St. John of the Cross and Emptying the Mind

[DBT]

The teachings discussed in this thread (Book 3 of The Ascent of Mount Carmel) will be most applicable to those who no longer derive profit from meditation … preferring instead to remain in “loving attentiveness” to the Lord. St. John’s three signs for when this transition takes place in the soul are as follows:
Ascent:

In order that there may be no confusion in this instruction it will be meet in this chapter to explain at what time and season it behoves the spiritual person to lay aside the task of discursive meditation as carried on through the imaginations and forms and figures above mentioned, in order that he may lay them aside neither sooner nor later than when the Spirit bids him; for, although it is meet for him to lay them aside at the proper time in order that he may journey to God and not be hindered by them, it is no less needful for him not to lay aside the said imaginative meditation before the proper time lest he should turn backward.

For, although the apprehensions of these faculties serve not as proximate means of union to the proficient, they serve nevertheless as remote means to beginners in order to dispose and habituate the spirit to spirituality by means of sense, and in order to void the sense, in the meantime, of all the other low forms and images, temporal, worldly and natural. We shall therefore speak here of certain signs and examples which the spiritual person will find in himself, whereby he may know whether or not it will be meet for him to lay them aside at this season.

1. The first sign is his realization that he can no longer meditate or reason with his imagination, neither can take pleasure therein as he was wont to do aforetime; he rather finds aridity in that which aforetime was wont to captivate his senses and to bring him sweetness. But, for as long as he finds sweetness in meditation, and is able to reason, he should not abandon this, save when his soul is led into the peace and quietness[298] which is described under the third head.
2. The second sign is a realization that he has no desire to fix his mediation or his sense upon other particular objects, exterior or interior. I do not mean that the imagination neither comes nor goes (for even at times of deep[299] recollection it is apt to move freely), but that the soul has no pleasure in fixing it of set purpose upon other objects.
3. The third and surest sign is that the soul takes pleasure in being alone, and waits with loving attentiveness upon God, without making any particular meditation, in inward peace and quietness and rest, and without acts and exercises of the faculties – memory, understanding and will – at least, without discursive acts, that is, without passing from one thing to another; the soul is alone, with an attentiveness and a knowledge, general and loving, as we said, but without any particular understanding, and adverting not to that which it is contemplating.
4. These three signs, at least, the spiritual person must observe in himself, all together, before he can venture safely to abandon the state of meditation and sense,[300] and to enter that of contemplation and spirit.

Read all here …
catholictreasury.info/books/ascent/asc29.php

Please note that “loving attentiveness” is a very personal thing and it may take on different flavors in different people depending how the Lord calls them. St. John prefers to not get to specific in this regard since he knows full well it is the Holy Spirit who teaches these things and he doesn’t want his readers to get pigeon-hold into specific definitions etc.

Generally speaking, though, St. John’s concept of “loving attentiveness” would fall under the banner of what spiritual writers sometimes call acquired contemplation; other simply call it recollection. Why? Because he is teaching in The Ascent about the “active nights” … the things we must do to prepare for contemplative union with God. When he speaks of these 3 signs in The Dark Night his focus shifts to the “passive nights” … the things God does to draw us into contemplative union with Himself. Then, the contemplation described is no longer acquired …but infused.

As mentioned, there are different styles of acquired contemplation. For those drawn to a more affective way of praying, profit may be drawn from writers like Fransisco de Osuna and his Third Spiritual Alphabet or St. Teresa of Avila’s teaching on mental prayer as the “loving conversation between friends.”

For those drawn to praying more simply - using aspirations and arrow prayers - they may find recourse in The Cloud of Unknowing or Br. Lawrence’s Practice of the Presence of God. These are methods of acquired contemplation that are perhaps less wordy than the above mentioned … with sometimes a “simple gaze” between creature and Creator replacing the need for any words at all.

Regardless of style, though, all individuals drawn to pray in this manner of “loving attentiveness” can profit from St. John’s teaching in Book 3 of The Ascent on the purification of memory. Why? Because the failure to discipline the wild wanderings of the mind is the principal reason people give up in the practice of recollection. And, in doing so, they largely close the door to Christ’s gentle knocking in infused contemplation that sometimes may flow from our diligent practice of acquired methods.

Dave

 

[ajecphotos]

Fantastic thread!

I would love to open my mind to God but whenever i try to think of nothing and only of God my mind works overtime! How does one think of nothing without everyday thoughts flashing into the mind?

