Dark Night of the Soul: St. John of the Cross (Book I, Ch. III & IV)

Chapter III
Of some imperfections which some of these souls are apt to have, with respect to the second capital sin, which is AVARICE, in the spiritual sense.
- Many can never have enough of listening to counsels and learning spiritual precepts, and of possessing and reading many books which treat of this matter, and they spend their time on all these things rather than on works of mortification and the perfecting of inward poverty of spirit which should be theirs.
- They burden themselves with images and rosaries...they put one down, now they take up another.
- Others you will see adorned with medals and relics [wearing these supersititiously thinking they will become holy just by wearing them instead of using them for their true purpose of devotion and in the true sacramental nature]
- I condemn the curiosity and multitude of these things, inasmuch as it is quite contrary to poverty of spirit. True devotion must issue from the heart, and consists in the truth and substance alone of what is represented by spiritual things; all the rest is attachment and affection proceeding from imperfection, and in order for one to pass from this to any kind of perfection, it is necessary for such desires to be killed.
- I know a person who for more than ten years made use of a cross roughly formed from a branch that had been blessed, fastened with a pin twisted round it; he had never ceased using it, and he always carried it about with him until I took it from him; and this was a person of no small sense and understanding.
- [Those of advanced spirituality] set their eyes only on being right with God and on pleasing Him. Thus with great generosity they give away all that they have, and delight to know that they have it not, for God's sake and for charity to their neighbor, no matter whether these be spiritual things or temporal.
- It befits the soul to contrive to labor, in so far as it can, on its own account, to the end that it may purge and perfect itself, and thus may merit being taken by God into that Divine care wherein it becomes healed of all things that it was unable to itself cure.

Chapter IV
Of other imperfections which these beginners are apt to have with respect to the third sin, which is LUXURY

- Some have many imperfections which may be described as spiritual luxury, not because they are so, but because the imperfections proceed from spiritual things. For it often comes to pass that in their spiritual exercises they are powerless to prevent it, there arises and assert themselves in the sensual part of the soul impure acts and motions, and sometimes this happens even when the spirit is deep in prayer. This can proceed from three causes.
1. The first cause from which they often proceed is the pleasure which human nature takes in spiritual things. For when the spirit is moved to pleasure and delight in God, the sensual nature, which is the lower part, is moved to pleasure and delight of the senses because it cannot [yet] possess and lay hold upon aught else, and therefore it lays hold upon that which comes nearest to itself, which is the impure and sensual.
- For example, this happens often in Communion, for when the soul receives joy and comfort in this act of love, because this Lord bestows it, the sensual nature takes that which is its own likewise, as we have said, after its manner. But when this sensual part is renewed by the purgation of the dark night, it no longer has these weaknesses.
2. The second cause whence tehse rebellions sometimes proceed is the devil, who, in order to disquiet and disturb the soul, at times when it is at prayer or is striving to pray, contrives to stir up these motions of impurity in its nature. Therefore, not only do persons become lax in prayer (for fear of these impurities), but some give up prayer altogether...since the devil attacks them then more than at other times, so that they may give up spiritual exercises.
- He succeeds in portraying to them very vividly things that are most foul and impure, and at times are very closely related to certain spiritual things and persons that are of profit to their souls, in order to terrify them and make them fearful; so that those who are affected by this dare not even look at anything or meditate upon anything, because they immediately encounter this temptation. And upon those who are inclined to melancholy this acts with such effect that they become greatly to be pitied since they are suffering so sadly; they believe it to be clear that the devil is ever present with them and that they have no power to prevent this.
3. The third source whence these impure motions are apt to proceed in order to make war upon the soul is often the fear which such persons have conceived for these impure representations and motions. Something that they see or say or think brings them to their mind, and this makes them afraid, so that they suffer from them through no fault of their own.
- There are also certain souls of so tender and frail a nature that when there comes to some spiritual consolation or some grace in prayer, the spirit of luxury is with them immediately, inebriating and delighting their sensual nature in such manner that it is as if they were plunged into the enjoyment and pleasure of this sin...the same thing happens to such souls when they are enkindled with anger or suffer and disturbance or grief.
- Some of these persons make friendships of a spiritual kind with others, which oftentimes arise from luxury and not from spirituality; this may be known to be the case when the remembrance of that friendship causes not the remembrance and love of God to grow, but occasions of remorse of conscience. When the friendship is purely spiritual, the love of God grows with it.
- But, when this lvoe arises from the vice of sensuality aforementioned, it produces the contrary effects; for the more the one grows, the more the other decreases, and the remembrance of it likewise...and again comes a certain remorse of conscience.
- Our Savior said in the Gospel: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (Jn 3:6)
- When the soul enters the dark night, it brings these kinds of love under control. It strengthens and purifies the one, namely that which is according to God; and it removes and brings the others to an end.