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Go up to CHAPTER TWO The Writings of John of the Cross
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[Return to Other Carmelite home]
Go up to CHAPTER TWO
The Writings of
John of the Cross
Go forward to The Greatest Poet of the Spanish
Language
After six months in the Toledo Carmelite prison, a new warden brought John the writing material he requested, and he wrote down some of his earliest poetry, to express his inner spirit at that dreadful time. The material circumstances were hardly conducive to writing; his cell was unpleasant, damp, and had only a small loophole in the wall through which the noonday light could enter. Nevertheless, the spiritual maturing of those brutal months produced the first 31 stanzas of the "Spiritual Canticle," the "Romances," and at least two other poems. 21 John's writing shows a spiritual maturity, the result of personal experience and years of directing others, together with a good knowledge of Scripture and theology.22
In the year before he died some of John's writings were destroyed by nuns concerned about the nasty insinuations of Diego Evangelista. None of the original manuscripts of John's major works remains; the longest autograph is the twelve pages of the Sayings of Light and Love. We also have some of his original letters, and an early copy of the Canticle in another hand, with what may be John's handwritten corrections added, but nothing else. Fortunately, his works have come to us through numerous copies, which are more or less faithful. This raises the need for critical scholarship to determine the most accurate original reading.
There are about a thousand pages of John's work in most modern editions, which is not much when compared to other Doctors of the Church. His writings can be classified into three groups: First, his four major works are poetry and prose together poems that he comments on stanza by stanza and verse by verse. A second group of writings are exclusively poetical, less than three hundred stanzas of verse in all; these include ten "romances" or ballads, five poetical "glosses," and two other poems. And finally we have John's shorter prose works, including the Sayings of Light and Love, Precautions, Counsels to a Religious, Censure and Opinion, and about thirty letters.
As mentioned already, John spontaneously wrote poetry to express his inner mystical experiences. He could then return to the poems to rekindle the original experience or to gain perspective in moments of anguish. At times, he writes because someone asks him to explain the meaning of his poetry. Thus, he explains the stanzas of the "Spiritual Canticle" because Mother Anne of Jesus, prioress of the discalced Carmelites in Granada, asked him to. Likewise the commentary on the "Living Flame of Love" was written in response to a request from Doņa Ana de Peņalosa, John's friend and a benefactress of the community in Granada. Often his letters include answers to explicit requests, as does the letter of April 14, 1589, addressed to a Carmelite friar, and sent from Segovia. Sometimes, John writes in greater detail because he wants to help resolve real needs he sees. This is the case with the Ascent of Mount Carmel, as John states explicitly in the Prologue (A, Prologue, 3). As we look back over four centuries of John's influence in the spiritual development of so many Christians, we can also appreciate that God inspired John to write for the benefit of the church. His writing ministry was a charism that has brought blessings to innumerable disciples throughout the centuries.
John sees his writing as a genuine expression of his own ministry. The shorter maxims clearly prolong the effectiveness of his spiritual direction, as he supports or challenges directees he has met at other times or in other places. His major works, presented as direct responses to individuals, were hardly intended to be restricted to them. John was well aware that his work would be shared with others, especially the friars and nuns of the Teresian reform. John's dedications are signs of respect to special individuals whose requests give him the occasion to speak to a wider audience. In fact, although the Canticle and Living Flame have been mentioned as addressed especially to specific individuals, their content clearly speaks to many others. All John's works manifest broad ecclesial sensitivities; they contain a universal call to holiness and prayer.
Anyone reading John today is faced with the usual problems one meets when dealing with works from another period of history. Many of John's expressions may seem unusual, even unacceptable, to contemporary readers. 23 His approach to Scripture is different,24 his lack of an explicit liturgical focus is noticeable. His emphasis on suffering may seem exaggerated, and his seemingly negative approach to this world and its values will undoubtedly put off many. But we cannot afford to let forms of expression distract us from content. The presentation is culturally restricted in certain ways, but the basic content, the dynamic of the spiritual life, is perennially challenging.
People who want to understand John's contemporary challenge should read his work directly, frequently, and reflectively. Since many Christians have had bad initial experiences of John through misinterpretations of him, it is crucial that readers leave aside any former prejudice and be open to John's influence, enthusiasm, and challenge. His commentaries help us understand the stages or dynamics in his system of spiritual growth. Consequently, readers should not bother with digressions but keep focused on the main line of the spiritual process. Each of the major works has a different point of view, and we should try to understand each, one at a time, as we do with the four gospels. Thus the Canticle leads us through the journey of love, the Ascent through the journey of faith, each having its own rhythms. We do not read John merely to gain clearer understanding of how people understood discipleship in the sixteenth century, but to gain insight into the nature of Christian commitment and spiritual growth in our own time. So we must read John with an eye on our own situations personal, ecclesial, and societal.25 The poems are the most faithful and life-giving expression of John's thought, and so, once we have a good understanding of his doctrine, as presented particularly in his commentaries, we can return frequently to the poems, letting them speak to us with constant freshness. The poems do a work of formation whether or not we read the prose.