# The Dark Night – Book Two - OCDS Ongoing Formation Volume II ## “The One Dark Night” (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Required Reading: The Dark Night, Book Two, chapters 1-3. Recommended Reading: The Dark Night, Marc Foley, chapters 1-3, pg. 131-134. Explanatory note from Fr. Foley: “In the opening chapters of book two of the Dark Night, John underscores the seamless nature of the one dark night. He reminds us that the human person, composed of sense and spirit ‘form[s] only one suppositum’ (DN.2.1:1). We are unified creatures of two interrelated parts. Thus, we can think of the dark night as a single process of purgation that takes place on different levels of our being. “John symbolizes the unity of this process by means of two images. First, ‘the difference between the two purgations is like the difference between pulling up roots or cutting off a branch’ (DN.2.2:1). The night of sense prunes the behavioral branches of our inordinate appetites. The night of the spirit digs out the psychic roots of our inordinate appetites from which the branches derive their strength. Second, it is the difference between ‘rubbing out a fresh stain or an old, deeply embedded one’ (DN.2.2:1). The night of the sense cleanses a stain from the surface of a piece of wood, whereas the night of the spirit lifts out the stain that is deeply embedded in the grain. Both images connote a single process of purification that takes place on deeper and deeper levels of our being. So what is the difference between the passive night of sense and the passive night of the spirit, and how do those two differ from this interval ‘between’ the two nights? In one sense, there is no difference; the purgation is a difference of degree and intensification and not of kind. There is only one night, and in the night of the spirit ‘both parts are jointly purified’ (DN.2.3:1)” (Dark Night, Foley pg. 133, emphasis added). Note: The purgation of the senses is only the gate to, and beginning of, contemplation that leads to the purgation of the spirit. The purgation of the senses serves more for the accommodation of the senses to the spirit than for the union of the spirit with God. Whereas the purgation of the spirit leads to transformation and union in God (see DN.2.2:1). Essential Points to Discuss:  In Book One of the Dark Night, John speaks of the imperfections of beginners and their need for purification. In Book Two, his focus is on proficients. He observes: “In this new state, as one liberated from a cramped prison cell, it goes about the things of God with much more freedom and satisfaction of spirit and with more abundant interior delight than it did in the beginning before entering the night of sense. Its imagination and faculties are no longer bound to discursive meditation and spiritual solicitude, as was their custom. The soul readily finds in its spirit, without the work of meditation, a very serene, loving contemplation and spiritual delight. Nonetheless, the purgation of the Dark Night, Book Two – Session One p.61 soul is not complete. The purgation of the principal part, that of the spirit, is lacking, and without it the sensory purgation, however strong it may have been, is incomplete because of a communication existing between the two parts [level of awareness] of the soul that form only one suppositum [substance]. As a result, certain needs, aridities, darknesses, and conflicts are felt” (DN.2.1:1, emphasis added).  “The imperfections in these proficients are of two kinds: habitual and actual. The habitual are the imperfect affections and habits still remaining like roots in the spirit, for the sensory purgation could not reach the spirit” (DN.2.2:1). Actual imperfections, according to John, are of many kinds. “Not all these proficients fall into actual imperfections in the same way” (DN.2.2:3). John lists in the subsequent paragraphs some of the imperfections of the proficients.  “These proficients also have the hebetudo mentis, the natural dullness everyone contracts through sin, and a distracted and inattentive spirit” (DN.2.2:2). “An important factor in John’s anthropology is that sin lies at the root of all the defects mentioned both here and in the first book” (DN.2, ch. 2, footnote 2).  “This is the stage in which the devil induces many into believing vain visions and false prophecies. He strives to make them presume that God and the saints speak with them, and frequently they believe their phantasy. It is here that the devil customarily fills them with presumption and pride. Drawn by vanity and arrogance, they allow themselves to be seen in exterior acts of apparent holiness, such as raptures and other exhibitions” (DN.2.2:3). Note: Examples of imperfections in a person’s spiritual life include struggling with pride, harboring resentment, being overly judgmental, lacking compassion, neglecting spiritual practices, and so on.  “So much could be said about the imperfection of these proficients, and of how irremediable they are – since proficients think their blessings are more spiritual than formerly – that I desire to pass over the matter. I only assert, in order to establish the necessity of the spiritual night (the purgation) for anyone who is to advance, that no proficients, however strenuous their efforts, will avoid many of these natural affections and imperfect habits. These must be purified before one may pass on to divine union” (DN.2.2:4).  “The real purgation of the senses begins with the spirit. … The reason is that all the imperfections and disorders of the sensory part are rooted in the spirit and from it receive their strength. All good and evil habits reside in the spirit and until these habits are purged, the senses cannot be completely purified of their rebellions and vices” (DN.2.3:1).  “In this night that follows both parts are jointly purified” (DN.2.3:2).  “He leaves the intellect in darkness, the will in aridity, the memory in emptiness, and the affections in supreme affliction, bitterness, and anguish by depriving the soul of the feeling and satisfaction it previously obtained from spiritual blessings. For this privation is one of the conditions required that the spiritual form, which is the union of love, may be introduced into the spirit and united with it [the soul]. The Lord works all of this in the soul by means of a pure and dark contemplation...” (DN.2.3:3). