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Saint John of the Cross and his path of self-renunciation

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Published: 16Dec2009
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Path of Self-renunciation

Nothing that St. John of the Cross would write, in later years, was as uncompromising as the standards he set for himself and St. Teresa, of self-renunciation. He wrote,

"Let us therefore put the love of Jesus above all things. He that clings to a creature shall fall with what is frail; but he that throws his arms around Jesus shall grow for ever stronger. He will never leave you. There is no surer road than that of the Holy Cross. Come unto Jesus and He will refresh you."

They influenced each other's writings, Sts. Teresa and John. She, infused and taught by God Himself, used the everyday evidence of God's Presence among us, for example: God is among the pots and pans. He, the learned poet, wrote, influenced by much of his theological and philosophical wisdom. They inspired one another; each contributing insights to the other.

Treachery and Scandal invade the Convent

There is always a price to be paid. Jesus paid with His Body and Blood. Teresa would pay with accusation and rejection. As St. Teresa was writing her Interior Castle, sharing her gifts of contemplation, she knew her joy and exaltation would be short-lived. The way to Resurrection and Heaven has always been through the sharp ascent up that stony mountain called Calvary, with all its pain and persecution. Teresa saw in a vision, "a great storm of tribulation." The Papal Nuncio denounced her, calling her journeys founding new houses, "gadding about."

Each house put yet another nail in her coffin. She was tired! At one of her houses, in Pastrana, a widowed Princess coerced a Carmelite into clothing her in the habit of a Carmelite. She then forced her way into the convent. Receiving as many men as she judged necessary to console her, in her widow's grief, she not only brought scandal to herself, but the Inquisition's suspicion upon St. Teresa. They accused her of being in accord with the Princess' wishes and behavior. And so, our two mystics, Teresa and John, her spiritual director, found themselves in hot water again!

By the grace of God, the Princess was judged solely responsible. St. Teresa could now go about choosing a superior for her community at Pastrana. She chose Gracian, a young man of the Spanish Court who had renounced everything to become a priest and a Carmelite. That would surely put her mind at rest. Not really!

There was a war declared between one set of good people and another. Sound familiar? The General of the Carmelite Order got his feathers ruffled when Gracian failed to inform him of his every move. He didn't have time for all these formalities. It seems, Gracian not only went about bringing much needed peace and sound balance in the convent, he concerned himself with the business of undoing some great harm, in the reform. The General of the Order, judging he was usurping some of his authority, wrote to Teresa, demanding an explanation. The letter, didn't reach her; he got no answer. Silence angered him! She was evading him! How dare she! Something was wrong!

"Patience wins all!"...only words by St. Teresa or cries from the very depth of one's heart? With every petition to the Lord we know there is a trial, a test. What was behind St. Teresa's words and how did it affect St. John? Tostado, Vicar-General of the Carmelites for Portugal and Spain, and feared head honcho of the Inquisition, had been completely swayed by the General of the Order against her. This Tostado would do everything to prevent her from being re-elected as Prioress, even to the point of ex-communicating the fifty nuns who chose to support their mother, no matter the cost. Meanwhile, the eyes of her soul strictly on her Crucified Lord, St. Teresa was finishing her Interior Castle.

Such was the state of the convent in Avila. Tostado was furious with the nuns who would not back down, even with his ex-communicating them. He needed someone to blame! Let's blame Friar John, their spiritual director. He enlisted the help of Maldonado, a Prior from Toledo. Failing to persuade the fragile director, they took St. John, arrested him and his companion, had them beaten, and locked them in different cells. St. John escaped the next morning, just long enough to destroy some papers, when he was recaptured.

Bob and Penny Lord are renowned Catholic authors and television hosts on EWTN, Global Catholic television. They are prolific writers about the Catholic faith, especially the Saints for which they have been dubbed "experts on the Saints." For more information about Saint John of the Cross go to http://www.bobandpennylord.com/St_John_of_the_Cross.htm

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