# The Spiritual Canticle - OCDS Ongoing Formation Volume II Required Reading: The Spiritual Canticle. This book is included in The Collected Works of John of the Cross, ICS. ## Stanzas 1-21 Early stages of the soul’s journey (May take multiple sessions as needed for in-depth discussion and understanding.) Explanatory note: In The Ascent, John presents the purification process of the senses and faculties from the perspective of human behavior, both cognitive and emotional, offering moral discipline for spiritual growth; conversely, in The Spiritual Canticle, John presents the purification process from the perspective of self-knowledge, leading to an increasing awareness of the presence of God. The concept of everything that leads to knowledge is enfolded in the idea that all experience in life, even the simple observation of the natural world, can be a source of learning and enlightenment. Stanzas 1-21 outline the process of purification that leads to spiritual espousal and prepares the soul for perfect union. Participants are asked to read and reflect on the progression of the soul’s journey explained in stanzas 1-21 before proceeding to the next level of spiritual transformation and union (unitive life); that is explained in subsequent sessions, beginning with Session Two. Essential Points to Discuss: Dominant themes in the early stages  The shortness of life, realizing one’s obligations and the practice of self-knowledge: The soul at the beginning of her journey has grown aware of her obligations and observed that life is short, the path leading to eternal life is narrow, that all comes to an end and fails like falling water. Realizing God’s goodness, his creation, and one’s obligation to respond in love, the soul calls out to him: “Where have you hidden?” (see SC, stanza 1, Introduction). “The soul has made known the manner of preparing oneself to begin this journey: to pursue delights and satisfaction no longer, and to overcome Spiritual Canticle – Session One p.82 temptations and difficulties through fortitude. This is the practice of self-knowledge, the first requirement of advancing to the knowledge of God. Now... she begins to walk along the way of the knowledge and consideration of creatures that leads to the knowledge of her Beloved, the Creator” (SC, Stanza 4:1, pg. 494).  The beauty of the external world and other intermediaries: Our senses first see the external world. Naturally, the beauty of nature captivates the attention of the soul that embarks on its spiritual journey. “... God created all things with remarkable ease and brevity, and in them he left some trace of who he is …” (SC.5:1). “Through them one can track down his grandeur, might, wisdom, and other divine attributes” (SC.5:3). This reflection on plants, animals, the diversity of birds, the sun, moon and the starlit sky, this observation and meditation that they are things made by the very hand of God strongly awakens the soul to love him (see SC.4:3).  These external manifestations and knowledge of them, however, fail to satisfy the human mind. “The soul is aware that neither her sighs and prayers nor the help of good intermediaries, … are sufficient for her to find her Beloved” (SC.3:1).  John goes on to explain that “any soul with authentic love cannot be satisfied until it really possesses God. Everything else not only fails to satisfy it but,... increases the hunger and appetite to see him as he is” (SC.6:4).  As the soul travels in search of her beloved, she is wounded by another higher knowledge that she receives through rational creatures – angels and humans (see SC.7:1). “Through these rational creatures the soul acquires a more vivid knowledge of God...” (SC.7:6).  As noted in these stanzas, the soul is moving from lower to higher knowledge of God. As John explains, “All the knowledge of God possible in this life, however extensive it may be, is inadequate, for it is only partial knowledge and very remote. Essential knowledge of him is the real knowledge for which the soul asks here, unsatisfied by these other communications. She says next: ‘Do not send me any more messengers...’” (SC.6:5). The soul desires complete knowledge of God. “Thus, ‘they cannot tell me what I must hear’” (SC.6:7). Side note: As previously noted, progression in prayer is this increase in knowledge and love, from lower to higher and external to more interior. This increase in knowledge does not come from reading many books or meditating on abstract ideas; rather by imitation of Jesus Christ who is the Knowledge and Wisdom of God. What we seek is something beyond our earthly experiences. What we seek is God.  The nearness of God: As the heavenly messengers and creation fail to satisfy the soul, its question and reflection gradually turn inward. One of the highlights of John’s teaching is the presence of God in the soul and its willing participation by practicing interior recollection. The ultimate message of John is that God is hidden, and we must always seek Him within.  “It should be known that the Word, the Son of God, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is hidden by his essence and his presence in the innermost being of the soul. Individuals who want to find him should leave all things through affection and will, enter within themselves in deepest recollection... St. Augustine, addressing God in the Spiritual Canticle – Session One p.83 Soliloquies, said: I did not find you without, Lord, because I wrongly sought you without, who were within. God, then, is hidden in the soul, and there the good contemplative must seek him with love, exclaiming: ‘Where have you hidden?’” (SC.1:6).  “Oh, then, soul, most beautiful among all creatures, so anxious to know the dwelling place of your Beloved so you may go in search of him and be united with him, now we are telling you that you yourself are his dwelling and his secret inner room and hiding place. There is reason for you to be elated and joyful in seeing that all your good and hope is so close as to be within you, or better, that you cannot be without him. Behold, exclaims the Bridegroom, the kingdom of God is within you [Lk. 17:21]. And his servant, the apostle St. Paul, declares: You are the temple of God [2 Cor. 6:16]” (SC.1:7).  “What more do you want, O soul! And what else do you search for outside, when within yourself you possess your riches, delights, satisfaction, fullness, and kingdom – your Beloved whom you desire and seek? Be joyful and gladdened in your interior recollection with him, for you have him so close to you. Desire him there, adore him there. Do not go in pursuit of him outside yourself. You will only become distracted and wearied thereby, and you shall not find him, or enjoy him more securely, or sooner, or more intimately than by seeking him within you” (SC.1:8).  Our faithful participation in God within will gradually enable us to seek and find God’s presence in our everyday world of responsibilities, demands, and pressures. Side note: Reading and reflecting on Stanzas/commentaries from 1-21, allow the participants to hear the “infinite voice” of God himself. “Hence it should be known that God is an infinite voice, and by communicating himself to the soul in this way he produces the effect of an immense voice. … it is God himself who communicates himself by producing this voice in the soul” (SC.14&15:9,11). Spiritual Canticle – Session Two p.84 ## Stanzas 22-25 (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Essential Points to Discuss: Stanza 22:  The “total transformation in the beloved” has begun. John uses two scripture passages to convey the ineffable joy of this unitive stage. “Like the good shepherd rejoicing and holding on his shoulders the lost sheep for which he had searched along many winding paths [Lk. 15:4-5] and like the woman who, having lit the candle and hunted through her whole house for the lost drachma [coin], holding it up in her hands with gladness and calling her friends and neighbors to come and celebrate, saying, rejoice with me …” [LK. 15:8-9] (SC.22:1).  In this transformation and rejoicing, John explains: “The soul thereby becomes divine, God through participation, insofar as is possible in this life” (SC.22:3).  “The union wrought between two natures and the communication of the divine to the human in this state is such that even though neither changes its being, both appear to be God” (SC.22:4). Side note: “God alone is Divine by nature; Christ, the Word made flesh, is Divine by nature. We never become Divine by nature but by participation in the Divine nature. Raised to the heights of Spiritual Marriage, we still remain ourselves, still remain human in the fullest sense; indeed, now we are truly human, truly persons, truly mature; for only in God is true maturity found. … God makes us ‘sharers in the divine nature, calling us His own glory and excellence’ [2Peter 1:3].” