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Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint John of the Cross, a 16th century mystic, poet, priest, and Doctor of the Church.
John was ordained a priest at the age of 25, but most of his spiritual “formation” happened shortly thereafter while imprisoned by his own religious community.
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After attempting to introduce stricter spiritual practices into the life of his monastery, John was thrown into a darkened cell all by himself for nine terrible months.
One night, he decided to escape. So, he pried open his door, made his way to the edge of his monastery, and in the pitch black while dangling twenty to thirty feet in the air, he let go.
John spent the rest of his life living in different monasteries around Spain, writing poetry and spiritual canticles.
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In his famous work, The Dark Night of the Soul, John likened a soul’s journey to God to that fateful night of his escape.
When he let go of the wall surrounding his monastery, he knew he also had to leave behind his anger, grief, and frustration at his brothers. He could not expect to be welcomed into heaven if he still harbored evil thoughts about what happened in his heart.
As he later wrote, “In the twilight of our lives, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions or worldly successes, but by how much we have loved.” In his case, that also included how much he was able to love those who imprisoned him.
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So, what might John’s life and writings say to us today?
There are parts of every human soul which we must detach ourselves from – whether it’s anger, jealousy, greed, pride, or any other sin.
We cannot simply hope these things go away; rather, we must develop a sense of urgency, confronting those hardened parts of our hearts with prayer, fasting, and penance.
At times, it’s quite painful. But doing so makes more and more room for God, until God becomes, “all in all.”
Saint John of the Cross, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Christianity Today (2) John of the Cross, Wikipedia (3) Salt and Light Blog