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San Juan De La Cruz Quotes & Sayings

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Famous Quotes By San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1619062

There is another reason also why the soul has traveled safely in this obscurity; it has suffered: for the way of suffering is safer, and also more profitable, than that of rejoicing and of action. In suffering God gives strength, but in action and in joy the soul does but show its own weakness and imperfections. And in suffering, the soul practices and acquires virtue, and becomes pure, wiser, and more cautious. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1155162

For its own well-being, the intellect should be doing what you condemn; that is, it should avoid busying itself with particular knowledge, for it cannot reach God through this knowledge, which would rather hinder it in its advance toward him. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1088864

Some, too, will not leave for His sake a place which is to their taste, expecting to receive all the sweetness of God fully in their heart without moving a step, without mortifying themselves by the abandonment of a single pleasure or useless delight. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1491031

The conduct to be observed in the night of sense is this: in nowise have recourse to meditations, for, as I have said, the time is now past, let the soul be quiet and at rest, though they may think they are doing nothing, that they are losing time, and that their lukewarmness is the reason of their unwillingness to employ their thoughts. They will do enough if they keep patience, and persevere in prayer; all they have to do is to keep their soul free, unembarrassed, and at rest from all thoughts and all knowledge, not anxious about their meditation, contenting themselves simply with directing their attention lovingly and calmly towards God; and all this without anxiety or effort, or desire to feel and taste His presence. For all such efforts disquiet the soul, and distract it from the calm repose and sweet tranquility of contemplation to which they are now admitted. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 169457

If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1354551

BOOK THE FIRST Which treats of the Night of Sense. STANZA THE FIRST On a dark night, Kindled in love with yearnings - oh, happy chance! - I went forth without being observed, My house being now at rest. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1224640

Under these circumstances, if they meet with no one who understands the matter, these persons fall away, and abandon the right road; or become weak, or at least put hindrances in the way of their further advancement, because of the great efforts they make to proceed in their former way of meditation, fatiguing their natural powers beyond measure. They think that their state is the result of negligence or of sin. All their own efforts are now in vain, because God is leading them by another and a very different road, that of contemplation. Their first road was that of discursive reflection, but the second knows no imagination or reasoning. 4. It behooves those — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1515774

Everyone knows that not to go forward on this road is to turn back, and not to gain ground is to lose. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 198516

If a man wishes to be sure of the road he's traveling on, then he must close his syes and travel in the dark. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1064398

And though they may have many scruples that they are wasting time, and that it may be better for them to betake themselves to some other good work, seeing that in prayer and meditation they are become helpless; yet let them be patient with themselves, and remain quiet, for that which they are uneasy about is their own satisfaction and liberty of spirit. If they were now to exert their inferior faculties, they would simply hinder and ruin the good which, in that repose, God is working in the soul; for if a man while sitting for his portrait cannot be still, but moves about, the painter will never depict his face, and even the work already done will be spoiled. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 972427

In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and human successes, but on how well we have loved. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 665043

Have a great love for those who contradict and fail to love you, for in this way love is begotten in a heart that has no love. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 398478

Many beginners also at times possess great spiritual avarice. They hardly ever seem content with the spirit God gives them. They become unhappy and peevish because they don't find the consolation they want in spiritual things. Many never have enough of hearing counsels, or learning spiritual maxims, or keeping them and reading books about them. They spend more time in these than in striving after mortification and the perfection of the interior poverty to which they are obliged. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 207093

The will's operation is quite distinct from the will's feeling: By its operation, which is love, the will is united with God and terminates in him, and not by the feeling and gratification of its appetite that remains in the soul and goes no further. The feelings only serve as stimulants to love, if the will desires to pass beyond them; and they serve for no more. Thus the delightful feelings do not of themselves lead the soul to God, but rather cause it to become attached to delightful feelings. But the operation of the will, which is the love of God, concentrates the affection, joy, plea sure, satisfaction, and love of the soul only on God, leaving aside all things and loving him above them all. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1900938

Love is the measure by which we shall be judged. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 841752