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, pg. 163, John Venard, O.C.D.). Stanza 23:  One of the fruits that John identifies in this high state of union is that the mystery of his Incarnation is revealed to the soul. “He mainly communicates to her sweet mysteries of his Incarnation and the ways of the redemption of humankind, one of the loftiest of his works and thus more delightful to the soul” (SC.23:1).  Just as human nature was corrupted by means of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Paradise, so on the tree of the Cross it was redeemed and restored through His passion and death. “Beneath the apple tree” of the Cross, not only mankind but each soul was espoused to Him. In such a way God manifests His wisdom, drawing good from evil. (see SC.23:2-5).  “The espousal made on the cross is not the one we now speak of. For that espousal is accomplished immediately when God gives the first grace that is bestowed on each one at baptism. The espousal of which we speak bears reference to perfection and is not achieved save gradually and by stages. For though it is all one espousal, there is a difference in that one is attained at the soul’s pace, and thus little by little, and the other at God’s pace, and thus immediately” (SC.23:6). Note: Espousal to Christ signifies a profound transformation through a spiritual union. John explains this union through the words of Ezekiel 16:5-14 in The Spiritual Canticle Spiritual Canticle – Session Two p.85 23:6. Read the entire bible verse meditatively for a better understanding of becoming more like Christ. ### Stanza 24  “Our bed is in flower” — “…the virtues of the soul in this state are now perfect and heroic. This, though, could not have come about until the bed [of the soul] was in flower in the perfect union with God” (SC.24:3).  “bound round with linking dens of lions” — The soul in this union is safe and well protected. “Thus when the soul possesses perfect virtues, each of them is like a den of lions in which Christ, the Bridegroom, united with the soul in that virtue and each of the others, dwells and assists like a strong lion. And the soul herself, united with him in these same virtues, is also like a strong lion because she thereby receives the properties of God” (SC.24:4).  She is also well protected from the devil. “The devil has an extraordinary fear of the perfect soul” (SC.24:4). “... in this state the virtues are bound together, united, and fortified... They are so fastened that not only does the devil fail to find entry, but nothing in the world, high or low, can disquiet, molest, or even move the soul. Liberated from all the disturbances of the natural passions, and estranged from and stripped of the torment and variety of temporal cares, she enjoys in security and quietude the participation of God” (SC.24:5). Side note: “The word ‘security’ (‘seguridad’): St. John uses it in the Latin sense of ‘securus,’ meaning ‘free from care or anxiety,’ not in the sense that we have absolute security about our eternal salvation. St. Teresa reminds us that even in this exalted state ‘the soul may seem to give the impression that it is sure of salvation... this is not so … it is sure of itself only insofar as it knows God is holding it by the hand’ (IC.VII.2:9). This is the perfection of the virtue of hope; its meaning: no hope in ourselves, complete hope in God.” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, pg. 175, John Venard, O.C.D.).  Kieran Kavanaugh’s translation: “It seems I’m saying that when the soul reaches this state in which God grants it this favor, it is sure of its salvation and safe from falling again. I do not say such a thing, and wherever I so speak that it seems the soul is secure, this should be taken to mean as long as the divine Majesty keeps it in his hand and it does not offend him. At least I know certainly that the soul doesn’t consider itself safe even though it sees itself in this state and the state has lasted for some years. But it goes about with much greater fear than before, guarding itself from any small offence against God and with the strongest desires to serve him...” (IC.VII.2:9).  John observes that the flowers of virtues within the soul are hidden from the eyes of the world. Nevertheless, it does happen through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we catch occasional glimpses of one’s true holiness. It is like the opening of a flower, diffusing its fragrance. “We can say that in this life they are present in the soul as flower buds in a garden. It is sometimes a wonderful thing to see them all open through the Holy Spirit and diffuse a marvelous variety of fragrance” (SC.24:6). Spiritual Canticle – Session Two p.86  According to John, the fragrance refers to “the strange knowledge of God” (SC.24:6). This “loving knowledge” is one of the fruits of the unitive life of souls living in perfect love (charity). Side note: Similar thoughts were expressed in one of Edith Stein’s essays, “The Hidden Life and Epiphany.” She observes that the hidden souls are part of the invisible Church: “But for the most part the formative stream of the mystical life remains invisible. Certainly, the decisive turning points in world history are substantially co-determined by souls whom no history book ever mentions. And we will only find out about those souls whom we owe the decisive turning points in our personal lives on the day when all that is hidden is revealed. “Because hidden souls do not live in isolation, but are a part of the living nexus and have a position in a great divine order, we speak of an invisible church. Their impact and affinity can remain hidden from themselves and others for their entire earthly lives. But it is also possible for some of this to become visible in the external world. This is how it was with the persons and events intertwined in the mystery of the Incarnation. Mary and Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, the shepherds and kings, Simeon and Anna – all of these had behind them a solitary life with God and were prepared for their special tasks before they found themselves together in those awesome encounters and events and, in retrospect, could understand how the paths left behind led to this climax” (The Collected Works of Edith Stein: The Hidden Life, pg. 110).  “Built up in peace.” From the perfect love comes perfect peace of the soul. The soul is peaceful, meek and strong. “And the virtues keep the soul so tranquil and safe that to her it seems she is built up in peace” (SC.24:8). ### Stanza 25 Following your footprints maidens run along the way; the touch of a spark, the spiced wine, cause flowings in them from the balsam of God. Explanatory note: This stanza refers to the ecclesial value of prayer and union. John observes: “The soul that has reached this state of perfection is not content with extolling and praising the excellence of her Beloved, the Son of God... for she makes references also to those he bestows on other souls. In this blessed union of love she is aware of both.” (SC.25:1).  “A footprint is a trace by which we can track the one to whom it belongs. God’s sweetness and knowledge, given to the soul seeking him, is a trace by which she goes on knowing and searching for him” (SC.25:3). Spiritual Canticle – Session Two p.87 Side note: Those who receive this special knowledge of God are moved and attracted to run along the way of perfection. St. Thérèse of Lisieux referred to this stanza when explaining her spiritual bond with her sister, Celine: “Jesus, wanting to have us advance together, formed bonds in our hearts stronger than blood. He made us become spiritual sisters, and in us were realized the words of St. John of the Cross’ Canticle …: “‘Following Your footprints/Maidens run lightly along the way/The touch of a spark/The special wine/ Cause flowings in them from the balsam of God.’ “Yes, it was very lightly we followed in Jesus’ footprints. The sparks of love He sowed so generously in our souls, and the delicious and strong wine He gave us to drink made all passing things disappear before our eyes, and from our lips came aspirations of love inspired only by Him” (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, chapter V, pg. 158).  John goes on to explain, “They [devout souls] run along the way of eternal life, the way of evangelical perfection, by which they encounter the Beloved in union of love... The soul does very little or nothing of her own in order to advance on this road; rather, she is moved and attracted by the divine footprints [loving knowledge of God], not only to go out, but even to run along this road in many ways …” (SC.25:4, emphasis added).  