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Two p.62 ## Contemplative Purgation (May take multiple sessions as needed.) Required Reading: The Dark Night, Book Two, chapters 4-7. Recommended Reading: The Dark Night, Marc Foley, chapters 4-7, pg. 135-151. Explanatory note: “One dark night, fired with love’s urgent longings – ah, the sheer grace! – I went out unseen, my house being now all stilled. “Understanding this stanza now to refer to contemplative purgation or nakedness and poverty of spirit (which are all about the same), we can thus explain it, as though the soul says: … I departed from my low manner of understanding, and my feeble way of loving, and my poor and limited method of finding satisfaction in God. I did this unhindered by either the flesh or the devil” (DN.2.4:1). “... I went out from my human operation and way of acting to God’s operation and way of acting. That is: “My intellect departed from itself, changing from human and natural to divine. For united with God through this purgation, it no longer understands by means of its natural vigor and light, but by means of the divine wisdom to which it was united. “And my will departed from itself and became divine. United with the divine love, it no longer loves in a lowly manner, with its natural strength, but with the strength and purity of the Holy Spirit; and thus the will does not operate humanly in relation to God. The memory, too, was changed into eternal apprehensions of glory” (DN.2.4:2, emphasis added). Note: John’s theological anthropology relating to the intellect, memory and will is a key concept in understanding the transformation and union with God. According to John, the faculties of the soul have an infinite capacity to receive the grace of God. John explains this first stanza three times, each time from a different perspective (A.1; DN.1; DN.2). The above stanza mainly refers to the passive night of the spirit (see DN.2, ch. 3, footnote 1). Essential Points to Discuss:  “This dark night is an inflow of God into the soul, which purges it of its habitual ignorances and imperfections, natural and spiritual, and which the contemplatives call infused contemplation or mystical theology. Through this contemplation, God teaches the soul secretly and instructs it in the perfection of love without its [the soul] doing anything or understanding how this happens” (DN.2.5:1).  “Insofar as infused contemplation is loving wisdom of God, it produces two principal effects in the soul: by both purging and illumining, this contemplation prepares the soul for union with God through love. Hence the same loving wisdom that purges and illumines the blessed spirits purges and illumines the soul here on earth” (DN.2.5:1). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Two p.63  “... Why, if it is a divine light (for it illumines souls and purges them of their ignorance), does the soul call it a dark night? In answer to this, there are two reasons... First, because of the height of the divine wisdom that exceeds the abilities of the soul; and on this account the wisdom is dark for the soul. Second, because of the soul’s baseness and impurity; and on this account the wisdom is painful, afflictive, and also dark for the soul” (DN.2.5:2). In many instances, the soul is unaware of its condition.  From Fr. Foley: “One might think that because ‘contemplation is the loving wisdom of God’ (DN.2.5:1) that the divine inflow would ravish us with delight. However, the opposite is often true; we often experience ‘affliction and torment’ (DN.2.5:2). This is because we see not the light but only what the light discloses [our baseness and impurity]” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 140, emphasis added).  The Divine Wisdom instructs and challenges one’s limitations, deeply held beliefs, and consolation. St. Thérèse aptly describes her condition in Story of a Soul: “At this time I was enjoying such a living faith, such a clear faith, the thought of heaven made up all my happiness… During those very joyful days of the Easter season... He [Jesus] permitted my soul to be invaded by the thickest darkness, and that the thought of heaven, up until then so sweet to me, be no longer anything but the cause of struggle and torment. This trial was to last not a few days or a few weeks, it was not to be extinguished until the hour set by God Himself and this hour has not yet come” (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, ch. X, pg. 333).  As she was going through the interior darkness, Thérèse made an important observation of herself: “...He [God] did not send me this trial until the moment I was capable of bearing it. A little earlier I believe it would have plunged me into a state of discouragement. Now it is taking away everything that could be a natural satisfaction in my desire for heaven. Dear Mother, it seems to be now that nothing could prevent me from flying away, for I no longer have any great desires except that of loving to the point of dying of love” (Ibid., pg. 336-337). Side note: Thus, in the midst of her interior darkness, Thérèse was illumined by grace and gained freedom of spirit. “Thérèse’s doubt of faith was not antithetical [contrary] to faith but the context in which her faith matured” (The Context of Holiness, Marc Foley, pg. 137, 2008 Edition).  “How amazing and pitiful it is that the soul be so utterly weak and impure that the hand of God, though light and gentle, should feel so heavy and contrary. For the hand of God does not press down or weigh on the soul, but only touches it; and this mercifully, for God’s aim is to grant it favors and not to chastise it” (DN.2.5:7).  “The two extremes, divine and human, which are joined here… The divine extreme is the purgative contemplation, and the human extreme is the soul, the receiver of this contemplation. Since the divine extreme strikes in order to renew the soul and divinize it... The soul at the sight of its miseries feels that it is melting away and being undone by a cruel spiritual death” (DN.2.6:1).  