St John of the Cross

Many books of spiritual counsel are of little practical use to ordinary Christian men and women - even when the advice is relevant to the problems involved in trying to lead a Christian life in the modern world - because they are written in a curious devotional jargon which is almost unreadable. Unlike the writers of many of these books, Father John of Kronstadt had an enormous spiritual influence. He knew the problems facing those who seek to live the Christian life in the world. He was parish priest of a great port and naval base, but his powers of healing and his spiritual guidance brought him a reputation that spread throughout Russia and even beyond its borders. Yet his teaching - that of a man of action as well as a man of prayer - is as practical and down to earth as was the man himself. His book My Life in Christ has continued to have a deep and wide-spread influence on Russian spirituality. This present selection and translation from the original 300,000 words conveys in English the essential qualities of a great spiritual master of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Includes an introduction to the life and work of Father John by the editor.

Spiritual Counsels

E. Allison Peers

2017 Reprint of 1953 Edition. Originally published in 1953 as Volume One of the The Complete Works of Saint John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa published in 1935. In this work, a spiritual masterpiece and classic of Christian literature and mysticism, the author addresses several subjects, among them pride, avarice, envy, and other human imperfections. His discussion of the Dark Night, which considers afflictions and pain suffered by the soul, is followed by an extended explanation of divine love and the soul's exultant union with God. The Dark Night (from which the spiritual term takes its name) narrates the journey of the soul from its bodily home to union with God. It happens during the night, which represents the hardships and difficulties met in detachment from the world and reaching the light of the union with the Creator. There are several steps in this night, which are related in successive stanzas. The narrative explains the painful experience that people endure as they seek to grow in spiritual maturity and union with God. This fine translation by E. Allison Peers is considered one of the faithful that has appeared and a preferred rendering of the original Spanish.

Dark Night of the Soul

Saint John of the Cross

While spiritual guidance may be simply a comfort to some, it is an absolute necessity to those who would undertake the monumental task of fulfilling the soul's destiny of unity with God. In coming into the presence of the divine Creator, man would find himself infinitely smaller and wholly finite, a crushing blow to the ego, but the necessary process by which one truly becomes communed with God. Proceeding through the forest of human imperfections, St. John of the Cross offers a light in the darkness. A sympathetic guide, this poem and its explication are offered to ease the task of shedding the mental trappings of human existence, and to encourage fortitude in the face of suffering and the detachment of the spirit from the merely imagined self in order to fully become a blessed child of God, ready and able to embrace the glory that entails. Spanish mystic and poet ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS (1542-1591) played a major role in the Catholic Reformation of the 16th century, and produced several renowned writings, including his Spiritual Canticle and Sayings of Love and Peace.

The Dark Night of the Soul

This revised edition of The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross was produced to mark the fourth centenary of the death of St. John of the Cross (1542–1591). The result is an English translation of his writings that preserves the authentic meaning of the great mystic’s writings, presents them as clearly as possible, and at the same time gives the reader the doctrinal and historical information that will lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the teachings of the Mystical Doctor. Included in The Collected Works are St. John’s poetry, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, and The Living Flame of Love, as well as his extant letters and other counsels. More Information: Complementing St. John’s writings are a comprehensive General Introduction for the entire work, as well as brief, enlightening introductions for each specific work, explaining theme and structure. These are enhanced by new and expanded footnotes and a glossary of terms. About the Translators Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. Father Kieran, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, made his profession as a Discalced Carmelite in 1947. He has held several important positions within the order, including prior, formation director, and provincial councilor. A founding member of the Institute of Carmelite Studies, he subsequently served as its chair, as well as publisher of ICS Publications. Father Kieran’s major contributions in the field of Carmelite studies are his translations from the Spanish of the works of St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, in collaboration with Father Otilio Rodriguez. He also was the English translator of God Speaks in the Night: The Life, Times and Teaching of St. John of the Cross, a pictorial biography of St. John of the Cross commemorating the 400th anniversary of his death, published in several languages. In addition to translations, Father Kieran is also the author of two ICS Publications’ study editions of the works of St. Teresa, and has written several other books on St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross. Father Kieran has lectured and written widely on the teaching of both of these Carmelite saints. He is a member of the Discalced Carmelite community in Washington, D.C. Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D. Father Otilio was born in Mantinos, Palencia, Spain, and was a Carmelite for more than fifty years. He was provincial of the Burgos province several times and also served as rector of the Discalced Carmelites’ international pontifical theological faculty, the Teresianum, in Rome. Father Otilio was one of the founders of the Institutum Historicum Teresianum and was a member of the Institute of Carmelite Studies. Both internationally and throughout the United States he gave retreats and lectures on Carmelite history and spirituality and wrote extensively on Carmelite subjects. Father Otilio died in Rome in 1994.

The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross

"St. John of the Cross lived a monastic and ascetic life, believing this was the best way to combat the evils of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and to focus on God alone. The Ascent of Mount Carmel, which he began composing after his escape from prison, is the story of the loneliness and suffering of the soul before its reunion with God. Included in this volume is not only the relatively brief poem only eight stanzas long but the poet s own stanza-by-stanza, line-by-line, and verse-by-verse deconstruction as well. Divided into three books (and a grand total of 91 chapters), The Ascent of Mount Carmel also contains footnotes to verses of scripture referred to in the poem. Spanish mystic and poet ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS (1542 1591) played a major role in the Catholic Reformation of the 16th century, and produced several renowned writings, including his Spiritual Canticle, The Dark Night of the Soul, and Sayings of Love and Peace."

Ascent of Mount Carmel

Teresa De Jesus

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) is regarded as one of the greatest poets of the Spanish language and among the greatest mystical poets of any language. Drawn to the contemplative life, he joined St. Teresa of Avila in her reform of the discalced Carmelites. John considered his poetry to be the most authentic expression of his theology and his ineffable mystical experience.

St John of the Cross

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