John quotes two different scripture passages to confirm his teaching: “Draw me, and we shall run after you in the fragrance of your ointments (Sg. 1:3-4)... I have run the way of your commandments when you enlarged my heart (Ps. 119:32)” (SC.25:4). Side note: Again, St. Thérèse, at the end of her life, appropriates John’s thoughts to explain her mission of inspiring and drawing souls without going into grandiose plans and complicated ways. “He made me understand these words of the Canticle of Canticles: ‘DRAW ME, WE SHALL RUN after you in the odor of your ointments...’ This simple statement: ‘Draw me’ suffices; I understand, Lord, that when a soul allows herself to be captivated by the odor of your ointments, she cannot run alone, all the souls whom she loves follow in her train; this is done without constraint, without effort, it is a natural consequence of her attraction for You” (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, chapter XI, pg. 398-399).  “The spiced wine.” New lovers or beginners in the spiritual life, like new wine, are not yet tested; they tend to seek gratification and spiritual consolations. Those who have made solid progress, however, are not carried away by such consolations. They are given the taste of “the spiced wine.” “This spiced wine is another much greater favor that God sometimes grants to advanced souls, in which he inebriates them in the Holy Spirit with a wine of sweet, delightful, and fortified love …” (SC.25:7). Consequently, “… the will is enkindled in loving, desiring, praising, and thanking God, and reverencing, esteeming, and praying to him in the savor of love” (SC.25:5). Note: For further understanding of these two terms, “new wine” and “fermented wine,” read Stanza 25:9-11. Spiritual Canticle – Session Three p.88 ## Stanzas 26-30 (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Essential Points to Discuss: ### Stanza 26: “In the Inner Wine cellar”  “This wine cellar is the last and most intimate degree of love in which the soul can be placed in this life. Accordingly she calls this degree of love ‘the inner wine cellar,’ that is, the most interior” (SC.26:3).  “What God communicates to the soul in this intimate union is totally beyond words... For in the transformation of the soul in God, it is God who communicates himself with admirable glory; the two become one, as we would say of the window united with the ray of sunlight, or the coal with the fire, or the starlight with the light of the sun. But this union is not as essential and perfect as in the next life” (SC.26:4).  “In this transformation she drinks of God in her substance and in her spiritual faculties. With the intellect she drinks wisdom and knowledge; with the will, sweetest love; and with the memory she drinks refreshment and delight in the remembrance and the feeling of glory” (SC.26:5, emphasis added). Note: According to John, these faculties are not just external functions but are inherent and essential aspects of one’s being, forming the essence of their spiritual life.  “I no longer knew anything”: “The reason is that the drink of highest wisdom makes her forget all worldly things. And it seems that her previous knowledge, and even all the knowledge of the world, is pure ignorance in comparison with this knowledge... [because] she is being informed with supernatural knowledge, in the presence of which all natural and political knowledge of the world is ignorance rather than knowledge... She declares the truth of the Apostle’s words, that what is greater wisdom in the sight of humans is foolishness before God [1Cor. 3:19]” (SC.26:13, emphasis added).  “Hence the wise people of God and the wise people of the world are foolish in the eyes of each other; one group cannot perceive the wisdom and knowledge of God, and the other cannot perceive the wisdom and knowledge of the world. The wisdom of the world is ignorance to the wisdom of God, and the wisdom of God is ignorance to the wisdom of the world” (SC.26.13). Note: In this journey towards union, the central message of John of the Cross is that we seek God as an object of knowledge and love, and the source of this knowledge is our Lord, Jesus.  John, however, makes one point of clarification, that in no way is our natural knowledge lessened or weakened by the supernatural knowledge of God. Rather, the natural knowledge that one acquired in his or her lifetime is purified and perfected. “It should not be thought that because she remains in this unknowing she loses there her acquired knowledge of the sciences; rather, these habits are perfected by the more perfect habit of supernatural knowledge infused in her. … For in this union with divine wisdom these habits are joined to the superior wisdom of God” (SC.26:16). Note: This implies seeking God’s Wisdom and direction in all aspects of life and allowing Spiritual Canticle – Session Three p.89 His light to illuminate one’s path. Everything is seen and practiced in the light of God’s principles and truth.  John goes on to give a telling image to describe the effects of God wisdom upon the natural/acquired knowledge of a person. “When a faint light is mingled with a bright one, the bright light prevails and is what illumines. Yet the faint light is not lost; rather, it is perfected even though it is not the light that illumines principally” (SC.26:16). Side note: John’s clarification of God’s wisdom is essential to the overall understanding of acquired knowledge and supernatural knowledge. He is not advocating the suppression of our acquired knowledge; instead, he stresses the importance of acquired knowledge to serve God and further His purpose in the world. John’s understanding is that acquired knowledge is purified and perfected in this union and one’s life is now directed by the wisdom of God; it is a matter of using one’s natural knowledge to serve the Kingdom of God.  Another benefit that comes from this union is that “... The soul in this state resembles Adam in the state of innocence, who did not know evil. For she is so innocent that she does not understand evil, nor does she judge anything in a bad light” (SC.26:14).  “This is the characteristic of God’s spirit in the soul: He gives her an immediate inclination toward ignoring and not desiring knowledge of the affairs of others, especially that which brings her no benefit... Thus she remains in an unknowing, in the manner she was accustomed to” (SC.26:15).  “... transformation in God makes her [the soul] so consonant with the simplicity and purity of God, in which there is no form or imaginative figure, that it leaves her clean, pure, and empty of all forms or figures, purged and radiant in simple contemplation. The effect of this contemplation is like that of the sun on a window” (SC.26:17).  John reminds the reader that even in the advanced stage of this spiritual journey there always remain, to one degree or another, various attachments and preferences. The soul is not freed from these attachments until one reaches the state of perfection.  “These may involve temporal things, such as some little possession, or the attachment to one object more than to another, or some presumption, judgment, punctilios and other small things having a worldly savor or tinge. These latter may concern natural things, such as eating, drinking, finding more gratification in this than in that, choosing and desiring the best. Or they may concern spiritual things, such as desire for spiritual satisfactions or other trifles we would never finish listing that are characteristic of spiritual persons who are not yet perfect. In the memory there are usually many wanderings, cares, and useless imaginings after which she follows” (SC.26:18).  