Who is St. John of the Cross?

We must not be proud of our emotional state in times of deep prayer, or ashamed of it, or otherwise preoccupied with it in any way. Our attention must always be on the Lord, not on what we desire for ourselves, or on agreeable or disagreeable feelings.

St. John of the Cross does not want merely to bring you close to a true understanding of your flawed and broken self. He also is bringing you close to the fire, to the “living flame of love, that tenderly wounds my soul in the deepest center.”