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Title: The Spiritual Canticle of the Soul - St. John of the Cross Post by: Brigid on September 13, 2010, 06:36:41 PM STANZA III
In search of my Love I will go over mountains and strands; I will gather no flowers, I will fear no wild beasts; And pass by the mighty and the frontiers. THE soul, observing that its sighs and prayers suffice not to find the Beloved, and that it has not been helped by the messengers it invoked in the first and second stanzas, will not, because its searching is real and its love great, leave undone anything itself can do. The soul that really loves God is not dilatory in its efforts to find the Son of God, its Beloved; and, even when it has done all it could it is still not satisfied, thinking it has done nothing. Accordingly, the soul is now, in this third stanza, actively seeking the Beloved, and saying how He is to be found; namely, in the practice of all virtue and in the spiritual exercises of the active and contemplative life; for this end it rejects all delights and all comforts; and all the power and wiles of its three enemies, the world, the devil, and the flesh, are unable to delay it or hinder it on the road. "In search of my Love." Title: Re: The Spiritual Canticle of the Soul - St. John of the Cross Post by: Shin on September 13, 2010, 06:52:23 PM Truly some of the most beautiful words ever written! Thank you Brigid! :thrones: :cherubim: :angelblue: :angelyellow:
Title: Re: The Spiritual Canticle of the Soul - St. John of the Cross Post by: martin on September 13, 2010, 07:21:43 PM What a beautiful stage to attain where one can ignore trials and tribulations and even use these things that were intended by the evil one to block progress and instead turn them round to ones advantage.
Reminds me of the words from the fiveteen beautiful prayers of St Bridget where we pray. "Teach me to keep, through pure love, Thy Commandments, whose way is wide and easy for those who love Thee." Amen |