Ascent of Mount Carmel"St. John of the Cross lived a monastic and ascetic life, believing this was the best way to combat the evils of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and to focus on God alone. The Ascent of Mount Carmel, which he began composing after his escape from prison, is the story of the loneliness and suffering of the soul before its reunion with God. Included in this volume is not only the relatively brief poem only eight stanzas long but the poet s own stanza-by-stanza, line-by-line, and verse-by-verse deconstruction as well. Divided into three books (and a grand total of 91 chapters), The Ascent of Mount Carmel also contains footnotes to verses of scripture referred to in the poem. Spanish mystic and poet ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS (1542 1591) played a major role in the Catholic Reformation of the 16th century, and produced several renowned writings, including his Spiritual Canticle, The Dark Night of the Soul, and Sayings of Love and Peace." |
Contents
THE ASCENT OF MOUNT CARMEL | 1 |
BOOK I | 9 |
The necessity of passing truly through the dark night of sense which | 15 |
Continuation of the same subject Proofs from scripture of the necessity | 21 |
negative and positive Proofs from | 27 |
The desires torment the soul Proofs and illustrations | 31 |
The desires pollute the soul Proofs from Scripture | 38 |
The necessity of freedom from all desires however slight for the divine | 45 |
their nature and division | 204 |
Of the second kind of revelations the disclosure of secrets and hidden | 216 |
of interior words formally wrought in a supernatural way Of the dangers | 229 |
Of intellectual apprehensions resulting from the interior impressions | 235 |
CHAPTER I | 241 |
Three kinds of evils to which the soul is liable when not in darkness | 250 |
Of the third evil proceeding from the distinct natural knowledge of | 255 |
CHAPTER VIII | 263 |
21 | 51 |
Explanation of the second line of the stanza | 60 |
CHAPTER XV | 61 |
The second part or cause of this nightfaith Two reasons why it | 66 |
How the soul must be in darkness in order to be duly guided by faith | 71 |
The three theological virtues perfect the powers of the soul and bring | 82 |
CHAPTER VIII | 93 |
Faith is the proximate and proportionate means of the understanding | 99 |
Of natural and imaginary apprehensions Their nature They cannot | 112 |
CHAPTER XIII | 118 |
Of the occasional necessity of meditating and exerting the natural | 131 |
Of the ends and ways of God in communicating spiritual blessings to | 143 |
How souls are injured because their spiritual directors do not guide them | 150 |
Visions revelations and locutions though true and from God | 156 |
Proofs from Scripture that the divine locutions though always true | 166 |
God is at times displeased with certain prayers though He answers them | 172 |
166 | 182 |
Of the purely spiritual apprehensions of the understanding | 195 |
CHAPTER XII | 270 |
CHAPTER XIII | 277 |
CHAPTER XVI | 284 |
Of the evils resulting from joy in temporal goods | 290 |
The benefits resulting from withdrawing our joy from temporal things | 297 |
The benefits of not rejoicing in natural goods | 307 |
The evils which befall the soul when the will has joy in sensible goods | 313 |
moral goods How the will may lawfully | 320 |
The benefits of repressing all joy in moral goods | 329 |
The benefits of selfdenial in the joy of supernatural graces | 340 |
Of the spiritual goods distinctly cognisable by the understanding and | 343 |
The subject continued The ignorance of some people in the matter | 349 |
The right use of churches and oratories How the soul is to be directed | 358 |
Of other motives to prayer adopted by many namely many ceremonies | 366 |
CHAPTER XLIV | 372 |
| 385 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Abiu Apostle apprehensions ascend attain Balaam become blind bodily senses CHAPTER Christ clear communications concupiscence converse with God created things creature dark night delusions desires detachment devil divine union effect empty enter evil exterior eyes faculties forms gifts give glory grace greater hath heart hinder Holy Ghost hope images imagination imperfection impressions interior interior locutions John kind knowledge labour less light locutions Lord Luke Matt matter means of union meditation memory mind mortal sin mortify Mount Carmel Mourning for Adonis natural Nazarites necessary never night of sense objects occasions of sin pleasure powers prayer profit prophecy prophet proximate means Psalmist pure reason received rejoice rest revelations saith seek sensible sensual soul speak spiritual persons supernatural sweetness teaching temporal Teresa thee therein thou three theological virtues tion true truth understanding vanity venial sins virtues visions wisdom words