Saint John of the Cross – 14 December
Silence is God’s first language! WOW! How true. It maybe difficult to believe but the Silence truly has so much to reveal to those who seek a deeper meaning of Life. As long as we are lost to the word and wish to achieve great achievements, the mind rules our existence. As soon as, we realize that true living comes with withdrawing from the business of life, we will also notice the many faces of the Silence. Unfortunately, it is impossible to put it into words. Everyone experiences the depth of the Silence and communion with the Divine in the Silence differently.
I simply love the Joy and the Calmness of the Silence as it wraps itself around my being like a cozy blanket. I feel safe and embraced in the Silence of the Creator. I sense ‘his’ soothing words without hearing them.
It may be no accident that St. John of the Cross’ feast day is celebrated during the Advent season (December 14). For it is he who is best known for his moving account of the “dark night of the soul” that all seekers must experience on their way to God. He is the great mystic of Advent, who says that we are “face-to-face with Love’s own grace.” What wonderful words to ponder!
Saint John of the Cross was a 16th century reformer of the Carmelite way of life. In contrast to John’s lofty poetry, he took for himself the most menial jobs wherever he was. He served those with the most gruesome diseases before he entered monastery life. Together with Saint Teresa of Avila, he lived the primitive Rule of their Order, and paid a dear price for his commitment to reform and authentic living. Saint John of the Cross died in 1591.