Just ordered: Into the Silent Land," by Fr Martin Laird

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Robert_Sock]

Mark 12:30
‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Everything St John of the Cross is saying is summed up in fulfilling the above commandment. Emptying the mind, for example, is required if you are to love God with all your mind and all your soul. Also, loving God with all your strength implies a willingness to undergo the dark night, and permanently forgo all the pleasures of the senses and the soul. If you pray for, and receive, the grace needed to fulfill this commandment, one’s union with God is to be assured, and contemplation granted.

Some careless persons, misusing the grace of devotion, have destroyed themselves because they wished to do more than they were able. They failed to take account of their own weakness, and followed the desire of their heart rather than the judgment of their reason. Then, because they presumed to greater things than pleased God they quickly lost His grace. They who had built their homes in heaven became helpless, vile outcasts, humbled and impoverished, that they might learn not to fly with their own wings but to trust in Mine.
-The Imitation of Christ

Take this to heart when desiring to become a contemplative too quickly. Like St John of the Cross states, one truly must seek to do the will of God at all times.

I have obtained many spiritual lights through the works of St. John of the Cross. When I was seventeen and eighteen they were my only food; but, later on, and even now, all spiritual authors leave me cold and dry.
-Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux

I share this experience. St John of the Cross provides us with many insights though.

Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.
-CCC

To desire the peace of Divine union, one may inadvertently desire to escape the cross. Beware!

LOVE!

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Fantastic thread!

I would love to open my mind to God but whenever i try to think of nothing and only of God my mind works overtime! How does one think of nothing without everyday thoughts flashing into the mind?

Just ordered: Into the Silent Land," by Fr Martin Laird

Thanks for sharing!

Fr Martin will show you how in his book.

Jim

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Contemplative prayer is a gift from God.

If you’re not ready for it and try to force feed yourself in it, you will find it boring and end up leaving it.

If it is God calling you to it, you will experience what He wills and will never leave it.

Those who worry about those who are not ready, I can assure you, that if God wants to bring a novice to contemplation, He will do it through His grace, even if they’ve never recited a written prayer in their life, nor read anything about it.

God calls us, we follow.

Jim

 

[Robert_Sock]

Also, be aware of emptying the mind, and eliminating the pleasures of the senses and soul, through psychological repression. Through this most dangerous repression one may arrive at a blank state of mind (which is not what St John of the Cross is talking about), but inadvertently repress one’s spirituality as will. The mind must always be relaxed, clear and ‘free’ to achieve a state of contemplation. Again, pray for the grace to fulfill the first commandment.

LOVE!

 

[DebChris]

As both JimR and Robert have said God leads according to his Will.
The Marian brother who first lent me his book to read had a great gift for discernment. He wanted me to know in no uncertain terms that he did not lend The Cloud of Unknowing to just anyone.
Don’t worry if you are not ready to move into contemplative prayer. It is not something that can be forced.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

As both JimR and Robert have said God leads according to his Will.
The Marian brother who first lent me his book to read had a great gift for discernment. He wanted me to know in no uncertain terms that he did not lend The Cloud of Unknowing to just anyone.
Don’t worry if you are not ready to move into contemplative prayer. It is not something that can be forced.

For me, books such as The Cloud of Unknowing and Ascent of Mt Carmel and many others were much needed affirmation. Let’s face it, we live in a world where extroversion is more rewarding than introversion. There is an action bias. I thought something was wrong with me because I just wanted to sit and do nothing for a while. In fact, first thing in the morning I really need it. Perhaps other introverts feel the same way. I do not know. But I do know that there is nothing wrong with being quiet.

For me the inner silence is not so difficult to come by. And then I find people saying that emptying the mind is “dangerous”, evil spirits can drop in. That is certainly not my experience and I do not think any doctor of the church says anything near that.

In fact just the opposite. It is through the memory that the devil can afflict us:

***Ascent ***Book 3 Chapter 4 Paragraph 2.
**I would that spiritual persons might clearly see how many kinds of harm are wrought by evil spirits in their souls by means of the memory, **when they devote themselves frequently to making use of it, and how many kinds of sadness and affliction and vain and evil joys they have, both with respect to their thoughts about God, and also with respect to the things of the world; and how many impurities are left rooted in their spirits; and likewise how greatly they are distracted from the highest recollection, which consists in the fixing of the whole soul, according to its faculties, upon the one incomprehensible Good, and in withdrawing it from all things that can be apprehended, since these are not incomprehensible Good.