Since the will has never tasted God as he is or known him through some gratification of the appetite, and consequently does not know what God is like, it cannot know what the pleasure of God is; nor can its being, appetite, and satisfaction know how to desire God, for he transcends all its capacity. Thus it is obvious that none of all those particular things in which it can rejoice is God. In order to be united with him, the will must consequently be emptied of and detached from all disordered appetite and satisfaction with respect to every particular thing in which it can rejoice, whether earthly or heavenly, temporal or spiritual, so that purged and cleansed of all inordinate satisfactions, joys, and appetites it might be wholly occupied in loving God with its affections. For if in any way the will can comprehend God and be united with him, it is through love and not through any gratification of the appetite. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 2023318

They are like a man who does his work over again; or who goes out of a city that he may enter it once more; or who lets go what he has caught in hunting that he may hunt it again. Their labor is in vain; for they will find nothing, and that because they are turning back to their former ways, as I have said already.4 3. Under these circumstances, if they meet with no — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 150899

Now that I no longer desire all, I have it all without desire. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 921348

How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leadeth to life, and few there are that find it!6 are words of our Lord. 8. The narrow gate — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 493236

For the soul that is blind considers falsehood to be falsehood no longer, evil not to be evil, because it puts darkness for light, and light for darkness, and falls into endless disorders. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1451947

God has to work in the soul in secret and in darkness because if we fully knew what was happening, and what Mystery, transformation, God and Grace will eventually ask of us, we would either try to take charge or stop the whole process. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 2258250

They can be like the sun, words.
They can do for the heart what light can for a field. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 2127644

Well and good if all things change, O Lord God, provided I am rooted in You. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1384032

My soul hath wrestled in it. . . . My belly was troubled in seeking it; therefore shall I possess a good possession.4 — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1437080

For one single affection remaining in the soul, or any one matter to which the mind clings either habitually or actually, is sufficient to prevent all perception and all communication of the tender and interior sweetness of the spirit of love, which contains within itself all sweetness supremely. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1713158

We must dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1491616

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man what things God hath prepared for them that love Him. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1232452

I shall sully the purity of your floor, said he...
San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1574445

Yea, if a man possess all things he cannot be content, - the greater his possessions the less will be his contentment, for the heart cannot be satisfied with possessions, but rather in detachment from all things and in poverty of spirit. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1588197

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1697712

9. Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1058087

While I don't equate the dark night with depression, I do think our depressive moods could be imagined spiritually rather than only psychologically. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1728523

Again,7 the condition to which God brought Job in order that he might converse with God, was not that of delight and bliss, of which he there speaks, and to which he had been accustomed. God left him in misery, naked on a dung-hill, abandoned and even persecuted by his friends, killed with bitterness and grief, covered with worms:8 then it was that the Most High, Who lifteth up "the poor out of the dunghill,"9 was pleased to descend and speak to Job face to face,10 revealing to him "the deep mysteries of His wisdom,"11 as He had never done before in the days of Job's prosperity. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1743074

The third sign we have for ascertaining whether this dryness be the purgation of sense, is inability to meditate and make reflections, and to excite the imagination, as before, notwithstanding all the efforts we may make; for God begins now to communicate Himself, no longer through the channel of sense, as formerly, in consecutive reflections, by which we arranged and divided our knowledge, but in pure spirit, which admits not of successive reflections, and in the act of pure contemplation, to which neither the interior nor the exterior senses of our lower nature can ascend. Hence it is that the fancy and the imagination cannot help or suggest any reflections, nor use them ever afterwards. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1818449

Keep this in mind, daughters: the soul that is quick to turn to speaking and conversing is slow to turn to God. For when it is turned toward God, it is then strongly and inwardly drawn toward silence and flight from all conversation. For God desires a soul to rejoice with him more than with any other person, however advanced and helpful the person may be. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1838713

The virtuous soul that is alone and without a master, is like a lone burning coal; it will grow colder rather than hotter. Those who fall alone remain alone in their fall, and they value their souls little since they entrust it to themselves alone. If you do not fear falling alone, do you presume that you will rise up alone? Consider how much more can be accomplished by two together than by one alone. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1873824

