulations, depression or the like that have their basis in natural causes - it’s all about the purifying fire of contemplation which is entirely supernatural in origin. Absent the context of contemplation, IMO, we fail to see the meat of St. John’s teaching. While we might grasp it in some obscure way, we are “seeing” on a different plane than what St. John intends.

So who is St. John’s audience?

Part 1 (night of sense) of the Dark Night is addressed for those faithful, virtuous souls who find they can no longer meditate. Each time these souls begin prayer they feel very dry and unable to reason or ponder on the life of Christ. They “feel drawn” to put down their book, rosary or whatever to simply “be” with Christ in a wordless, imageless and formless way. The mental activity of these souls at prayer is being stilled and interior silence is becoming the norm. The trials St. John describes in this part of the Dark Night are meant to be understood in that context.

Now, let’s say this way of prayer goes on far a very long time . . . maybe even years. This inner silence or stillness while at prayer gets very, very deep and all the faculties are often suspended by God. St. Teresa describes this as the Prayer of Union in the 5th Dwelling of Interior Castle. This is who St. John has in mind for Part 2 (night of spirit) of the Dark Night. And all the trials and tribulations he speaks of at this point are to be understood in the light of this way of prayer. In fact St. Teresa speaks of many of the same types of interior suffering as she transitions from the 5th to 6th dwelling of Interior Castle.

So, Erika, this is just my slant on the “maturity” aspect you raise. Nobody here mentions this as a judgement of any kind; rather, it is a simple recognition that the way of prayer (contemplation) for the soul truly enduring the Dark Nights is vastly different from what readers often think it is . . . at least from my experience on these forums.

Bottom line for me: unless the soul can see themselves in the type of comments I make above, I’m not sure how helpful the Dark Night will be as a spiritual guide . . . the time and place probably just isn’t right. If you’re drawn to St. John, The Ascent of Mt. Carmel might be a better starting point. Or perhaps his Spiritual Canticle to become immersed in his wonderful language of love 🙂

Hope this helps . . .
Dave. 🙂
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I will take this advice as it seems reasonable I should have started with Mt. Carmel to begin with anyhow. And just so everyone knows, I in no way felt I was experiencing the “Dark Night” of St. John’s description, realizing I am in no way at that level of prayer and contemplation.

I still may read the Dark Night after Mt. Carmel because I enjoy his writing and I am a fan of the mystics. If I can read it with more detachment and not take it as personally as I was, I think it could be beneficial. I just don’t know if I can so easily detach.
 
Hi Erika -

I hear you and you’re doing just fine! 🙂

Agreeing with the consensus, if the Dark Night - or any other spiritual work for that matter - causes the soul unease and robs it of its peace, perhaps its best course of action is to let it go for another time. Enough said.

Also, please note that my comments weren’t directed toward you . . . they were just “generalized” observations from 3+ years of threads on this topic.

Dave.
 
also bear in mind the Dark NIght is a poem, and is deeply personal to the writer who was a great saint and mystic, so even if we can appreciate it for poetry and get somewhat into the mind and experience of the writer, we can never get really deeply into his experience until and unless we attain a similar experience

he writes of 2 dark nights, the first is of the senses, purification from attachment to sensual pleasures and worldly things. the second, which this poem is about, comes much later in the spiritual journey, and is the dark night of the soul, the experience of desolation when the soul feels no consolation in prayer, has no sense of God’s presence and feels completely abandoned by God and can discern no spiritual progress at all. It is the final preparation God uses for union with Him and most of us will not reach this until near the end of life, or after. The recent books revealing Mother Teresa’s spiritual trials are the best record we have of a modern saint with this experience.

what most of us experience is the dark night of the senses, and it is wrong to label this the dark night of the soul without discerning the movement with a competent spiritual director.
 
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