How To Read St. John Of The Cross
If you have tried to read St. John of the Cross and found him frustrating, or you have never picked up anything by him but want to, here are my suggestions on beginning, or beginning again. While I’m not a theologian, I’ve been reading, studying, and writing on St. John of the Cross and his works for years now. I know from personal experience that, in the beginning, he can be confusing. So I offer, in humility, the suggestions I wish someone had offered me when I was much more confused by him.
When approaching a new author, a good commentary can be helpful. Writers in the Catholic mystical tradition are often misunderstood, and unfortunately, commentators can fall into misunderstanding just like anyone else. You can certainly find unreliable explanations of St. John of the Cross from recognized Catholic publishers.
Similarly, English translations vary significantly in quality and clarity. So you should be careful in selecting an edition of his works. Do not pick up the first translation you find. There are two translations that scholars recognize as reliable.
My preferred translation is by Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh OCD and Fr. Otilio Rodriguez OCD. This translation is available from ICS Publications. ICS is the Institute for Carmelite Studies, and all their resources and publications are reliable. ICS Publications publishes The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross in one volume, and it’s available in hardback, paperback, and electronic editions. ICS also has some commentaries on the saint’s spirituality, and these are certainly valuable and helpful. But get to know the saint through his own works.
Also good is the translation by E. Allison Peers, an Anglican scholar who spent considerable time studying and understanding the writings of St. John of the Cross. In his 1933 translation, Peers was careful to stay close to the saint’s original Spanish. Some earlier translators did not—actually, they added and omitted words, sentences, even whole paragraphs. Peers followed the text of the faithful manuscripts. But the strength of his translation is also its weakness. Our beloved saint wrote in the style of the 16th Century, which allowed for more complexity in expression than we modern readers typically see. And the works are complex enough! Fr. Kavanaugh and Fr. Rodriguez worked to simplify the prose, while preserving the whole meaning, so their edition is easier to understand.
The Peers translations, however, have two practical advantages: Each of his translated works is available separately, so you don’t have to buy the whole library; and the copyright has expired, so the works are available in electronic form for free or for a small payment.
Where to Begin
The guiding principle for anyone reading St. John of the Cross is: GO SLOW. The saint’s writings are incredibly rich. He had a deep intellect, a great soul, and a poet’s voice–and, alas, he had no editor. So he wrote from the heart and didn’t hold back. My strong suggestion is to pick one of his works, and stick with it. You may find it challenging and frustrating. Be patient. And remember that you are not reading only to acquire knowledge. The best way to study theology and spirituality is on your knees. This is where prayer becomes important. Remember, you are reading a living author—yes, alive and well, more alive perhaps than you or me. Better still, he is available; he has the availability that the generosity of Heaven affords. So ask him for help. I first readThe Ascent of Mount Carmel a few pages at a time, during my weekly holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament. It took me the better part of two years. You probably won’t need as long as me. I had some confused ideas about mystical spirituality that needed to be weeded out. But take as long as you need. The goal is not to finish books so much as to befriend a saint.
He wrote both poems and commentaries on the poems. Keep in mind that both poems and commentaries are known by the same titles. I use quote marks when referring to the poems and italics when referring to the commentaries. So…
“The Living Flame of Love” is a poem, and The Living Flame of Love is the commentary on the poem.
“The Spiritual Canticle” is a poem, and The Spiritual Canticle is the commentary on the poem.
“The Dark Night” is a poem, and there is a two-part commentary: The Ascent of Mount Carmel, which is part one of the commentary, and The Dark Night, which is part two.
Which of St. John of the Cross’ books should you read first?
My suggestion is that you start with The Ascent of Mount Carmel if any of the following seems to describe you:
You have an analytical or critical mind and want to dig into the details of his theology.
You are especially interested in mystical experiences and how they fit into the spiritual life.
You have read about Catholic mysticism but don’t feel like you are getting anywhere in your spiritual life.
You suspect the Catholic mystical tradition needs to learn from non-Christian Eastern spiritualities (Hint: it really doesn’t).
You sincerely desire to live a more holy life, and to progress toward union with God, but you are having trouble with mortification of the appetites.
St. John of the Cross evidently intended The Ascent of Mount Carmel, and The Dark Night to constitute a single work. Because they come to us in separate manuscripts, subsequent editors and publishers have maintained them as separate works. One can nonetheless profit much by studying The Ascent itself. It is a priceless guide for beginners in the spiritual life who are striving to grow in intimacy with God. It might also be profitable to read only The Dark Night, but I do not think any scholars of the saint would recommend it. I certainly would not, because I tried it, years ago, with no success.
If the list above doesn’t apply to you, I suggest that you start with The Living Flame of Love. Scholars generally consider The Living Flame of Love the most accessible of the saint’s works. It’s also the shortest. In the poem and the commentary, St. John of the Cross writes of a central idea in his spirituality, that of the wound of love. He is not describing wounds inflicted on us by injustice or ill fortune. He is describing the effect of the Holy Spirit on our fallen and broken souls. When God touches us, to purify us and bring us closer to Him, we are wounded. This wound is the effect of love–not just a limited or comfortably familiar love, but an overwhelming, life-altering reality. Once touched by this love, the soul is never the same. It is wounded, and the wound produces desperate longing when the Beloved is absent. So we must draw close to Him. His touch is the living flame of love.
Union with God is the highest state of the spiritual life. The Living Flame of Love describes this lofty goal. For that reason, it can seem inaccessible to many readers. But people hiking through difficult terrain may be sustained by constantly having in mind the peak at the end of the trail. The thought of majestic vistas and cooling breezes can keep them going.
The Spiritual Canticle is a much broader and more poetical work. It is a recasting of the Song of Songs. People first exploring this extraordinary book of the Old Testament may find it beautiful but mysterious, and even discomforting. It is a passionate and frank love poem. Fr. Blaise Arminjon, in his masterful commentary on the Song (The Cantata of Love, published by Ignatius Press), cautions, “If the eyes are not sufficiently purified, one can be trapped by the sensual aspect of the images and words.” Yet he cites numerous saints and mystics, from St. Gregory of Nyssa to St. Therese of Lisieux, who treasured the profound wisdom of the Song of Songs. One of them was St. John of the Cross.
It can be said that St. John’s poem, “The Spiritual Canticle,” is a meditation on the Song of Songs. He maintains the intensity of the original but removes what might be impediments to the modern reader, unused to the sensuality found in poetry of earlier ages. He also adds a flood of enchanting imagery — green meadows, strange islands, cooling breezes — vivid poetry that nonetheless contains specific meaning in light of his spiritual teachings as a whole. He lays out these details in his commentary. Both the poem and the commentary present in a more poetic form much that is explained in theological terms in the Ascent and the Dark Night. Readers might find The Spiritual Canticle harder to understand unless they first establish the theological foundation by reading the Ascent and the Dark Night. Yet it is also true that readers who master the first two works can hardly begin to understand St. John of the Cross without The Spiritual Canticle. He is a great theologian, but he is a theologian in love.
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It always feels insufficient to summarize great works like these. But one reason, I think, justifies the effort: my very sincere desire that more people read them. A leading theologian of our time, Dr. Anthony Lilles, observes that every renewal in the life of the Church has begun with a renewal in mental prayer. Let us be renewed by learning from St. John of the Cross.
This article originally appeared on www.spiritualdirection.com.
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