To endure all things, with an equable and peaceful mind, not only brings with it many blessings to the soul; but it also enables us, in the midst of our difficulties, to have a clear judgment about them, and to minister the fitting remedy for them. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1962653

Our greatest need is to be silent before this great God with the appetite and with the tongue, for the only language he hears is the silent language of love. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 2251203

14. I say this in order to make it clear that the one who would go to God relying on natural ability and reasoning will not be very spiritual. There are some who think that by pure force and the activity of the senses, which of itself is lowly and no more than natural, they can reach the strength and height of the supernatural spirit. One does not attain to this peak without surpassing and leaving aside the activity of the senses. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 2253060

Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the spirit of love, as I shall show in the explanation of the following verse. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 2267285

The clearer the light is, the more it blinds and darkens the pupil of the owl; and the more we look at the sun, the greater is the darkness it causes in our vision ... in the same way, when the divine light of contemplation assails the soul that is not wholly enlightened, it causes spiritual darkness within it. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 611477

Faith is a dark night for man, but in this very way it gives him light. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 116980

O how gently and how lovingly dost thou lie awake in the depth and centre of my soul, where thou in secret and in silence alone, as its sole Lord, abidest, not only as in Thine own house or in Thine own chamber, but also as within my own bosom, in close and intimate union. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 151021

At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love (CCC 1022; by St. John of the Cross) — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 256588

It is a great thing," says the author of the Imitation, forestalling St. John of the Cross, "a very great thing to be able to do without all solace, both human and divine, and to be willing to bear this exile of the heart for the honor of God, and in nothing seek self, and not to have regard to one's own merit. What great thing is it to be cheerful and devout when grace comes to thee? This is an hour desirable to all."3 This purgation of the sense comes — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 263606

No matter how much individuals do through their own efforts, they cannot actively purify themselves enough to be disposed in the least degree for the divine union of the perfection of love. God must take over and purge them in that fire that is dark for them, as we will explain. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 337303

To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing. To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing. To come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing. To come to enjoy what you have not, you must go by a way in which you enjoy not. To come to the possession you have not, you must go by a way in which you possess not. To come to what you are not, you must go by a way in which you are not.
John of the Cross — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 342954

having nothing and possessing all things, — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 392918

Many praise and bless Jesus as long as they receive some consolation from Him, but if He hide Himself and leave them for a little while, they fall either into complaining or into excessive dejection. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 400658

Preserve a loving attentiveness to God with no desire to feel or understand any particular thing concerning God. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 463663

There is nothing better or more necessary than love. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 565411

David in this night says of himself, "My heart is inflamed, and my reins are changed, and I am brought to nothing, and knew not."2 That is, "my heart hath been inflamed" in the love of contemplation; — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 569178

Hence they would be very foolish who would think that God is failing them because of their lack of spiritual sweetness and delight, or would rejoice, thinking they possess God because of the presence of this sweet ness. And they would be more foolish if they were to go in search of this sweetness in God and rejoice and be detained in it. With such an attitude they would no longer be seeking God with their wills grounded in the emptiness of faith and charity, but they would be seeking spiritual satisfaction and sweetness, which are creatures, by following after their own pleasure and appetite. And thus they would no longer be loving God purely, above all things, which means centering all the strength of one's will on him. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 582993

Where there is no love, put love
and you will find love. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1186122

In order to be united with him, the will must consequently be emptied of and detached from all disordered appetite and satisfaction with respect to every particular thing in which it can rejoice, whether earthly or heavenly, temporal or spiritual, so that purged and cleansed of all inordinate satisfactions, joys, and appetites it might be wholly occupied in loving God with its affections. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 614708

Love is the inclination, strength, and power for the soul in making its way to God, for love unites it with God. The more degrees of love it has, the more deeply it enters into God and centers itself in him. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 687132

Letter 33 [To a discalced Carmelite nun in Segovia[63] Ubeda, October-November 1591] ... Have a great love for those who contradict and fail to love you, for in this way love is begotten in a heart that has no love. God so acts with us, for he loves us that we might love by means of the very love he bears toward us. [63] This person's identify is unknown. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 698646