However, John promises that these frivolous and numerous “herds” of imperfections will come to an end when God places the soul in the interior wine cellar. “Thus the soul now [in the state of spiritual marriage] feels free of all the childish likes and trifles she perused; and she can say: ‘And lost the herd which I was following’” (SC.26:19). Side note: St. Thérèse refers to stanzas 26 & 28 to explain her anxiety and imperfection amid her sister Celine’s entrance to Carmel and her father’s passing. Eventually, with the help of John’s guidance, she realizes that God alone suffices. Spiritual Canticle – Session Three p.90 “When the difficulties seemed insurmountable one day, I said to Jesus during the act of thanksgiving: ‘You know, my God, how much I want to know whether Papa went straight to heaven; I am not asking you to speak to me, but give me a sign. If Sister A. of J. consents to Celine’s entrance or places no obstacle to it, this will be an answer that Papa went straight to You” (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, chapter VIII, pg. 274). By the grace of God, Celine did enter Carmel after her father’s passing. Consequently, all of Thérèse’s desires were fulfilled. However, Thérèse quickly realized that these were “childish desires” and what is important in life is “to love Jesus unto folly.” “Ah! How many things I have to thank Jesus for; He answers all my requests! And now I have no other desire except to love Jesus unto folly. My childish desires have all flown away.... Neither do I desire any longer suffering or death, and still I love them both; it is love alone that attracts me, however.... Now, abandonment alone guides me. I have no other compass! I can no longer ask for anything with fervor except the accomplishment of God’s will in my soul without any creature being able to set obstacles in the way. I can speak these words of the Spiritual Canticle of St. John of the Cross: ‘In the inner wine cellar I drank of my Beloved, and, when I went abroad through all this valley I no longer knew anything, and lost the herd that I was following ‘Now I occupy my soul and all my energy in his service; I no longer tend the herd, nor have I any other work now that my every act is LOVE’ “Or rather: ‘After I have known it LOVE works so in me that whether things go well or badly love turns them to one sweetness transforming the soul in ITSELF.’” * (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, chapter VIII, pg. 274-275). (*Footnote: “Without support yet with support,” The Poetry, 11, Stanza 3. The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, pg. 70.) Thérèse goes on to explain the transformative power of love; the idea that love can cause change and help people to grow. “How sweet is the way of love, dear Mother. True, one can fall or commit infidelities, but, knowing how to draw profit from everything, love quickly consumes Spiritual Canticle – Session Three p.91 everything that can be displeasing to Jesus; it leaves nothing but a humble and profound peace in the depths of the heart” (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, chapter VIII, pg. 276). Note: These thoughts of Thérèse highlight her profound understanding of St. John of the Cross’ teaching on love and transformation. Her striving for holiness in everyday life reflects a practical application of John’s core message. ### Stanza 27  The mutual surrender between the soul and God is another benefit of this unitive life. John makes a bold statement to describe this mutual surrender: “The tenderness and truth of love by which the immense Father favors and exalts this humble and loving soul reaches such a degree – O wonderful thing, worthy of all our awe and admiration! – that the Father himself becomes subject to her exaltation, as though he were her servant and she his lord. And he is as solicitous in favoring her as he would be if he were her slave and she his god. So profound is the humility and sweetness of God!” (SC.27:1).  In this mutual surrender, God imparts “a sweet and living knowledge.” John notes this secret knowledge of God is indeed the prayer of contemplation. “The sweet and living knowledge that she says he taught her is mystical theology, the secret knowledge of God that spiritual persons call contemplation. This knowledge is very delightful because it is a knowledge through love. Love is the master of this knowledge and what makes it wholly agreeable” (SC.27:5). Note: Throughout his writings, John’s focus is to lead the soul to this “loving knowledge” of God himself. This is the highest wisdom attainable in this life. As John points out further down in the stanza, we must then enter deeply into Christ. As the Apostle Paul said of Christ: In him are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God [Col. 2:3].  Another important benefit of this transformation is that the soul “does not even suffer the first movements contrary to God’s will. As an imperfect soul is ordinarily inclined toward evil, at least in the first movements of its will, intellect, memory, and appetites, and as it has imperfections, so conversely the soul in this state ordinarily inclines and moves toward God in the first movements of its intellect, memory, will, and appetites, because of the great help and stability it has in God and its perfect conversion toward him.... [The] soul is set firmly in God and united to him, it will no longer suffer any movement contrary to God” (SC.27:7, emphasis added). Side note: As explained in The Ascent “... The first movements, [are] those stirrings in which the rational will does not take part either before or after. To eradicate the natural appetites, that is, to mortify them entirely, is impossible in this life. Even though they are not entirely mortified, as I say, they are not such a hindrance as to prevent one from attaining divine union” (A.1.11:2, emphasis added). On the other hand, “… in the state of divine union a person’s will is so completely transformed into God’s will that it excludes everything contrary to God’s will, and in all and through all is motivated by the will of God” (A.1.11:2). Accordingly, in this state of perfect union, the soul habitually moves toward God in its first movements. This inclination toward God is the fruit of this unitive life. Spiritual Canticle – Session Three p.92  In this state of union, “She [the soul] employs all her faculties and possessions in loving, in giving up everything like the wise merchant (Mt. 13:44), for this treasure of love has been found by her, hidden in God.... Thus everything leads her to love. And being informed and fortified as she is with love, she neither feels nor tastes nor knows the things that happen to her, whether delightful or bitter, since as we said the soul knows nothing else but love. And her pleasure in all things and in all transactions is always the delight of loving God” (SC.27:8).  “Only love matters now; therefore, the passing things of life cannot disturb us anymore. In the whole context of the Saint’s [John’s] thought, it must be said that he cannot really mean that suffering is not ‘felt’, of course it is, but our reaction to it is one of detachment, even joyful acceptance, insofar as we see the hand of God in every trial, every vexation, every joy, every satisfaction” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, John Venard, O.C.D., pg. 207). This stage is indeed a perfect prayer of contemplation. Side note: The teachings of John were realized in Thérèse when she made her marvelous discovery of her vocation that overflows from the touch of a contemplative fervor of love. “Charity gave me the key to my vocation. … I understood that LOVE COMPRISED ALL VOCATIONS, THAT LOVE WAS EVERYTHING, THAT IT EMBRACED ALL TIMES AND PLACES.... IN A WORD, THAT IT WAS ETERNAL! Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love.... my vocation, at last I have found it.… MY VOCATION IS LOVE!” (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, pg. 302). ### Stanza 28  John goes on to explain that in the past the soul engaged in “unprofitable occupations.” “She usually has desires to serve the appetites of others, which she does through ostentation, compliments, flattery, human respect, the effort to impress and please people by her actions, and many other useless things. In this fashion she strives to please people, employing for them all her care, desires, work, and finally energy” (SC.28:7).  However, in this state of union, all her actions are “... directed to the practice of love of God, that is: All the ability of my soul and body (memory, intellect, and will, interior and exterior senses, appetites of the sensory and spiritual parts) move in love and because of love. Everything I do I do with love, and everything I suffer I suffer with the delight of love.... Hence whether her work is temporal or spiritual, this soul can always say ‘Now that my every act is love’” (SC.28:8-9).  