Fr. Foley: “Just as self-knowledge is painful, so too is change. And the change native to the dark night is excruciatingly painful because it involves modifying or eradicating deeply ingrained habits that have taken root within us over a lifetime. ‘This Dark Night, Book Two – Session Two p.64 contemplation annihilates, empties, and consumes all the affections and imperfect habits the soul contracted throughout its life’ (DN.2.6:5)” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 143).  Fr. Foley: “In short, John is describing the struggles and trials of daily life that we all experience. However, those who are gifted with contemplation relate to these realities from a spiritual perspective. … For example, they keep a vigilant guard over their sensual appetites and struggle to remain faithful to their religious obligation during times of aridity” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 132).  As Thérèse writes, “Ah! may Jesus pardon me if I have caused Him any pain, but He knows very well that while I do not have the joy of faith, I am trying to carry out its works at least. I believe I have made more acts of faith in this past year than all through my whole life. At each new occasion of combat, when my enemies provoke me, I conduct myself bravely. Knowing it is cowardly to enter into a duel, I turn my back on my adversaries without deigning to look them in the face; but I run toward my Jesus” (Story of a Soul, Study Edition, ch. X, pg. 335). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Three p.65 ## Impact of Contemplation (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Required Reading: The Dark Night, Book Two, chapters 8-10. Recommended Reading: The Dark Night, Marc Foley, chapters 8-10, pg. 152-171. Essential Points to Discuss:  John continues to discuss other afflictions that trouble the soul in this state. One feels that their spiritual life has lost a sense of purpose and finds it extremely difficult to pray or attend to temporal affairs or spiritual matters.  When we find ourselves in this state, John advises not to force ourselves to pray but to accept our condition patiently. “Indeed, this is not the time to speak with God, but the time to put one’s mouth in the dust, as Jeremiah says, that perhaps there might come some actual hope [Lam. 3:29] and the time to suffer this purgation patiently. God it is who is working now in the soul, and for this reason the soul can do nothing” (DN.2.8:1).  “What does it mean to suffer purgation patiently? It means to go on living while suffering a great loss. It is comparable to going back to work after the death of a loved one. While you are inwardly absorbed in your loss, you are required to attend to the outward details of life. The only difference is that you don’t feel you have the emotional resources to deal with them. In the dark night, God provides us with the strength to carry on and even to will, though it knows not how, to accept God’s grace and ‘to suffer this purgation patiently’ (DN.2.8:1)” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 153).  “It remains to be said, then, that even though this happy night darkens the spirit, it does so only to impart light concerning all things; and even though it humbles individuals and reveals their miseries, it does so only to exalt them; and even though it impoverishes and empties them of all possessions and natural affection, it does so only that they may reach out divinely to the enjoyment of all earthly and heavenly things, with a general freedom of spirit in them all” (DN.2.9:1).  “… the soul must first be set in emptiness and poverty of spirit and purged of every natural support, consolation, and apprehension, earthly and heavenly. Thus empty, it is truly poor in spirit and stripped of the old self, and thereby able to live that new and blessed life which is the state of union with God attained by means of this night” (DN.2.9:4).  “This night withdraws the spirit from its customary manner of experience to bring it to the divine experience that is foreign to every human way” (DN.2.9:5).  “Moreover, the soul should leave aside all its former peace, because it is prepared by means of this contemplative night to attain inner peace, which is of such a quality and so delightful that, as the Church says, it surpasses all understanding [Phil. 4:7]. That [former] peace was not truly peace, because it was clothed with many imperfections, although to the soul walking in delight it seemed to be peace” (DN.2.9:6).  “This sensory and spiritual peace, since it is still imperfect, must first be purged; the soul’s peace must be disturbed and taken away.... Jeremiah felt disturbed and wept Dark Night, Book Two – Session Three p.66 over his loss of peace: My soul is withdrawn and removed from peace [Lam. 3:17]” (DN.2.9:6).  There is a question as to “... why this light of contemplation, which is so gentle and agreeable... produces such painful and disagreeable effects in these initial stages it shines upon the soul” (DN.2.9:10).  The answer is that “There is nothing in contemplation or the divine inflow that of itself can give pain; contemplation rather bestows sweetness and delight... The cause for not experiencing these agreeable effects is the soul’s weakness and imperfection at the time, its inadequate preparation, and the qualities it possesses that are contrary to this light. Because of these the soul has to suffer when the divine light shines upon it” (DN.2.9:11).  Here John introduces the telling image of a burning log. “The soul is purged and prepared for union with divine light just as the wood is prepared for transformation into the fire” (DN.2.10:1).  “Though God brings to light the unconverted parts of our souls, we should not think that he does so apart from the events of daily life.... John writes that the dark night ‘stirs up [removiendo] all the foul and vicious humors of which the soul was never before aware’ (DN.2.10:2).... God uses the events of our lives as a catalyst that stirs up, ferments, and agitates the soul and makes it conscious of its own misery” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 164-165).  