"the intellect alone cannot arrive at a perfect knowledge of God" well said, Chantal. Thank you for this article, as I was one of those that when trials were at hand would say, this must be the dark night of the soul. Thank you for the clarification and the true meaning.
The road ahead is unclear, uncertain my current situation overwhelming. My limited intellect can't contain it. This is my Dark Night of the Soul. Thanks Chantal for reminding me through this reflection.
The drawing provided of the crucifixion seen from above is fascinating and served as the inspiration for an astounding large painting by Salvador Dali that is a main attraction hanging in the museum in Glasgow, Scotland
We are informed through the intellect on how to draw close to God, but we subordinate the intellect to God in order to arrive at union with Him and to be exalted by Him. We can do this directly by casting all of our care on God (cf. Proverbs 3:5; 1Peter 5:5-7; Philippians 4:6-7; James 4:5-10; Isaiah 55:7-9).
Thank you for calling to my mind the feast day of St.John of the Cross.
While I’m most often aware of the feast days that commemorate my favourite Saints, St. John got past me this year.
I think many today who might apply the term “Dark night of the soul” to some sense of loss, sorrow or depression over a difficult experience has tended to rob the phrase of the meaning intended by Saint John.
To gain even a hint of the loss and abandonment experienced during the true Dark Night of the Soul, it seems most of us would need to be stripped of much that we consider absolutely necessary (both in our day to day existence and our spiritual/prayer lives).
Reading of the conditions under which he wrote the poem which has been given the same name 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 begin to shed some light on how far we likely are from even beginning to approach the experience of which he speaks.
"the intellect alone cannot arrive at a perfect knowledge of God" well said, Chantal. Thank you for this article, as I was one of those that when trials were at hand would say, this must be the dark night of the soul. Thank you for the clarification and the true meaning.
The road ahead is unclear, uncertain my current situation overwhelming. My limited intellect can't contain it. This is my Dark Night of the Soul. Thanks Chantal for reminding me through this reflection.
The drawing provided of the crucifixion seen from above is fascinating and served as the inspiration for an astounding large painting by Salvador Dali that is a main attraction hanging in the museum in Glasgow, Scotland
We are informed through the intellect on how to draw close to God, but we subordinate the intellect to God in order to arrive at union with Him and to be exalted by Him. We can do this directly by casting all of our care on God (cf. Proverbs 3:5; 1Peter 5:5-7; Philippians 4:6-7; James 4:5-10; Isaiah 55:7-9).
Amen brother.
Thank you for calling to my mind the feast day of St.John of the Cross.
While I’m most often aware of the feast days that commemorate my favourite Saints, St. John got past me this year.
I think many today who might apply the term “Dark night of the soul” to some sense of loss, sorrow or depression over a difficult experience has tended to rob the phrase of the meaning intended by Saint John.
To gain even a hint of the loss and abandonment experienced during the true Dark Night of the Soul, it seems most of us would need to be stripped of much that we consider absolutely necessary (both in our day to day existence and our spiritual/prayer lives).
Reading of the conditions under which he wrote the poem which has been given the same name 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 begin to shed some light on how far we likely are from even beginning to approach the experience of which he speaks.