Suffering & Mortification
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The world tells us that the key to happiness is to figure out what you want, and go get it, letting no one stand in your way. Jesus very obviously wants to point us in the opposite direction, away from ourselves.
The writings of St. John of the Cross are filled with Joy. We are made for it, and it will be ours, God willing. But that is at the end of the story. We’re not there yet. We must first travel the way of sorrow.
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.