Steven Payne - St. John of the Cross: A Guide to Understanding the Mystical Doctor

CARMELITE STUDIES

Conferences and Essays

by Members of

THE INSTITUTE OF CARMELITE STUDIES

and Others

Steven Payne, OCD

Editor

ICS Publications

Institute of Carmelite Studies

Washington, D.C.

1992

Christus Publishing, LLC

Wellesley, MA

2012

Christus Publishing, LLC

Wellesley, Massachusetts

www.ChristusPublishing.com

Copyright 1992 by Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, Inc. under the title St. John of the Cross

Copyright 2012 by Christus Publishing, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Peter J. Mongeau is the Founder and Publisher of Christus Publishing, LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

John of the Cross: conferences and essays by members of the Institute of Carmelite Studies and others / Steven Payne, editor.

p. cm. (Carmelite studies: 6)

Includes bibliographical references.

1. John of the Cross, Saint, 1542-1591. 2. Spiritual lifeChristianityHistory of doctrinesModern period, 1500-

I. Payne, Steven, 1950-. II. Institute of Carmelite Studies (Washington, D.C.). III. Series.

BX4700J7J575 199 271.7302dc20 2012939564

ISBN 978-1-936855-16-2 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-936855-17-9 (e-book)

A reproduction of the crucifix drawing by St. John of the Cross. The original is preserved in the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation, in Avila, Spain.

John Sullivan, O.C.D.

Michael Dodd, O.C.D.

Daniel Chowning, O.C.D.

Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D.

Denis Read, O.C.D.

Regis Jordan, O.C.D.

Regis Jordan, O.C.D.

Emmanuel J. Sullivan, O.C.D.

John M. Lozano, C.M.F

Richard P. Hardy, Ph.D.

Graham M. Schweig

Steven Payne, O.C.D.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotations from John of the Cross are taken from The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez, rev. ed. (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1991). For his major works, the following abbreviations are used:

(In A and N the first number indicates the book)

Also, references to Johns Letters and Sayings are based on the numbering in this revised Kavanaugh/Rodriguez translation, which sometimes differs from the numbering in other editions.

Similarly, unless otherwise noted, all quotations from Teresa of Jesus are taken from The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez, 3 vols. (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1976-1985). For her major works, the following abbreviations are used:

(In C the first number indicates the Dwelling)

Finally, throughout this volume there are extensive references to Federico Ruiz, et al., God Speaks in the Night: The Life, Times and Teaching of St. John of the Cross, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh (Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1991).

An earlier version of the article, The Influence of John of the Cross in the United States: A Preliminary Study, appeared in Teresianum 42 (1991): 123-152. We are grateful to the editors for their permission to print a slightly revised version here.

I n 1965, with a shared interest in Carmelite scholarship, a few friars of the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites joined together to found the Institute of Carmelite Studies (ICS). Its first steps were modest enough, but aspirations were high. Among other activities, the group met occasionally to encourage each other in their work and share the fruits of their research; some of the results made their way into the pages of the provinces quarterly, Spiritual Life.

Events took a new turn in 1973, however, when the Institute sponsored a republication Doubleday & Co.s 1964 edition of The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez. Suddenly the Institute found itself increasingly involved in the publications ministry; sales grew, providing resources for each new book that followed, including now classic translations of the works of Saints Teresa of Avila and Thrse of Lisieux, the writings of Blesseds Elizabeth of the Trinity and Edith Stein, and this series as well.

Since 1991 marked both the twenty-fifth anniversary of ICS and the world-wide celebration of the fourth centenary of the death of St. John of the Cross, the members of the Institute wanted to honor the occasion with a tribute to the Mystical Doctor with whom our fortunes are so closely tied. During the centenary year, with the organizational help of Fr. Kevin Culligan, O.C.D., various members of ICS offered free public conferences on the life and teachings of John of the Cross, through the local communities of the Washington Province.

These talks met with an enthusiastic response, and have been garnered here to make them available to a wider audience. Other contributions arrived later, and were added to round out this volume. This accounts for the variation in tone from article to article; wherever possible, we have retained the original oral style in which the talks were delivered, while adding appropriate notes for sources.

The essays by Michael Dodd, Daniel Chowning, Kevin Culligan, Denis Read, Regis Jordan, Emmanuel Sullivan and Steven Payne were part of the original lecture series. ICS members John Sullivan and Kieran Kavanaugh contributed material delivered at other centenary celebrations honoring the Mystical Doctor. Finally, we added articles from other authors whose essays, some originally intended for Spiritual Life, seemed especially suited to this volume.

This editors main regret is that the present volume thus ended up including only male contributors. Certainly this was not by design (except insofar as the ICS members are all Discalced Carmelite friars). Women have been among the most perceptive commentators on Johns doctrine, and among his closest friends, beginning with St. Teresa herself down to Bl. Edith Stein and St. Thrse of Lisieux in modern times; contemporary women are writing some of the best articles and books on the Mystical Doctor today, as we hope future volumes from ICS Publications will show. But this volume especially represents an opportunity for the Discalced Carmelite friars to express their gratitude to the one we call our Holy Father, and to explore his timely message, not just for ourselves, but for the whole contemporary church and world.

Yet at the same time, our contributors are well aware of Johns words in Stanzas concerning an ecstasy experienced in high contemplation: