Review article
THE THREE WAYS OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS
Mario Tomljanović
; Theology of Rijeka, Dislocated Studies of Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia
Franko Gržičić
; Theology of Rijeka, Dislocated Studies of Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
According to John of the Cross, man’s only and true goal is to be united with God in love. Love is the meaning of all existence, thus it’s the core of all of John’s teaching. Man’s soul transformed into love, united by love through Him, becomes one with God, not in essence but in participation. But in order for the soul to reach that union, it must go through the Dark Night in which the sensory part of the soul with all its aspirations, passions, lusts and attachments is vigorously purified. Namely, the sensory and spiritual powers are not completely annulled, but only purified and ennobled. John bases his mystical teachings on Christ’s word from the Gospel: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16,24). Man is called to take his cross and set out on the path of renunciation and suffering, thus passing through the night of the senses and the night of the spirit. The goal is to completely empty oneself of all that is not God and thus attain the perfect humility and love needed for this union.
Keywords
John of the Cross; union; love; cross; dark night; transformation; man; suffering
Hrčak ID:
271047
URI
Publication date:
14.1.2022.
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