John’s teachings clearly demonstrate that even within the advanced stages of one’s spiritual journey, there is an ongoing growth and deeper purification through dark nights of suffering. St. Thérèse’s description of suffering, temptation, and the depth of darkness reminds us of John’s classic description of the “passive night of the spirit.” God was working a deeper purification in Thérèse through her trials and temptations. Her story demonstrates another important role of Divine Wisdom: “He [God] did not send me this trial until the moment I was capable of bearing it. A little earlier I believe it would have plunged me into a state of discouragement.” John, quoting the Book of Wisdom (8:1), explains that the Wisdom of God, disposes all things gently and moves the soul according to its mode [Wis. 8:1] (see A.2.17:2).  “These imperfections are the fuel that catches on fire, and once they are gone there is nothing left to burn. So it is here on earth; when the imperfections are gone, the soul’s suffering terminates, and joy remains” (DN.2.10:5).  In this passive night “... The shadows of our mind upon which we construct our identities and personal fictions, and upon which we depend to make sense out of our lives, begin to crumble into uncertainty. We feel a fearful estrangement from ourselves as we lose hold of our old world of understanding. However, in the process, we gradually become enchanted as our eyes adjust to seeing a new world.... The dark night is the seed of grace germinating into glory. This is why people who are experiencing transformation ‘belong more to the next life than to this’ (DN.2.9:5)” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 156-157). Side note: John precisely observes that when we lose hold of our old way of understanding, Wisdom of God comes to our aid and imparts new knowledge and understanding to see the world from a different perspective. “The soul will be clothed in a new understanding of God in Dark Night, Book Two – Session Three p.67 God (through removal of the old understanding) and in a new love of God in God, once the will is stripped of all the old cravings and satisfactions. And God will vest the soul with new knowledge when the other old ideas and images are cast aside [Col. 3:9]... As a result, one’s activities, once human, now become divine. This is achieved in the state of union...” (A.1.5:7).  John concludes his teachings on verse 1 of the first stanza (one dark night) and proceeds to discuss the benefits of this passive night. “... it will be a good thing to leave these sad experiences and begin now to discuss the fruit of the soul’s tears and the happy traits about which it begins to sing in this second verse: fired with love’s urgent longings” (DN.2.10:10). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Four p.68 ## “Fired with love’s Urgent longings” (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Required Reading: The Dark Night, Book Two, chapters 11-14. Recommended Reading: The Dark Night, Marc Foley, chapters 11-14, pg. 172-182. Explanatory note from Fr. Foley: John begins to explain the second verse of the first stanza of the dark night poem “Fired with love’s urgent longings”: “John writes of two enkindlings of our desire for God. The first is the result of consolation given to beginners, which starts to detach them from the things of this world [disordered desires] and helps them find their joy in the things of God. ‘The soul finds its joy in spending lengthy periods at prayer, perhaps even entire nights; its penances are pleasures; its fasts happiness and the sacraments and spiritual conversations are its consolations’ (DN.1.1.3). This joy, though it has its origin in God, is more sensual than spiritual. It moves the emotions but has little effect upon the will. “The second enkindling is the result of God’s presence as contemplation, which engenders a deep spiritual love in the will, which is qualitatively different from the love that is imparted by consolation. ‘Although this enkindling of love … is in some way similar to what occurs in the sensory part of the soul, it is as different from it … as is the soul from the body or the spiritual part from the sensory part. For this enkindling of love occurs in the spirit.... [The soul is] wounded by a strong divine love, and it has a certain feeling and foretaste of God’ (DN.2.11:1)” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 172). Essential Points to Discuss:  John observes that “... The soul in the midst of these dark conflicts feels vividly and keenly that it is being wounded by a strong divine love, and it has a certain feeling and foretaste of God. Yet it understands nothing in particular, for as we said the intellect is in darkness” (DN.2.11:1).  “The spirit herein experiences an impassioned and intense love … Since this love is infused, it is more passive than active and thus generates in the soul a strong passion of love. This love is now beginning to possess something of union with God and thereby shares to a certain extent in the properties of this union” (DN.2.11:2). Note: This is not a complete union – a state of total oneness with God as described in The Spiritual Canticle and The Living Flame of Love. Rather, God’s presence is more clearly felt and illumines the faculties with joy and tranquility.  “God gathers together all the strength, faculties, and appetites of the soul, spiritual and sensory alike, so the energy and power of this whole harmonious composite may be employed in this love” (DN.2.11:4).  “… in the midst of these dark and loving afflictions, the soul feels a certain companionship and interior strength …” (DN.2.11:7). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Four p.69  John observes the difference between the purgation in this life and the next life (purgatory): “Souls are cleansed in the other life by fire, but here on earth they are cleansed and illumined only by love” (DN.2.12:1). Note: “... purgatory is not an arbitrary punishment imposed from without, like a judge passing down a sentence upon a criminal. It is a process that lasts as long as it is needed for a person to be purified” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 169).  