Saint John of the Cross:
Passing through the dark night into God

A retreat devoted to exploring the teachings of the 16th century Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross. An emphasis will be given to how John of the Cross helps us as beginners to pass through the purifying process of the dark night of the soul in which we come to a profound experience of God's presence in our lives. Closely following the Saint's Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Dark Night, we will see how the dark night transforms our powerlessness in prayer into contemplative intimacy with God. Time will be provided for group meditation, personal reflection and discussion of the themes presented.

The topics covered in the conferences include:

• The life of Saint John of the Cross: An overview of his basic teachings.
• The night of the senses: The loss of consolation and felt sense of God's presence.
• The night of the spirit: The darkness of naked faith in which we are transformed in God.
• The wordless contemplation of God that arises in the dark night.
• Divinization through love: Discovering that God's life is our life.

Suggested Reading

Kavanaugh, Kieran & Otillio Rodriguez (trans). The Collected Works of Saint John of the Cross. ICS Publications, Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1991.

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