As John observes, “… everything is now the substance of love …” (SC.28:10). In other words, one has arrived at the point of spiritual maturity! ### Stanza 29  Apostolic fruitfulness is another enduring benefit of this union in love. “For a little of this pure love is more precious to God and the soul and more beneficial to the Church, even though it seems one is doing nothing, than all these other works put together” (SC.29:2). John reminds the reader in unequivocal terms: “After all, this love is the end for which we were created” (SC.29:3). Spiritual Canticle – Session Three p.93  He then gives a very practical exhortation to those who engage in exterior works while ignoring the life of prayer:  “Let those, then, who are singularly active, who think they can win the world with their preaching and exterior works, observe here that they would profit the Church and please God much more, not to mention the good example they would give, were they to spend at least half of this time with God in prayer, even though they might not have reached a prayer as sublime as this. They would then certainly accomplish more, and with less labor, by one work than they otherwise would by a thousand. For through their prayer they would merit this result, and themselves be spiritually strengthened. Without prayer they would do a great deal of hammering but accomplish little, and sometimes nothing, and even at times cause harm.... However much they may appear to achieve externally, they will in substance be accomplishing nothing; it is beyond doubt that good works can be performed only by the power of God” (SC.29:3). Note: John here highlights the Discalced Carmelite charism of prayer. In the tradition of Carmel, the apostolate flows from the interior life; the two cannot be separated. It’s not one or the other; they are two sides of the same coin.  In this union of love, John says that the soul “... has reached such a point that she has lost all roads and natural methods in her communion with God, and no longer seeks him by reflections or forms or feelings or by any other way of creatures and the senses, but has advanced beyond them all and beyond all modes and manners, and enjoys communion with God in faith and love, then it is said that God is her gain, because she has certainly lost all that is not God” (SC.29:11). ### Stanza 30  “Chosen on cool mornings” (SC.30:1). John, in this stanza, reflects on the virtues practiced by the determined souls during the dark hours (“cool mornings”) of their lives, and the great merit of a life lived entirely for God. Many good people give up prayer altogether because they seem to experience nothing but aridity, dryness, and difficulty in prayer. But John states that “... virtue takes root in dryness, difficulty, and labor, as God says to St. Paul: Virtue is made perfect in weakness [2Cor.12:9].” (SC.30:5).  “We shall weave garlands” (SC.30:1). “This verse most appropriately refers to the Church and Christ …” (SC.30:7). Consequently, in this state of union, “Each holy soul [who went through aridity and difficulties] is like a garland adorned with the flowers of virtues and gifts, and all of them together form a garland for the head of Christ, the Bridegroom” (SC.30:7).  “It is inevitable that being so closely united with Christ, the Bridegroom, we should have a heightened sense of the Church, which is the Body of Christ. As our love for Christ deepens, so does our awareness of the Church – that is, of our ‘oneness’ with all others who, like us, are integrated into and are one with the glorified Body of the Risen Christ, which is the Church” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, John Venard, O.C.D. pg. 225). Spiritual Canticle – Session Four p.94 ## Stanzas 31-35 (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Essential Points to Discuss:  The power of prayer is so great that John again gives a bold description of the divine union of love between the soul and God. “This thread of love joins and binds God and the soul so strongly that it unites and transforms them. So great is this union that even though they differ in substance, in glory and appearance the soul seems to be God and God seems to be the soul” (SC.31:1). Note: In John’s writings, readers will notice exaggerations, also known as hyperbole, that use obvious and extreme overstatements to emphasize a point, create a specific image, or evoke a strong emotional response in the reader. Hyperbole is a form of figurative language and is not meant to be taken literally.  In this union “the power and the tenacity of love is great, for love captures and binds God himself. Happy is the loving soul, since she possesses God for her prisoner, and he is surrendered to all her desires. God is such that those who act with love and friendship toward him will make him do all they desire...” (SC.32:1).  “It is the property of perfect love to be unwilling to take anything for self, nor does it attribute anything to self, but all to the beloved” (SC.32:2).  John’s observation is that God “... bears no love for anything lower than the love he has for himself. He loves all things for himself; thus love becomes the purpose for which he loves. He therefore does not love things because of what they are in themselves. With God, to love the soul is to put her somehow in himself and make her his equal. Thus he loves the soul within himself, with himself, that is, with the very love by which he loves himself. This is why the soul merits the love of God in all her works insofar as she does them in God. Placed in this height, this grace, she merits God himself in every work” (SC.32:6).  John uses a biblical allusion to describe the soul’s union with God. “The small white dove/has returned to the ark with an olive branch...” (SC.34:1).  Here John compares the soul to the dove of Noah’s ark. “Similarly this soul that left the ark of God’s omnipotence when he created her passed through the waters of sin and imperfection and, finding no place for her appetite to rest, flew back and forth through the air of anxieties of love from the ark of the Creator’s breast. And he did not take her in until he made the waters of all the imperfections on the land of the soul to cease, and she returned with the olive branch (which denotes her victory over all things through the clemency and mercy of God)... Thus the small dove, the soul, not only returns to the ark of her God as clean and white as when he created her before her departure, but also carries in addition the olive branch that signifies the reward and peace obtained in her victory over self” (SC.34:4). Side note: St. Teresa uses the same imagery to convey a soul’s victory over the imperfections and tempests of this world: “Here the dove Noah sent out to see if the storm was over finds the olive branch as a sign of firm ground discovered amid the floods and tempests of this world. O Spiritual Canticle – Session Four p.95 Jesus! Who would know the many things there must be in Scripture to explain this peace of soul!” (IC.VII.3:13). This firm ground is the presence of God that the soul has found within.  Again, we are reminded that practicing daily virtues cannot be neglected. We must continue to practice everyday virtues. “For she must advance with such love and solicitude as not to set the foot of her appetite on the green branch of any delight, or drink the clear water of any worldly honor and glory...” (SC.34:5).  In this union of love, John says God is the only guide for the soul. It is God who guides her into solitude. “When the soul has become established in the quietude of solitary love of her Bridegroom, … she is settled in God, and God in her, with so much delight that she has no need of other masters or means to direct her to him, for now God is her guide and her light” (SC.35:1). She lived in solitude, and now in solitude has built her nest; and in solitude he guides her, he alone, who also bears in solitude the wound of love. (Stanza 35)  The soul continues to experience “... perfect solitude in which she reaches union with the Word.... She formally practiced this solitude, in which she lived, in trial and anguish because she was imperfect, but now she has built her nest in it and has found refreshment and repose in having acquired it perfectly in God” (SC.35:4). Note: “This authentic solitude is not necessarily physical but a solitude of detachment, or poverty of spirit, for the sake of the Bridegroom” (SC, stanza 35, footnote 1).  “The meaning of this is not only that he [God] guided her in her solitude, but it is he alone who works in her without any means. This is a characteristic of the union of the soul with God in spiritual marriage: God works in and communicates himself to her through himself alone, without using as means the angels or natural ability, for the exterior and interior sense and all creatures, and even the soul herself do very little toward the reception of the remarkable supernatural favors that God grants in this state” (SC.35:6).  “In this solitude, away from all things, the soul is alone with God and he guides, moves, and raises her to divine things. That is: he elevates her intellect to divine understanding, because it is alone and divested of other contrary and alien knowledge; he moves her will freely to the love of God, because it is alone and freed from other affections; and he fills her memory with divine knowledge, because it is now alone and empty of other images and phantasies” (SC.35:5, emphasis added). Note: In St. John of the Cross's teachings, the intellect, memory, and will play a crucial role in the soul's transformation towards divine union. These three spiritual faculties, when purified and aligned with God's will, become instruments of spiritual growth and, ultimately, union with the loving God Himself. Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.96 ## Stanzas 36-40 (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Let us rejoice, Beloved, and let us go forth to behold ourselves in your beauty to the mountain and to the hill, to where the pure water flows, and further, deep into the thicket. (Stanza 36) Explanatory note: In the final five stanzas of the Spiritual Canticle, (36, 37, 38, 39, 40), John’s focus is on the mystical knowledge of contemplation (loving knowledge). In John’s writings, this loving knowledge (wisdom) is a central concept to the understanding of human transformation and union. For John of the Cross, love of God is the ultimate purpose and fulfillment of the soul. Love is God's essence, the source of life, uniting and nurturing all creation. John emphasizes that knowledge of God is essential for a soul’s spiritual progress. His understanding is that in the absence of divine wisdom, love could remain merely a feeling. Divine love fosters goodness and compassion, while wisdom offers clarity, order, and truth. John sees that divine love and wisdom are inseparable forces, bound together like the warmth (love) and light (knowledge) of fire. The optimal approach is to achieve a harmonious balance between these two forces, where love guides wisdom and wisdom refines love, resulting in a loving and discerning approach to life. In John’s works, love is not just a feeling, but an act of the will, a choice to give oneself completely to God. A total detachment from self and inordinate desires, a willingness to sacrifice everything for God’s sake. Such “loving knowledge” is not based on facts or information, as it conveys the idea of something being impossible to fully understand or explain. In essence, it is indescribable by human words but can be experienced within the human soul. As John explains it: “It would be foolish to think that expressions of love arising from mystical understanding, like these stanzas, are fully explainable. The Spirit of the Lord, who abides in us and aids our weakness, as St. Paul says [Rom. 8:26], pleads for us with unspeakable groanings in order to manifest what we can neither fully understand nor comprehend” (SC Prologue, para #1). By the guidance of the Holy Spirit, John tries to explain the unexplainable. “In these final stanzas the focus shifts from the state of spiritual marriage to prayer for the beatific vision” (Stanza 36, footnote #1). Essential Points to Discuss:  This union of love overflows exteriorly in works directed to the service of God. “It makes one always desire to taste the joys and sweetnesses of love in the inward and outward exercise of love” (SC.36:4). Note: “She [the soul] wants to rejoice in the love expressed not only in contemplation but also in action.” (SC, stanza 36, footnote 2). The Carmelite charism of prayer has an Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.97 apostolic dimension and overflows with missionary fervor based on a fervent interior life.  The soul in this state expresses her desire to become like the Beloved, and she asks for this in stating, “Let us go forth to behold ourselves in your beauty” (SC.36:4). John tries to explain the inexplainable beauty of transformation and union in the most celebrated paragraph of the Spiritual Canticle, stanza 36:5. “That is: That I be so transformed in your beauty that we may be alike in beauty, and both behold ourselves in your beauty, possessing then your very beauty;...” (Read the entire paragraph meditatively to understand and experience the full effect of this prayer). Side note: “John expresses here his mystical experience of the beauty of God not through a mere description but rather through a kind of intense prayer in which he forgets the reader in concentration on his Beloved. In this outpouring of his heart the word ‘beauty’ appears 23 times” (SC, stanza 36, footnote #3).  “Transform me into the beauty of divine Wisdom and make me resemble that which is the Word, the Son of God” (SC.36:7).  “To the mountain and to the hill.” In this stanza 36, John describes two types of knowledge: “That is: to the morning and essential knowledge of God, which is knowledge in the divine Word, who in his height is signified here by the mountain.... ‘And to the hill,’ that is, to the evening knowledge of God, which is God’s wisdom in his creatures, works, and wondrous decrees. The hill suggests this wisdom because it is not as high as the morning wisdom [essential]. Yet the soul asks for both the evening and the morning wisdom when she says: ‘To the mountain and to the hill’” (SC.36:6, emphasis added). The higher knowledge concerns the divine, the lower knowledge concerns nature. Both are important.  “The soul cannot see herself in the beauty of God unless she is transformed into the wisdom of God, in which she sees herself in possession of earthly and heavenly things” (SC.36:8, emphasis added). Note: Both types of knowledge are essential to the understanding of divine union. The essential knowledge of God (higher knowledge), which is the experience of being one with God through participation, and the evening knowledge of God, which is to experience God’s presence of Wisdom in his creatures (lower knowledge) – that is to understand and respect the phenomenal world in which we live. John refers to the higher knowledge of God as “the clear vision of God.” “The mountain of myrrh refers to the clear vision of God and the hill of incense to the knowledge of creatures, for the myrrh on the mountain is more choice than the incense on the hill” (SC.36:8). Side note: Pope Benedict XVI observes that this “knowledge” that arises from the beauty of Christ is the real knowledge that needs to be rediscovered in our time. “Being struck and overcome by the beauty of Christ is a more real, more profound knowledge than mere rational deduction. Of course, we must not underrate the importance of theological reflection, of exact and precise theological thought; it remains absolutely necessary. But to move from here to disdain or to reject the impact produced by the response of the heart in the encounter with beauty as a true form of knowledge would impoverish us and dry up our faith and our theology. Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.98 We must rediscover this form of knowledge. It is a pressing need of our time” (The Essential Pope Benedict, XVI: His central writings and speeches, Ch. 9, The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty).  In this transformation, John points out the soul’s desire to go “... further, deep into the thicket” to know God “further within.” As love increases, so does the desire to search for deeper knowledge of God. “The soul always possesses this desire to have clear and pure understanding of the divine truths; and the greater her love, the more she longs to enter further into these truths” (SC.36:9).  “This thicket of God’s wisdom and knowledge is so deep and immense that no matter how much the soul knows, she can always enter it further; it is vast and its riches incomprehensible, as St Paul exclaims: O height of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how incomprehensible are his judgments and unsearchable his ways [Rom. 11:33]” (SC.36:10).  “And, in exchange, it will be a singular comfort and happiness for her to enter all the afflictions and trials of the world and everything, however difficult and painful, that might be a means to this knowledge, even the anguish and agony of death, all in order to see herself further within her God” (SC.36:11). John is firmly convinced that suffering brings the soul to the most intimate and purest knowledge.  Pain, suffering, and trials in this state will not affect the soul as it did before this union. She sees all in the light of God himself. “Suffering is the means of her penetrating further, deep into the thicket of the delectable wisdom of God. The purest suffering brings with it the purest and most intimate knowing, and consequently the purest and highest joy, because it is a knowing from further within” (SC.36:12). Note: The phrase “and further, deep into the thicket” emphasizes the deeper or more interior aspect of contemplation. It captures the essence of contemplative prayer. ### Stanza 37: Incarnation and Then We Will Go on to the high caverns in the rock which are so well concealed; there we shall enter and taste the fresh juice of the pomegranates. (SC Stanza 37)  “One of the reasons urging the soul most to enter this thicket of God’s wisdom and to know its beauty from further within is her wish to unite her intellect and God in the knowledge and the mysteries of the Incarnation, in which is contained the highest and most savory wisdom of all his works.... These mysteries are exalted in wisdom, and the soul enters the knowledge of them, engulfing and immersing herself in them” (SC.37:2).  