Our present state, no matter how miserable, does not make us less attractive to God. He does not find our misery repulsive; He finds it irresistible.

St. John of the Cross tells us, “"He that journeys on the road and makes the ascent to God must needs be habitually careful to quell and mortify the desires.” But all mortification is futile, unless it is mystically joined to the redemption Jesus wrought. The point of contact is love.

It’s fair to say that Saint John of the Cross scares many people. He can seem to be proposing a spirituality that is just too hard for us mortals. The truth is that he is one of those unusual people who, if you know them only superficially, seem formidable and forbidding. But as you enter into a more intimate friendship, you begin to learn they have hearts filled with love. 

In Advent, the feast is coming, but the fast also has a place. They are both meant to be part of a healthy spiritual life, even if they seem like opposites. St. John of the Cross can help us understand this strange juxtaposition between longing and fulfillment.