John also points out that the loving knowledge or wisdom plays an important role in instructing and transforming the soul in this dark night: “Jeremiah shows clearly that the soul is purged by the illumination of this fire of loving wisdom (for God never bestows mystical wisdom without love, since love itself infuses it) where he says: He sent fire into my bones and instructed me [Lam. 1.13]” (DN.2.12:2). Note: As mentioned previously in our introduction, the source of this loving knowledge is Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God.  “... this dark night of contemplation consists of divine light and love – just as fire gives off both light and heat...” (DN.2.12:7).  “When the fire now inflames the soul … individuals usually acquire such strength, courage, and longings relative to God … that with singular boldness they do strange things, in whatever way necessary, in order to encounter him whom they love” (DN.2.13:5).  John gives an example “Mary Magdalene, in spite of her past, paid no heed to the crowds of people... at the banquet. She did not consider the propriety of weeping and shedding tears in the presence of our Lord’s guests. Her only concern was to reach him for whom her soul was already wounded and on fire, without any delay and without waiting for another more appropriate time [Lk. 7:37-38]” (DN.2.13:6). Side note: St. Teresa’s boldness in founding her first monastery in deep secrecy, and St. Thérèse’s courage in asking the Pope to enter Carmel at age fifteen are two other examples. For personal reflection: Can you remember a time when God’s grace imparted to you a “singular boldness” (DN.2.13:5) that gave you the strength to act with the “courage of love” (DN.2.13:6) (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 181).  The soul “possesses an energy bold enough to go out to be joined with God. The reason is that since love now imparts a force by which the soul loves authentically, and since it is the nature of love to seek to be united, joined, equaled, and assimilated to the loved object in order to be perfected in the good of love, the soul hungers and thirsts for this union or perfection of love still unattained” (DN.2.13:9).  John repeats his teaching to remind the reader that “From the beginning the divine light illumines the soul; yet at the outset it can only see through this light what is nearest – or rather within – itself, namely, its own darkness and miseries. It sees these by the mercy of God, and it did not see them before because this supernatural light did not shine in it. Accordingly, it only feels darknesses and evils at the outset” (DN.2.13:10).  “After being purged through the knowledge and feeling of these darknesses and evils, it will have eyes capable of seeing the goods of the divine light. Once all these darknesses and imperfections are expelled, it seems that the immense benefits and goods the soul Dark Night, Book Two – Session Four p.70 is acquiring in this happy night of contemplation begin to appear” (DN.2.13:10, emphasis added).  “It is clear, consequently, how God grants the soul a favor by cleansing and curing it” (DN.2.13:11).  “A person would never have been able to accomplish this work alone … Accordingly, God makes the soul die to all that he is not, so that when it is stripped and flayed of its old skin, he may clothe it anew. … This renovation illumines the human intellect with supernatural light so it becomes divine, united with the divine; informs the will with love of God so it is no longer less than divine and loves in no other way than divinely, united and made one with the divine will and love; and is also a divine conversion and changing of the memory, the affections, and the appetites according to God. And thus this soul will be a soul of heaven, heavenly and more divine than human” (DN.2.13:11).  “As we have gradually seen, God accomplishes all this work in the soul by illumining it and firing it divinely with urgent longings for God alone. Rightly and reasonably does the soul add the third verse of the stanza: – Ah, the sheer grace! –” (DN.2.13:11).  “This sheer grace resulted from what is expressed in the following verses:  I went out unseen, my house being now all stilled” (DN.2.14:1).  “All the soul’s natural activity hinders rather than helps it to receive the spiritual goods of the union of love. All natural ability is insufficient to produce the supernatural goods that God alone infuses in the soul passively, secretly, and in silence” (DN.2.14:1).  “All the faculties must receive this infusion, and in order to do so they must be passive and not interfere through their own lowly activity and vile inclinations” (DN.2.14:1).  “Oh, what a sheer grace it is for the soul to be freed from the house of its senses! This good fortune, in my opinion, can only be understood by the ones who have tasted it. For then such persons will become clearly aware of the wretched servitude and the many miseries they suffered when they were subject to the activity of their faculties and appetites. They will understand how the life of the spirit is true freedom and wealth and embodies inestimable goods” (DN.2.14:3). Note: “John’s escape at night from prison seems to have influenced the poem” (DN.2, ch. 14, footnote 1). Fr. Foley’s summary: “A person in union with God becomes a sacrament of the divine. Transformed by grace, he or she becomes a transforming presence to others. Or as John writes, ‘Once transformed, the wood...possesses the properties and performs the actions of the fire... It is hot and it gives off heat; it is brilliant and it illumines’ (DN.2.10:1). “What this means is that people who are in the state of union share the nature of God by grace; they possess the power to enkindle and awaken the love of God in others. St. Teresa, writing to her sisters, says, ‘This fire of love in you enkindles their souls and with every other virtue you will be always awakening them. Such service will not be small but very great and very pleasing to the Lord’ (IC.7.4.14). Can there be a life that is more generative?” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 168-169). