Tomb Of Saint John Of The Cross

Along with Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross is one of the great Western Christian mystics. I find it sad when I see at a bookstore under the “Spirituality” genre only works of eastern spirituality and philosophies. At times I feel the West has turned its back to its rich mystical spirituality which includes the works of Saint John of the Cross.

The Enlightenment and a desire to rationalize all things in western thought has led to a disdain towards our own heritage. The fact is that westerners are now thirsting out of a spiritual need. Rather than looking within their own tradition for enrichment, many are experimenting with eastern spirituality. The result is a personal mix and match of various ideas and techniques that give rise to a kaleidoscope of New Age groups, each with a leading guru.

The conundrum we face today is that the West looks suspiciously on Christian monastic life and religious life while it praises the monastic life of Buddhist monks. Have you ever realized how a Catholic male celibate priesthood and religious life is heavily criticized while nobody seems to complain about the male celibate Buddhist monks?

Born in 1542, Saint John of the Cross led the reform of the Carmelite religious order along with Saint Teresa of Avila. For nine months he was imprisoned by his brother friars because they did not want to hear Saint John’s reforming views. During this dark time of his life, he attained an unmatched union with God. From this experience he gave us his greatest work, and one of the classics of Western Spirituality, La Noche Oscura del Alma (The Dark Night of the Soul).

This October I had the blessing to visit the tomb of Saint John of the Cross in Segovia, Spain. Below are pictures of the San Juan de la Cruz Convent in Segovia, Spain. Saint John spent some years here, praying and meditating on the beautiful hillside behind the convent.