 

[DebChris]

For me, books such as The Cloud of Unknowing and Ascent of Mt Carmel and many others were much needed affirmation. Let’s face it, we live in a world where extroversion is more rewarding than introversion. There is an action bias. I thought something was wrong with me because I just wanted to sit and do nothing for a while. In fact, first thing in the morning I really need it. Perhaps other introverts feel the same way. I do not know. But I do know that there is nothing wrong with being quiet.

For me the inner silence is not so difficult to come by. And then I find people saying that emptying the mind is “dangerous”, evil spirits can drop in. That is certainly not my experience and I do not think any doctor of the church says anything near that.

In fact just the opposite. It is through the memory that the devil can afflict us:

***Ascent ***Book 3 Chapter 4 Paragraph 2.
**I would that spiritual persons might clearly see how many kinds of harm are wrought by evil spirits in their souls by means of the memory, **when they devote themselves frequently to making use of it, and how many kinds of sadness and affliction and vain and evil joys they have, both with respect to their thoughts about God, and also with respect to the things of the world; and how many impurities are left rooted in their spirits; and likewise how greatly they are distracted from the highest recollection, which consists in the fixing of the whole soul, according to its faculties, upon the one incomprehensible Good, and in withdrawing it from all things that can be apprehended, since these are not incomprehensible Good.

When the memory does intrude, it is nothing more than “buzzing flies that can be swatted away.” I don’t remember where that advice came from.
“Be still and know that I am God!”
I agree that we need quiet space in order to listen to God. It is easier for those of us who tend to be introverted to naturally seek this quiet space than the more extroverted.
During times of turmoil, I have used running (when I could still do so) as a form of moving meditation, allowing the the negative thoughts to run though my mind. I have journalled beginning with lectio divina, a single scripture passage and no judgment as my pen wrote (following the advice of my spiritual director), as well as used a Native American exercise that places the mind lower than the rest of the body to bring myself into stillness.
I have also prayed the rosary and the Jesus prayer. Our greatest protection against evil spirits is our focus on God. We are trusting in His divine power. Again, His very Word tells us to “Be still and know that I am God.”
It is only after periods of quietness and stillness, when I have been able to set aside distracting thoughts, especially during times when decisions must be made but cannot be rushed, when the path that lies ahead appear is murky at best, that Christ’s Peace which is beyond understanding, transcends and fills me.
Sitting at the feet of the Master is not wasting time.

 

[hazcompat]

OTHER COUNSELS

1. The further you withdraw from earthly things the closer you approach heavenly things and the more you find in God.
2. Whoever knows how to die in all will have life in all.
3. Abandon evil, do good, and seek peace.
4. Anyone who complains or grumbles is not perfect, nor is he even a good Christian.
5. He is humble who hides in his own nothingness and knows how to abandon himself to God.
6. He is meek who knows how to suffer his neighbor and himself.
7. If you desire to be perfect, sell your will, give it to the poor in spirit, come to Christ in meekness and humility, and follow Him to Calvary and the sepulcher.
8. Anyone who trusts in himself is worse than the devil.
9. Anyone who does not love his neighbor abhors God.
10. Anyone who is lukewarm in his work is close to falling.
11. Whoever flees prayer flees all that is good.
12. Conquering the tongue is better than fasting on bread and water.
13. Suffering for God is better than working miracles.
14. Oh, what blessings we will enjoy in the vision of the Most Blessed Trinity!

[The above excerpts are from the book: The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Published by the Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington, D.C., Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D.]

jesus-passion.com/Minor_Works_StJohn.htm#SAYINGS OF LIGHT AND LOVE

Peace

 

[ajecphotos]

Again, some great words of advice.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Before falling asleep last night I experienced a strong sense of guilt that my post #23 may have caused discouragement. To the contrary, I wanted it to be encouraging, and I believe that anybody with the intention and willingness to follow Saint John of the Cross is to be commended; my prayers to you all. Indeed, I think that the first commandment commands us all to follow such a path so that we can be better united to God.

Men whose deeds seemed praiseworthy have fallen into the pit, and I have seen those who had been fed with the Bread of Angels delighted with pigs’ food.
-The Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 14

Perhaps it was my not appreciating the graces that God had already given me, but I was once forced, through the total withdraw of God’s grace, to experience sin. I was always a sinner, but I never understood sin until I experienced it in this way. I developed a strong love for sinners as a result, and I’m now deeply appreciative of all the grace God has given me.