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Five p.71 ## The Deepening of Transformation (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Required Reading: The Dark Night, Book Two, chapters 15-20. Recommended Reading: The Dark Night, Marc Foley, pg. 183-212. In darkness, and secure, by the secret ladder, disguised, – ah, the sheer grace! – in darkness and concealment, my house being now all stilled. Second Stanza (DN.2.15) Explanatory note from Fr. Foley: “From chapter 15 through chapter 24, John comments upon the second stanza of his poem. Chapter 15 consists of only one paragraph. Its main purpose is to prevent a misunderstanding, namely, that even though John will be commenting upon a new stanza, he will not be dealing with different material; rather, his commentary on stanza 2 will be a continuation of what he has already said in his explication of stanza 1. ‘The soul in its song continues to recount some of the properties of the darkness of this night and mentions again the happiness resulting from them’ (DN.2.15.1). “Keeping this perspective in mind will prevent some unnecessary confusion, for readers are likely to ask, ‘How is what John is saying in these chapters any different from what he has already said?’ There is a difference, but the difference is in degree not in kind” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 183-184, emphasis added). Consequently, when addressing the “dark night” in its initial stages, John mainly speaks of the purification process of the soul during its long and painful journey to union; whereas in the subsequent chapters of the Dark Night, Book Two, the soul sees and marvels at its own transformation. In addition, John gives a detailed description of secret wisdom – the loving knowledge of God (chapters 17-20) and its enduring presence in this passive night of the soul. Essential Points to Discuss: In darkness, and secure  John observes that the soul walks securely and never drifts away except through its appetites, its gratifications, or its inordinate inclinations. This night “... puts the sensory and spiritual appetites to sleep, deadens them, and deprives them of the ability to find pleasure in anything. … As a result the soul asserts that in darkness it walks securely” (DN.2.16:1, emphasis added). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Five p.72  “Once all these operations and movements are impeded, individuals are obviously freed from error in them, because they are not only liberated from themselves but also from their other enemies, the world and the devil” (DN.2.16:2).  John further notes: “If they observe closely at the time of these darknesses, individuals will see clearly how little the appetites and faculties are distracted with useless and harmful things and how secure they are from vainglory, from pride and presumption, from an empty and false joy, and from many other evils” (DN.2.16.3). Consequently, John strongly encourages us to become aware of everything that we are experiencing, not only the emotional effect of the dark night but also the spiritual benefits while walking securely.  John further motivates individuals to “... take these new and unknown roads and abandon those familiar ones.... If they refuse to lay aside their former knowledge, they will never make any further progress” (DN.2.16:8).  “There is another reason the soul walks securely in these darknesses: It advances by suffering. Suffering is a surer and even more advantageous road than that of joy and action. First, in suffering, strength is given to the soul by God.... Second, in suffering, virtues are practiced and acquired, and the soul is purified and made wiser and more cautious” (DN.2.16:9).  “Another more basic reason the soul walks securely in darkness is that this light, or obscure wisdom, so absorbs and engulfs the soul in the dark night of contemplation and brings it so near God that it is protected and freed from all that is not God. Since the soul, as it were, is undergoing a cure to regain its health, which is God himself...” (DN.2.16:10). Side note from Fr. Foley: “The implication is that when we feel that the whole of our spiritual quest is empty and void; when we have lost the motive of action; and when prayer, works of charity, and ministry seem meaningless, we advance rapidly in virtue, and a great transformation is being accomplished, if we choose to continue to put one wearied foot in front of the other. “As we have seen, John places before us the fact that our interpretation of our experience is often at odds with reality. We feel we are wandering aimlessly in a desert, as we progress toward the Promised Land. We think we are ‘getting lost rather than marching on successfully and profitably’ (DN.2.16:8). We feel we have lost sight of God when we are ‘engulf[ed] in the dark night” (DN.2.16:10)... From an emotional perspective, it is the worst of times, but from a spiritual perspective, it is the best of times” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 187-188).  “Oh, then, spiritual soul, when you see your appetites darkened, your inclinations dry and constrained, your faculties incapacitated for any interior exercise, do not be afflicted; think of this as a grace, since God is freeing you from yourself and taking from you your own activity. … God takes you by the hand and guides you in darkness, as Dark Night, Book Two – Session Five p.73 though you were blind, along a way and to a place you know not. You would never have succeeded in reaching this place no matter how good your eyes and your feet (DN.2.16:7). Side note: The role of loving wisdom in a human soul is central to John’s teachings; as such, he delves deeply into explaining the ways of this secret wisdom of God in chapters 17-20. In darkness, and secure, by the secret ladder, disguised, (Dark Night, stanza 2)  In the above verse, John introduces three different terms (secret, ladder and disguised). Two of them, “secret” and “ladder” pertain to the dark night of contemplation. They refer to what God accomplishes within the soul. “... The third, ‘disguised,’ refers to the soul and the way it conducts itself in this night” (DN.2.17:1).  