For whereas speaking distracts, silence and work collect the thoughts and strengthen the spirit. As soon therefore as a person understands what has been said to him for his good, there is not further need to hear or to discuss; but to set himself in earnest to practice what he has learnt with silence and attention, in humility, charity, and contempt of self. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 711536

Therefore, if we would listen to the voice of God15 with due reverence, the soul must stand upright, and not lean on the affections of sense for support. As the prophet Habakkuk says of himself, "I will stand upon my watch, and fix my step upon the munition, and I will behold to see what may be said to me."16 To stand upon the watch is to cast off all desires; to fix the step, is to cease from reflections of sense, that I may behold and understand what God will speak to me. Thus out of this night springs first the knowledge of one's self, and on that, as on a foundation, is built up the knowledge of God. "Let me know myself," says St. Augustine, "and I shall then know Thee, O my God," for, as the philosophers say, one extreme is known by another. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 771682

The second cause whence these rebellions sometimes proceed is the devil, who, in order to disquiet and disturb the soul, at times when it is at prayer or is striving to pray, contrives to stir up these motions of impurity in its nature; and if the soul gives heed to any of these, they cause it great harm. For through fear of these not only do persons become lax in prayer - which is the aim of the devil when he begins to strive with them - but some give up prayer altogether, because they think that these things attack them more during that exercise than apart from it, which is true, since the devil attacks them then more than at other times, so that they may give up spiritual exercises. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 804672

In his oral teaching John used to point out that the more you love God the more you desire that all people love and honor him and as the desire grows you work harder toward that end, both in prayer and in all other possible works. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 941112

8. Such is the lowliness of our condition in this life; for we think others are like ourselves and we judge others according to what we ourselves are, since our judgment arises from within us and not outside us. Thus the thief thinks others also steal; and the lustful think others are lustful too; and the malicious think others also bear malice, their judgment stemming from their own malice; and the good think well of others, for their judgment flows from the goodness of their own thoughts; and to those who are careless and asleep, it seems that others are too. Hence it is that when we are careless and asleep in God's presence, it seems to us it is God who is asleep and neglectful of us, as is seen in psalm 43 where David calls to him: Arise, Lord, why do you sleep? Arise [Ps. 44:23]. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1004226

Happiness is not a destination, it's a method of travel. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1015610

Says, he who humbleth himself shall be exalted. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 100959

19. Before the divine fire is introduced into the substance of the soul and united with it through perfect and complete purgation and purity, its flame, which is the Holy Spirit, wounds the soul by destroying and consuming the imperfections of its bad habits. And this is the work of the Holy Spirit, in which he disposes it for divine union and transformation in God through love. The very fire of love that afterward is united with the soul, glorifying it, is what previously assailed it by purging it, just as the fire that penetrates a log of wood is the same that first makes an assault on the wood, wounding it with the flame, drying it out, and stripping it of its unsightly qualities until it is so disposed that it can be penetrated and transformed into the fire. Spiritual writers call this activity the purgative way. — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1077710

If we love Him, our heart will not consider itself, nor look to its own pleasure or profit, but to the honour, glory, and pleasure of God; for the more the heart is occupied with self, the less is it occupied with God. Whether God has really stolen our heart may be ascertained by either of these two signs: - Is it anxiously seeking after God ? and has it no pleasure in anything but in Him, — San Juan De La Cruz

San Juan De La Cruz Quotes 1093764

Some of these beginners, too, make little of their faults, and at other times become over-sad when they see themselves fall into them, thinking themselves to have been saints already; and thus they become angry and impatient with themselves, which is another imperfection. Often they beseech God, with great yearnings, that He will take from them their imperfections and faults, but they do this that they may find themselves at peace, and may not be troubled by them, rather than for God's sake; not realizing that, if He should take their imperfections from them, they would probably become prouder and more presumptuous still. They dislike praising others and love to be praised themselves; sometimes they seek out such praise. Herein they are like the foolish virgins, who, when their lamps could not be lit, sought oil from others. — San Juan De La Cruz