LOVE!

 

[hazcompat]

Before falling asleep last night I experienced a strong sense of guilt that my post #23 may have caused discouragement. To the contrary, I wanted it to be encouraging, and I believe that anybody with the intention and willingness to follow Saint John of the Cross is to be commended; my prayers to you all. Indeed, I think that the first commandment commands us all to follow such a path so that we can be better united to God.

Men whose deeds seemed praiseworthy have fallen into the pit, and I have seen those who had been fed with the Bread of Angels delighted with pigs’ food.
-The Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 14

Perhaps it was my not appreciating the graces that God had already given me, but I was once forced, through the total withdraw of God’s grace, to experience sin. I was always a sinner, but I never understood sin until I experienced it in this way. I developed a strong love for sinners as a result, and I’m now deeply appreciative of all the grace God has given me.

LOVE!

I did not find your post discouraging. It is right for us to be cautious. Saint John of the Cross speaks to men and women of a contemplative religous order. Discernment is a process requiring deliberation and guidance. Holy fear is a great beginning!

Peace

 

[Bookcat]

Here from the CDF: vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19891015_meditazione-cristiana_en.html

1. Therefore, one has to interpret correctly the teaching of those masters who recommend “emptying” the spirit of all sensible representations and of every concept, while remaining lovingly attentive to God. In this way, the person praying creates an empty space which can then be filled by the richness of God. However, the emptiness which God requires is that of the renunciation of personal selfishness, not necessarily that of the renunciation of those created things which he has given us and among which he has placed us. There is no doubt that in prayer one should concentrate entirely on God and as far as possible exclude the things of this world which bind us to our selfishness. On this topic St. Augustine is an excellent teacher: if you want to find God, he says, abandon the exterior world and re-enter into yourself. However, he continues, do not remain in yourself, but go beyond yourself because you are not God: He is deeper and greater than you. "I look for his substance in my soul and I do not find it; I have however meditated on the search for God and, reaching out to him, through created things, I have sought to know ‘the invisible perfections of God’ (Rom 1:20)."21 “To remain in oneself”: this is the real danger. The great Doctor of the Church recommends concentrating on oneself, but also transcending the self which is not God, but only a creature. God is "deeper than my inmost being and higher than my greatest height."22 In fact God is in us and with us, but he transcends us in his mystery.23
2. From the dogmatic point of view, it is impossible to arrive at a perfect love of God if one ignores his giving of himself to us through his Incarnate Son, who was crucified and rose from the dead. In Him, under the action of the Holy Spirit, we participate, through pure grace, in the interior life of God. When Jesus says, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9), he does not mean just the sight and exterior knowledge of his human figure (“the flesh is of no avail”, Jn 6:63). What he means is rather a vision made possible by the grace of faith: to see, through the manifestation of Jesus perceptible by the senses, just what he, as the Word of the Father, truly wants to reveal to us of God (“It is the Spirit that gives life …]; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life”, ibid.). This “seeing” is not a matter of a purely human abstraction (“abs-tractio”) from the figure in which God has revealed himself; it is rather the grasping of the divine reality in the human figure of Jesus, his eternal divine dimension in its temporal form. As St. Ignatius says in the Spiritual Exercises, we should try to capture “the infinite perfume and the infinite sweetness of the divinity” (n. 124), going forward from that finite revealed truth from which we have begun. While he raises us up, God is free to “empty” us of all that holds us back in this world, to draw us completely into the Trinitarian life of his eternal love. However, this gift can only be granted “in Christ through the Holy Spirit,” and not through our own efforts, withdrawing ourselves from his revelation.

(from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith doc above- read the whole document)

Footnotes to are important to read.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

We’re blessed today to have contemporary authors who provide us with good information on contemplative prayer, which is approved by the Church.

They tell us that as we become more experienced in the practice of contemplative prayer, that the erroneous thoughts which come into our mind not only come slower, but now we have an awareness of them and what to do with them.

As Fr Thomas Keating says, when you become aware of a thought which is about to take you away from prayer, do give commentary to it, for once you do, you’ll be pulled away from your center, which is where God is.

Instead, let the thought go, let it evaporate and return to the focus of your intention, which is Christ dwelling with in. For myself, I use a prayer word, “Lord Jesus,” which I gently return to.

For others, it may be their breath or some Scripture verse. For most however, what they came to find that works will be what they’ll keep in prayer for most of their lives.