There are two reasons for the wisdom, that dark contemplation is “secret” to the soul. The first is the soul’s inability to understand; its origin cannot be comprehended, for it arises out of the depths of the soul. In consequence, “the soul neither knows nor understands how this [wisdom] comes to pass and thus calls it secret.” (DN.2.17:2). The reason is that this wisdom is not acquired by reasoning or thinking. Rather, “... The Holy Spirit infuses it and puts it in order in the soul” (DN.2.17:2, emphasis added).  “Since this interior wisdom is so simple, general, and spiritual that in entering the intellect it is not clothed in any sensory species or image, the imaginative faculty cannot form an idea or picture of it in order to speak of it. This wisdom did not enter through these faculties... Yet the soul is clearly aware that it understands and tastes that delightful and wondrous wisdom” (DN.2.17.3).  The second reason this wisdom is secret is that it cannot be expressed in words; but in the process of transformation, the soul becomes aware of it. “Since the wisdom of this contemplation is the language of God to the soul, of Pure Spirit to pure spirit, all that is less than spirit, such as the sensory, fails to perceive it. Consequently this wisdom is secret to the senses; they have neither the knowledge nor the ability to speak of it, nor do they even desire to do so because it is beyond words” (DN.2.17:4).  “Souls are so elevated and exalted by this abyss of wisdom, which leads them into the heart of the science of love, that they realize that all the conditions of creatures in relation to this supreme knowing and divine experience are very base, and they perceive the lowliness, deficiency, and inadequacy of all the terms and words used in this life to deal with divine things” (DN.2.17:6, emphasis added). Side note: St. Paul, in the wake of this supreme knowledge of God, cries out in gratitude: “... those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ. I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For his sake I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my wealth, and I may be in him” (Phil. 3:7-9).  “The traces and footsteps God leaves in those whom he desires to bring to himself, by making them great in the union with his wisdom, are unrecognizable... God exalts souls Dark Night, Book Two – Session Five p.74 ... and perfects them in his wisdom. Consequently, this contemplation that is guiding the soul to God is secret wisdom” (DN.2.17:8).  John goes on to explain how this secret wisdom is also a ladder of contemplation. “First... by this secret contemplation, the soul ascends in order to plunder, know, and possess the goods and treasures of heaven” (DN.2.18:1).  The second reason this secret wisdom is called a ladder is “... because as the same steps of a ladder are used for both ascent and descent...” (DN.2.18:2).  Ups and downs of contemplation “... exalt and humble the soul. For on this road, to descend is to ascend and to ascend is to descend...” (DN.2.18:2).  “When we choose to practice humility, we feel we are descending, but in reality we are being exalted. This is due to the fact that God’s grace is purifying us of pride and helping us to grow in humility. Conversely, when we feel elated by an inordinate opinion of ourselves, we are descending into pride. These are examples of how we misinterpret our own experience and how John... discloses to us the spiritual reality beneath our erroneous, emotional interpretation” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 201).  “The soul never remains in one state, but everything is ascent and descent” (DN.2.18.3). “The reason is that since the state of perfection, which consists in perfect love of God and contempt of self, cannot exist without knowledge of God and of self, the soul necessarily must first be exercised in both (DN.2.18:4, emphasis added).  “We conclude that self-knowledge flows first from this dry night, and that from this knowledge as from its source proceeds the other knowledge of God. Hence St. Augustine said to God: ‘Let me know myself, Lord, and I will know you’” (DN.1.12:5).  On this road the soul suffers many ups and downs “... until the ascent and descent cease through the acquiring of the perfect habits. For the soul will then have reached God and united itself with him. He is at the end of the ladder and it is in him that the ladder rests” (DN.2.18:4).  John reminds the reader that it is the loving knowledge that purifies, transforms, and unites the soul to God. “Speaking now somewhat more particularly of this ladder of secret contemplation, we declare that the principal property involved in calling contemplation a ‘ladder’ is its being a science of love, which as we said is an infused loving knowledge that both illumines and enamors the soul, elevating it step by step to God, its Creator. For it is only love that unites and joins the soul to God” (DN.2.18.5, emphasis added). Side note: John goes on to explain in chapters 19 and 20 the characteristics of this “ladder” (secret wisdom) by listing ten successive steps or degrees of transformation. These ten steps represent an outline of the entire spiritual journey from consolation in prayer to the clear vision of God, wherein “... love assimilates the soul to God completely because of the clear vision of God that a person possesses at once on reaching it. After arriving at the ninth step in this life, the soul departs from the body. Since these souls – few that there be – are already extremely purged through love, they do not enter purgatory.... As we mentioned, this vision is the cause of the soul’s complete likeness to God. St. John says: We know that we shall be like him [1Jn. 3:2], not because the soul will have as much capacity as God – this is impossible – but because Dark Night, Book Two – Session Five p.75 all it is will become like God. Thus it [the soul] will be called, and shall be, God through participation” (DN.2.20:5). Note: For further understanding of these ten steps of wisdom, please read chapters 19 and 20 meditatively along with Fr. Marc Foley’s The Dark Night, pg. 204-212, The Ladder of Love. Dark Night, Book Two – Session Six p.76 ## Departing in “disguise” – “in Darkness and Concealment, My House Being Now All stilled” (May take multiple sessions, as needed.) Required Reading: The Dark Night, Book Two, chapters 21-25. Recommended Reading: The Dark Night, Marc Foley, pg. 213-234. Note: John observes that the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are three modes of God’s self-communication that transform and unite the soul with God. Explanatory note from Fr. Foley: “The purpose of John’s symbolism is to draw our attention to one aspect of the theological virtues: their protective quality. The inner white tunic of faith protects the intellect from the devil’s wiles; the green mail coat of hope defends memory from the temptations of the world; and the outer red toga of charity conceals the will from the allurements of the flesh. As we deal with the three vestures of the soul individually, we must keep in mind their intrinsic unity. Just as the faculties of intellect, memory, and will are dependent upon one another for their operation, so too the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love grow in unison” (A.3.1:1) (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 213-214). Essential Points to Discuss:  “The soul, then, touched with love for Christ, her Spouse, and aspiring to win his favor and friendship, departs in the disguise that more vividly represents the affections of her spirit. Her advance in this disguise makes her more secure against her adversaries: the devil, the world, and the flesh. The livery she thus wears is of three principal colors: white, green, and red. These three colors stand for the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity, by which she not only gains the favor and good will of her Beloved but also advances very safely, fortified against her three enemies” (DN.2.21:3). Note: For further understanding of these three colors and the corresponding virtues, read and meditate on chapter 21 in its entirety.  “In having reached the happy freedom of spirit desired by all, the soul went from the lowly to the sublime; being earthly, she became heavenly; and being human, she became divine, and arrived at having her conversation in heaven [Phil. 3:20], as is proper to this state of perfection…” (DN.2.22:1).  “Persons who refuse to go out at night in search for the Beloved and to divest and mortify their will, but rather seek the beloved in their own bed and comfort, as did the bride [Sg. 3:1], will not succeed in finding him. As this soul declares, she found him when she departed in darkness and with longings of love” (DN.2.24:4).  John quotes the third stanza of the poem (DN.2.25) as he comes to the end of his work: On that glad night, in secret, for no one saw me, nor did I look at anything, Dark Night, Book Two – Session Six p.77 with no other light or guide than the one that burned in my heart.  “... although the soul in her progress does not have the support of any particular interior light of the intellect, or of any exterior guide that may give her satisfaction on this lofty path – since these dense darknesses have deprived her of all satisfaction – love alone, which at this period burns by soliciting the heart for the Beloved, is what guides and moves her, and makes her soar to God in an unknown way along the road of solitude” (DN.2.25:4, emphasis added).  “The road of solitude does not isolate us from others but leads us to serve the community... ‘Prayer [is] not for the sake of our enjoyment but so as to have this strength to serve’ (IC 7.4:12)” (Dark Night, Foley, pg. 234). Summary explanation As a concluding remark, John explains the reason for undertaking this most important work of the “dark night.” “What was more important and the reason I undertook this task was to explain this night to many souls who in passing through it do not understand it … The nature of this night has been explained to some extent. We have also discussed the many blessings this night brings to the soul – though in a way that makes them seem less than what they in fact are – and how great a grace it is for one who passes through it. We have written of these blessing so that when the soul becomes frightened by the horror of so many trials they might take courage in the sure hope of the many advantageous blessings obtained from God through these trials” (DN.2.22:2, emphasis added). As previously noted in the introduction, “John’s exposition of the night may seem to disengage that experience from the rest of life. But the night cannot occur apart from the external happenings of every day, nor can we forget, while reading, the event of John’s imprisonment in Toledo with all its social and material deprivations. Our horizons open to many possible forms in which we may experience a dark night, according to the grace, state in life, and historical or personal circumstances of the individual. John leaves to each reader and each age the task of making suitable applications. What is essential is that the sufferings and privations bring about a growing response of faith, hope, and love; without this transforming theological life the night would fail to purify and produce fruit” (DN.1, Introduction, emphasis added). ### Prayer of St. John of the Cross In all our necessities, trials, and difficulties, no better or safer aid exists for us than prayer and hope that God will provide for us by the means he desires.... (When means are lacking and reason cannot find a way of providing for our necessities, we have only to raise our eyes to you that you may provide in the manner most pleasing to you) (Ascent 2.21:5). Dark Night, Book Two – Session Six p.78 ### Prayer Almighty Father, when the path before me is unknown and uncertain; through the intercession of St. John of the Cross, grant me the humility of heart to praise You and let You be my Guide and Lord of my life. St. John of the Cross, pray for us! ## Bibliography The Collected Works of John of the Cross, ICS Publications, 1991.  Foley, Marc, O.C.D. The Dark Night, Psychological Experience and Spiritual Reality, ICS Publications, 2018. Foley, Marc, O.C.D. The Context of Holiness, ICS Publications, Revised Edition, 2020. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, Study Edition, prepared by Marc Foley, O.C.D. ICS Publications, 2005. p.79 --- **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).