𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒 • 𝐒𝐭. 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬

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𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲: 𝐀 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒 • 𝐒𝐭. 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓

John is a saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: “of the Cross.” The folly of the cross came to full realization in time. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34b) is the story of John’s life. The Paschal Mystery—through death to life—strongly marks John as reformer, mystic-poet, and theologian-priest.

But as agony leads to ecstasy, so John had his Ascent to Mt. Carmel, as he named it in his prose masterpiece. As man-Christian-Carmelite, he experienced in himself this purifying ascent; as spiritual director, he sensed it in others; as psychologist-theologian, he described and analyzed it in his prose writings. His prose works are outstanding in underscoring the cost of discipleship, the path of union with God: rigorous discipline, abandonment, purification. Uniquely and strongly John underlines the gospel paradox: The cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to light, abandonment to possession, denial to self to union with God. If you want to save your life, you must lose it. John is truly “of the Cross.” He died at 49—a life short, but full.

𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘵. 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘚𝘵. 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴!