Dark Night of the Soul - St. John of the Cross

[holyorders]

I am sure that a lot of the hardcore Catholics have read this one already but this book is beginning to not only reinvigorate my faith, but also to want me to push even harder toward a possibility of sainthood. The book is very sharp and reaches toward depths of interior life that my guts could not even dream of. I suggest that a person of weak or strong faith read this book.


I am going to try to make this a "perpetual" review because I really have just started to read it. I plan on posting some of the concepts in it because I think it should be shared by every OBOB member.

If anyone has read this, what are your thoughts about this book? How did it affect your life?

This is just the introductory promotion-of-the-book post. I will be posting some concepts from it from time to time.


God Bless,
holyorders
:crossrc:

[jezic]

I have read the first part of it. I knwo that usually it is recommend that one only undertake reading it with a spiritual director close at hand. It can do damage to a soul if it is not understood right.

Though i think that anyone can read it on a basic level and they should, but, digging through his intention and taking it deep can be very trying for a soul.

It is a very good work though. :) I like the little parts of it that i have read.

Not for the faint hearted though, not at all.

The best advice about it is to read slowly and not make a passoinate decision to do something, think about the reality and its implications first.

[holyorders]

Most definitely jezic. It require great, GREAT humility to read Dark Night. St. John of the Cross rolls you in the beginning with how immature our faith can really be. I happened to like it a lot because I have a hunger to get a better faith. Yet I have to meditate on this to recieve it right.

[Irenaeus]

I've read it.
Holy orders, I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt thoroughly rebuked when I read it the first time.

[Y_Cathol]

I find St. John of the Cross difficult to read! :scratch:

[RadicallyTransformedMom]

I read it a few years back. Then i prayed fervently that God would give me a Dark night of the Soul. ummm..he did!! I wasn't ready for it. I asked prematurely i believe. it almost destroyed me. I made it through it alive thank God! I wouldnt recommend praying for it unless you are much more spiritually mature than i was. I can't say i regret it exactly. It brought me much closer to God. But, it was pretty intense.