L i v I NG i n T H E sac r e d John wore a hair shirt, fasted, and slept on a wooden board in a small cubicle. Sometime between 1574 and 1577, John had a vision of the crucified Christ, which he recreated in a drawing that still exists, and heard God telling him that he would be part of bringing greater perfection to religious life. In 1577, Carmelites who opposed the reforms of Teresa imprisoned John. He was tried and convicted by a court of friars and subjected to public lashing, confinement in a cell barely large enough for his body, and a sparse diet. He escaped the following year. John established eight more Carmelite monasteries. He died in 1591. Like other saints of the Church, John struggled with periods in which he did not feel the presence of God. His most famous poem, The Dark Night of the Soul, describes the path of reaching spiritual maturity. In it, hardship and separation are not seen as problems but as natural stages of achieving union with God. After the initial “honeymoons” of life—as newlyweds, newly-professed members of religious orders, or new employees—the initial luster and excitement may wear off. We can find ourselves bored, frustrated, or unstimulated. John’s great works have endured over centuries because they offer readers a path of return to intimate, passionate communion with God, even at times of duress. John’s life demonstrates the journey to becoming a mature disciple of Jesus Christ.
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