In John’s writings, the mysteries of the Incarnation are closely connected to “... The salvation of the human race. These mysteries are so profound that she very appropriately calls them high caverns: high, because of the height of the sublime mysteries; and caverns, because of the depth of God’s wisdom in them” (SC.37.3). Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.99 Side note: “‘The high caverns in the rock; the rock is Christ’ (1 Cor. 10:4). The greatest mystery of all is the Hypostatic Union [see SC.37:3], God becoming man. St. John’s remarkable devotion to the Divine Infant was not based on sentiment, but on his profound understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation. It is not surprising that we find the same emphasis in St. Teresa; in her writings she is continually recalling us to the Sacred Humanity of Christ. The person of Jesus was everything to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and it could well be that she drew inspiration for the meditation and teaching on the merciful love of God from passages such as this in The Spiritual Canticle. Most of the quotations from St. John of the Cross in her writings are from The Spiritual Canticle; she knew it thoroughly” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, John Venard, O.C.D. pg. 263).  “There is much to fathom in Christ, for he is like an abundant mine with many recesses of treasures, so that however deep individuals may go they never reach the end or bottom, but rather in every recess find new veins with new riches everywhere. On this account St. Paul said of Christ: In Christ dwell hidden all treasures and wisdom [Col. 2:3]” (SC.37:4).  John reminds the reader that no one can know or understand the sublime mysteries of God without first having undergone much suffering, trials and purification. “For one cannot reach in this life what is attainable of these mysteries of Christ without having suffered much and without having received numerous intellectual and sensible favors from God, and without having undergone much spiritual activity; for all these favors are inferior to the wisdom of the mysteries of Christ in that they serve as preparations for coming to this wisdom” (SC.37:4).  “Furthermore, since the soul and God are now united in this state of spiritual marriage that we are discussing, the soul performs no work without God” (SC.37:6).  By using the image of pomegranates, John conveys the attributes of God and their effects in the soul: “The pomegranates stand for the mysteries of Christ, the judgments of the wisdom of God, and the virtues and attributes uncovered in the knowledge of these innumerable mysteries and judgments. Just as pomegranates have many little seeds formed and sustained within the circular shell, so each of the attributes, mysteries, judgments, and virtues of God, like a round shell of power and mystery, holds and sustains a multitude of marvelous decrees and wondrous effects” (SC.37:7).  “The juice from these pomegranates [the divine knowledge] that the bride and the Bridegroom will taste is the fruition and delight of the love of God overflowing from the knowledge of his attributes” (SC.37:8). John teaches that the pinnacle of this transformation and union is to taste and experience this lofty knowledge of God. It is a pure gift from God to the soul. ### Stanza 38: Perfect Love. “There You Will Show me/what My Soul Has Been seeking...”  “The soul’s aim is a love equal to God’s. She always desired this equality, naturally and supernaturally... Just as the soul, according to St. Paul, will know them as she is known by God [1 Cor. 13:12], so she will also love God as she is loved by him. As her intellect will be the intellect of God, her will then will be God’s will, and thus her love will be Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.100 God’s love. The soul’s will is not destroyed there, but is so firmly united with the strength of God’s will, with which he loves her, that her love for him is as strong and perfect as his love for her; for the two wills are so united that there is only one will and love, which is God’s” (SC.38:3).  John further explains, citing the Scripture passage that in this stage of transformation and union, God gives the soul a new name. “And I will write upon this one the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and also my new name [Rv. 3:12]” (SC.38:8). Side note: “We should read this [passage] against the background of the Biblical notion of ‘name’; the tremendous significance of ‘writing on him the name of my God’ points to a complete change of status, so that something in the person undergoes a radical and profound change; an elevation to the Godhead itself. The radical change or renewal of the person is effected; ‘I will write upon him … my new name.’ We recall the great significance of Jesus’ changing Simon’s name to Peter; it implied and actually effected a complete change in the person of Peter, imparting to him qualities which naturally he lacked; Simon did become ‘the Rock’ after Pentecost; strong, courageous and reliable, by the action of the Holy Spirit” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, John Venard, O.C.D., pg. 279). ### Stanza 39: “The Breathing of the air” – Communication of the Holy Spirit and the Trinitarian Life the breathing of the air, the song of the sweet nightingale, the grove and its living beauty in the serene night, with a flame that is consuming and painless.  In paragraph 2 of stanza 39, John goes on to describe the bestowing of different gifts to the soul in perfect love: o First, is the breath or the spiration of the Holy Spirit from God to her from her to God. o Second, jubilation in the fruition of God. o Third, the knowledge of creatures and of their orderly arrangement. o Fourth, pure and clear contemplation of the divine essence. o Fifth, a total transformation in the immense love of God.  The whole stanza is an elaborate explanation of the themes above. “This spiration of love is the Holy Spirit himself, who in the Father and the Son breathes out to her in this transformation in order to unite her to himself. There would not be a true and total transformation if the soul were not transformed in the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity in an open and manifest degree” (SC.39:3).  Speaking with the authority of one who knows from experience, John boldly states “... that God favors her [the soul] by union with the Most Blessed Trinity, in which she become deiform and God through participation, …This is transformation in the three Persons in power and wisdom and love, and thus the soul is like God through this Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.101 transformation. He created her in his image and likeness that she might attain such resemblance” (SC.39:4).  “Accordingly, souls possess the same goods by participation that the Son possesses by nature. As a result they are truly gods by participation, equals and companions of God” (SC.39:6).  “Although this participation will be perfectly accomplished in the next life, still in this life when the soul has reached the state of perfection, as has the soul we are here discussing, she obtains a foretaste and noticeable trace of it in the way we are describing, although as we said it is indescribable” (SC.39:6). For personal reflection: “O souls, created for these grandeurs and called to them! What are you doing? How are you spending your time?” (SC.39:7).  Commenting on the second theme (“jubilation in the fruition of God”), John explains that the soul “... like the sweet nightingale, sings a new and jubilant song together with God, who moves her to do this. He gives his voice to her that so united with him, she may give it together with him to God.... Since the soul rejoices in and praises God with God himself in this union... it is a praise highly perfect and pleasing to God, for a soul in this state of perfection performs very perfect works” (SC.39:9).  “The grove and its living beauty” (stanza 39). When explaining the third theme (“the knowledge of creatures and of their orderly arrangement”), John gives prominence to the knowledge of creatures and creation. God bestows on the soul a certain knowledge that “... he nurtures and gives being to all creatures rooted and living in him. Through this gift God shows himself to her and reveals himself as Creator.... that every earthly and heavenly creature not only has from God but also manifests in its wise, well ordered, gracious, and harmonious relationship to other creatures. We find this accord among the lower creatures and among the higher, and we find it as well in the relationships between the higher and lower. The knowledge of this harmony fascinates and delights the soul” (SC.39:11). “In the serene night” — the night of contemplation  God moves the soul to the contemplation of all things. Paragraph 12 of stanza 39 is perhaps the most comprehensive and instructive passage of John’s teaching on contemplation. “Because of its obscurity, she [the soul] calls contemplation night. On this account contemplation is also termed mystical theology, meaning the secret or hidden knowledge of God. In contemplation God teaches the soul very quietly and secretly, without its knowing how, without the sound of words, and without the help of any bodily or spiritual faculty, in silence and quietude, in darkness to all sensory and natural things. Some spiritual persons call this contemplation knowing by unknowing. For this knowledge is not produced by the intellect that the philosophers call the agent intellect, which works on the forms, phantasies, and apprehensions of the corporal faculties; rather it is produced in the possible or passive intellect. This possible intellect, without the reception of these forms, and so on, receives passively only substantial knowledge, Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.102 which is divested of images and given without any work or active function of the intellect” (SC.39:12). Side note: “It is ‘night’; in darkness, yet it is luminous; it is obscure, yet it is a knowledge of the deepest things of God – a knowledge which comes from God himself, quietly, secretly, without the soul’s knowing how. It is not to be confused with knowledge in the ordinary sense of that word, for in contemplation all natural means of knowing and understanding cease.... Natural knowledge comes through images, concepts, ideas; this knowledge needs none of these intermediaries. The intellect simply does not function in the ordinary way; it simply receives passively (‘in the passive intellect’); we understand, not knowing how. And if we could explain how we know and indeed, what we know, adequately, this would not be contemplation” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, John Venard, O.C.D. SC, pg. 289).  John reminds the reader: “Yet however sublime this knowledge may be, it is still a dark night when compared with the beatific knowledge she asks for here.... that is, in beatific and clear contemplation, the night of the dark contemplation of this earth changing into the contemplation of the clear and serene vision of God in heaven” (SC.39:13).  “With a flame that is consuming and painless” (stanza 39). The fifth theme is a total transformation in the immense love of God. The flame “must consummate and transform the soul in God; and the inflammation and transformation engendered by this flame must give no pain to the soul...” (SC.39:14).  At the end of stanza 39, John asserts that knowledge and love must go together complementing and fulfilling each other. “Since in the preceding stanzas as well as in this one the bride sought from God immense communications and knowledge for which she needs the strongest and highest love, a love commensurate with the greatness and height of this knowledge, she asks that this knowledge be communicated in consummated, perfect, and strong love” (SC.39:15, emphasis added).  In the final stanza, John mentions five blessings and a brief summary in retrospect of the spiritual journey: o “First, her soul is detached and withdrawn from all things. o Second, the devil is conquered and put to flight. o Third, the passions are subjected and the natural appetites mortified. o Fourth and fifth, the sensory and lower part is reformed, purified, and brought into conformity with the spiritual part” (SC.40:1). o The soul’s desires are fulfilled and “it has entered so deeply into interior recollection…” (SC.40:2). Essential points to discuss in conclusion:  For Seculars, union with God through participation is lived amid life’s daily challenges and informs their attitudes and actions.  This union is not a one-time event but a lifelong process of growth and transformation.  The virtue of self-denial is a form of love and union with God. Love is the very essence of detachment and self-denial. “... fired with love’s urgent longings” — “A more intense Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.103 enkindling of another, better love (love of the soul’s Bridegroom) is necessary for the vanquishing of the appetites and the denial of this pleasure” (A.1.14:2).  Genuine love is not a romantic, self-gratifying experience. Rather, it involves a process of conversion, of transcending one’s ego, of giving one’s life for the Beloved. Love is a self-disciplining process. “... to love is to labor to divest and deprive oneself for God of all that is not God” (A.2.5:7).  In the absence of divine wisdom, love could remain merely a feeling. The knowledge of God and love are essential for the soul’s spiritual progress. John refers to it as “loving knowledge.”  The fruits of detachment and self-denial include: o increased knowledge of God and of self; o growth in humility and in understanding and empathy toward others; o freedom from slavery to desires and attachments; o the experience of a sense of God’s mercy.  A single-minded, single-hearted choice for love of God develops a habit of seeing everything as secondary to the quest for God’s love. “All the world’s wisdom and human ability compared to the infinite wisdom of God is pure and utter ignorance” (A.1:4.4).  Transformation and union with God are not about the individual only. God gives His gifts to individuals for the good of the Church and the World. ### Conclusion “Always, we are reminded, ‘Christ’s by essence, ours by participation;’... Lest we should forget that it is only in and through the Church and as ‘members of His Body, which is the Church’ that all these graces come to us. St. John of the Cross places the mystical experience of the Spiritual Marriage firmly within the context of the Church. It is not, and can never be, simply a private, individual experience. This would be to overlook the mysterious, mystical, but real identity between Christ and His mystical Body, the Church, and every member of it. Mysticism adds to the institutional and sacramental aspects of the Church, an enrichment which makes for fullness and completion, which will be realized when we, the Church, ‘share the beauty of the Spouse when we see God face to face’” (The Spiritual Canticle, Simplified Version, John Venard, O.C.D., pg. 255). “I am a daughter of the Church.” St. Teresa of Jesus “I want to be a daughter of the Church as our Holy Mother St. Teresa was.” “Yes, I have found my place in the Church, and it is You, O my God, who have given me this place; in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I shall be love.” St. Thérèse of Lisieux Spiritual Canticle – Session Five p.104 “The Carmelite Secular is called to live and witness the charism of the Teresian Carmel in the local Church, that portion of the People of God in which the Church of Christ is truly present and acts” (OCDS Const. #27). ### Prayer May grace and peace be accomplished and perfect in you in the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, as all things of his divine power that pertain to life and piety are given us through the knowledge of him who called us with his own glory and power, by whom he has given us very great and precious promises, that by these we may be made partakers of the divine nature (2 Pt. 1:2-4; SC.39:6). ## Bibliography The Collected Works of John of the Cross, ICS Publications, 1991, 2017. Venard, John, O.C.D. The Spiritual Canticle, Saint John of the Cross. Simplified Version with Notes, 1990, E. J. Dwyer (Australia) Pty Ltd. (out of print, available on Internet Archive). Hornton, John and Varenne, Susan. The Essential Pope Benedict XVI, His Central Writings and Speeches. HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, Study Edition, Prepared by Marc Foley, O.C.D. ICS Publications, 2005. Living Flame of Love – Introduction p.105 --- **Source:** Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, *Ongoing Formation Volume II: Human Transformation and Union According to the Writings of St. John of the Cross* (US National Formation Program, 2025).