—Israel Centeno

Introduction: What is The Dark Night of the Soul?

The Dark Night of the Soul is one of the most profound and beautiful works of Christian spirituality, written by St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Carmelite mystic. In this book, St. John describes the process by which the soul, guided by God, passes through a period of purification and darkness to achieve perfect union with Him. 

The “dark night” does not refer to mere suffering or a crisis but to a spiritual state in which God withdraws His consolations—both physical and spiritual—to purify the soul of its attachments and lead it to a purer and more perfect love. 

The first part of the work focuses on the “night of the senses,” which is the initial stage of this spiritual journey. Here, St. John explains how the soul begins to detach itself from worldly pleasures and even spiritual sweetness to learn to love God in a deeper, more selfless way. 

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The Night of the Senses: Purification of the Soul

1. The Soul’s Journey Toward God: “In a dark night…”

St. John begins his poem with these words: 
“In a dark night, with anxious love inflamed, O happy chance! I went forth without being observed, my house being now at rest.”

This verse describes the moment when the soul begins its journey toward God. The “dark night” represents the state of interior purification, where the soul experiences spiritual darkness because God withdraws the lights and consolations it once enjoyed. This is not a punishment but a grace, as the soul must detach itself from everything that is not God in order to unite with Him. 

The phrase “my house being now at rest” signifies that the soul has reached a moment of quiet, where passions and disordered desires have been calmed. Only in this state of detachment can the journey toward divine union begin. 

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2. The Need for Purification

St. John explains that even though the soul loves God, it is still full of imperfections. These imperfections are not necessarily grave sins but attachments to things that are good yet not God. For example: 

• The desire to feel consolation in prayer. 
• The pursuit of pleasant spiritual experiences. 
• Attachment to material goods or the approval of others. 
• It feels abandoned by God. 
• It finds no consolation in spiritual or material things. 
• It encounters confusion, doubts, and temptations. 
• In the darkness, the soul learns to love God with a purer love because it no longer seeks Him for what He gives but for who He is. 
• This love is “inflamed” because God Himself ignites in the soul a burning desire to unite with Him completely. 

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Invitation to Contemplation: How to Live the Dark Night

The first part of The Dark Night of the Soul invites us to reflect on our relationship with God and ask ourselves: 
Are we attached to worldly things or even to spiritual consolations? 
Are we willing to go through darkness and silence to draw closer to God? 
Do we trust God even when we do not feel His presence? 

St. John encourages us not to fear the dark night, for it is a path of love. Although it may seem that God is far away, He is actually holding our hand, purifying our hearts, and preparing us for a deeper union with Him. 

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Practice for Today:

Spend a few minutes in silence and ask God to help you detach from anything that keeps you from Him. 
Meditate on these words from St. John: 
“To come to what you do not know, you must go by a way you do not know. To come to what you do not possess, you must go by a way you do not possess.”
Pray this prayer: 
“Lord, even when I do not feel You near, I trust that You are working in my life. Purify my heart and teach me to love You with a pure and selfless love.”

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