|
|
 John is a
saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: "of the
Cross." The folly of the cross came to full realization in time. "Whoever
wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me"
(Mark 8:34b) is the story of John’s life. The Paschal Mystery—through death
to life—strongly marks John as reformer, mystic-poet and theologian-priest.
Ordained a Carmelite priest at 25 (1567), John met Teresa of Jesus (Avila)
and like her vowed himself to the primitive Rule of the Carmelites. As
partner with Teresa and in his own right, John engaged in the work of
reform, and came to experience the price of reform: increasing opposition,
misunderstanding, persecution, imprisonment. He came to know the cross
acutely—to experience the dying of Jesus—as he sat month after month in his
dark, damp, narrow cell with only his God!
Yet, the paradox! In this dying of imprisonment John came to life, uttering
poetry. In the darkness of the dungeon, John’s spirit came into the Light.
There are many mystics, many poets; John is unique as mystic-poet,
expressing in his prison-cross the ecstasy of mystical union with God in the
Spiritual Canticle.
But as agony leads to ecstasy, so John had his Ascent to Mt. Carmel, as he
named it in his prose masterpiece. As man-Christian-Carmelite, he
experienced in himself this purifying ascent; as spiritual director, he
sensed it in others; as psychologist-theologian, he described and analyzed
it in his prose writings. His prose works are outstanding in underscoring
the cost of discipleship, the path of union with God: rigorous discipline,
abandonment, purification. Uniquely and strongly John underlines the gospel
paradox: The cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to
light, abandonment to possession, denial to self to union with God. If you
want to save your life, you must lose it. John is truly "of the Cross." He
died at 49—a life short, but full.
|
|