In all, do not become anxious, nor try to work aggressively at interior prayer, it will only be a disaster to do so.

Be gentle as Christ is gentle. Offer yourselves completely to Him.

Remember, no book will provide you with the experience of contemplative prayer.

Only actually praying and being open to God will this take place. Books are merely a guide.

Jim

 

[Sirach2]

We’re blessed today to have contemporary authors who provide us with good information on contemplative prayer, which is approved by the Church.

They tell us that as we become more experienced in the practice of contemplative prayer, that the erroneous thoughts which come into our mind not only come slower, but now we have an awareness of them and what to do with them.

As Fr Thomas Keating says, when you become aware of a thought which is about to take you away from prayer, do** [not?]** give commentary to it, for once you do, you’ll be pulled away from your center, which is where God is.

Is this what you meant to say, Jim?

In all, do not become anxious, nor try to work aggressively at interior prayer, it will only be a disaster to do so.

Remember, no book will provide you with the experience of contemplative prayer.

Only actually praying and being open to God will this take place. Books are merely a guide.

Well said.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Is this what you meant to say, Jim?

Well said.

Opps. yes, I meant to say, “do not” give commentary to the erroneous thoughts that you become aware of.

Thanks !

Jim.

 

[Sirach2]

The story of Montag in the chapter on Leaking Cisterns in Fr. Marc Foley’s “Ascent of Mt. Carmel Reflections” is a good meditation.
“Once as a child, Montag had sat upon a yellow dune by the sea, trying to fill a sieve with sand, because some cruel cousin had said, ‘Fill this sieve and you’ll get a dime!’ And the faster he poured, the faster it sifted through with a hot whispering. His hands were tired, the sand was boiling, the sieve was empty. Seated there in the midst of July, without a sound, he felt the tears move down his cheeks. Montag’s attempt to fill the sieve with sand illustrates the irrational blindness at the heart of our inordinate appetites. His desire for the dime blinded him to the utter futility of his pursuit, which in the end left him utterly weary and empty.”
It could be easily determined that our thoughts, stirred by unruly memories, can be equivalent to filling a sieve with sand, with such meager and futile results as a darn dime. Wouldn’t it be great if we could put a stop to these unfruitful wanderings of the imagination and turn them to God who is the fullness of our joy!

 

[simple_soul]

This thread has got me thinking and raised a question or two. Not quite sure how to ask this but here goes…

Is actively thinking about God all the time the same as contemplating Him all the time?

The reason I am asking is because I am taking the thoughts that are being talked about in this thread as not only just the good or bad memories of our lives or the day-to-day cares or worries and what-ifs of this life but also thoughts I may have of God. It is like in order to just sit quietly in His presence I have not only let to of thoughts that pertain to things like my children, the news, how I am going to make ends meet but also to let go of activity thinking about God. Like letting go of any image or thought of seeing God with my imagination. This last part is really hard to describ or explain let alone ask if I am understanding something correctly. Do we need to also let go of actively thinking about God in order to reach a state of contemplation? I guess I am taking what is being spoken of as in letting go of our thoughts to include our thoughts about God or what we imagine about God in order for us to just sit quietly in His presence. I hope that made some sence does it make sence to anyone on this thread? I guess my question is if it does am I understanding this correctly or am I missing something?

 

[hazcompat]

The fear of God is born from divine contemplation. For the fear of God is in and of itself the attainment of pious thought and the perception of God’s eternal perfection and action. From turning all of our works to the glory of God, we obtain a constant remembrance of God, or in other words, walking before God. Walking before God consists of doing nothing without remembering that you are in the presence of God. Finally, from frequent calling out to God, or from frequent pious movements toward God in our hearts we will constantly call upon the name of God with warmth and love. When these three things: the fear of God, the remembrance of God, or walking before God, and this turning of the heart toward God with love (loving repetition of the sweet name of the Lord in the heart) then certainly the spiritual fire of which I spoke earlier will catch in the heart, and it will bring with it profound peace, constant sobriety, and living boldness. At that point, a man enters into that state where he needs no longer to desire anything greater or unnecessary on earth, and which is truly the beginning of the blessed state which awaits all in the future. Here, in fact, that which the apostle said is fulfilled: “our life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3.3).

Theophan the Recluse,
On prayer,
Homily 3
Written by Theophan the Recluse.
Delivered 29 November, 1864

monachos.net/content/patristics/patristictexts/231-theophan-prayer4

Peace