Saint John of the Cross Archives

How to Make It Work

A Carmelite homily for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, 24 April 2024, Lectionary 281

In today’s Gospel Jesus says, “If anyone hears my words but does not observe them, I do not condemn him; my words condemn him.” What does this mean? Saint John of the Cross wrote a formation manual, a manual for those entering the Order – things to be aware of and things to do. And he calls it “The Precautions” – things to be cautious of. And this is the First Precaution of many precautions, the First Precaution. This is what Saint John of the Cross writes: “The First Precaution is to understand that you have come to the monastery so that all here may fashion and shape you. So think of everyone in the community as artisans, as indeed they are. Some will fashion you with words for you, some by words against you; others by deeds for you, others by deeds against you. In all this try to be submissive as the statue is to the sculptor, the statue is to the artist who paints it, or the statue is to the guilder who embellishes it. If you fail to observe this precaution you will not know how to overcome your sensitivity or your feelings, nor will you get along well in the community, nor will you find holy peace, nor free yourself from stumbling blocks or evil.” You notice how Saint John of the Cross does not say, if you don’t do this God’s gonna get you. No! If you don’t do this, this is not going to turn out well. It’s as simple as that. Do these precautions and it’s going to work; if you don’t do these precautions and it probably not going to work. I think that’s what Jesus is getting at. If you do what Jesus tells us life is going to work. Forgive one another. Don’t judge one another. Be patient with one another. Listen to one another. Treat one another with dignity, like the Golden Rule. Forgive one another seventy time seven. On and on. It’s like these are Jesus’ “The Precautions” for life to work. If we don’t do them we’ll get through life but it work as well. I think this is why Jesus says, “I will not condemn you; my words condemn you.” Because it’s not going to work as well.

To Know By Unknowing

Carmelite homily for Sunday, March 17, 2024 – Lectionary 35 (John 12:20-33) – Fifth Sunday of Lent

When I lived in Chicago I went to a concert at the Newberry Library. All very early Medieval music. And the director of the consort would get up before each song and introduce it and talk about it. Like in ecstasy, “Oh listen for this and listen for that; it’s great and this is wonderful music.” And then they’d play the song. And it was like gobbledygook. I couldn’t understand a thing. It just sounded just like noise. And then she’d introduce the next song. It was more gobbledygook, more noise; and it sounded just like the previous song – to me. Then she’d introduce the next song in ecstasy, “oh, this is going to be beautiful; listen for this and listen for that.” It all sounded the same to me – gobbledygook. I think that’s what’s going on in today’s gospel. These Greeks, and the word is “Hellenoi.” These are Greek Greeks, born in Greece. They are not Jews who speak Greek; or Jews who have gone to Greece; they are Greek Greeks. They know nothing probably of Judaism. But they’ve heard of Jesus and want to see him. So they go to Phillip. Phillip who has a Greek name. Most of the Apostles have Hebrew names. Who then goes to Andrew, who also has a Greek name. All the other Apostles have Hebrew names. They want to see Jesus so they take these Greeks to Jesus. And he says, “unless a grain of wheat dies it will not produce a great harvest; or when the Son of Man is lifted up he will draw all people to himself; or unless you lose your life you will not save it.” This had to be like gobbledygook to these Greeks. They couldn’t understand a thing of what he was saying. But I think the key here is to just take it in. These had to be important passages or they wouldn’t have been included in the gospel. Saint John of the Cross – a very popular image of him – is with his finger in front of his lips as if he were saying, “don’t talk, don’t think, just take in and experience this life; take in Jesus.” He writes, “To reach union with the wisdom of God, one must advance by unknowing rather than knowing.” I think that’s the key here. When we listen to this gospel, we who have been raised Christians have trouble understanding. What is this grain of wheat thing? What is this Son of Man draws everyone when lifted up? What is this lose your life to save it? It really doesn’t make sense. I think it’s a knowing beyond knowing. That’s the call of living with Jesus and living in his love. Saint John of the Cross is right, “To reach union with the wisdom of God, one must advance by unknowing rather than knowing.” Isn’t that love?

Stuck? Try a New Road

Carmelite homily for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 12, 2024 – Lectionary 245 (John 5:1-15)

We all know someone who is stuck. Maybe stuck in an abusive relationship where there’s no life, or damage. Or stuck in the past. They cannot let it go; they cannot forgive. Or stuck in an addiction that just is destroying everything around them and themselves. Or stuck in always needing to have the last word or control everybody. There’s a lot of ways to just get stuck and be unhappy and not be alive. In today’s gospel, there’s a man, a cripple, at the side of pool in Bethesda. And the thought then was, probably a popular devotion thing, that when the water was disturbed – it could have been by a frog or by wind or something – but whenever the water was disturbed it represented an angel in the water. And the first person in got healed. It could’ve been a psychosomatic thing. But the guy was never in first because he was a cripple. So when Jesus comes by and says, “Do you want to be healed?” the guy gets all whiny and says, “Everybody gets in before me; no one helps me; oh, poor is me.” And Jesus says, “Do you want to be healed?” The guy is stuck, though, in old ways of thinking. He did not see what was right in front of him – a new solution. Saint John of the Cross says, “Travelers cannot reach new territory if they do not take new roads and unknown roads and abandon the familiar ones.” Oftentimes that’s us. We’re not happy, but we do not want to change. We’re scared of something new; we’re scared of the unknown. That’s what Jesus is there for. Jesus is there to take our hand. To offer us the new road, to offer us the solution, to offer us to be healed. That’s the gospel for today – to be more alive, more happy, more filled, more whole. That’s the gift that Jesus is offering each of us.

Look Not

Carmelite homily for Wednesday, February 28, 2024 – Lectionary 232 (Matthew 20:17-28).

Back when I was in college I was asked to be the caretaker of a professor’s house. He was the dean of his school, while he was on an extended sabbatical. Beautiful place – grand piano, great art on the walls, great musical selection – beautiful place. I would invite my friends over, not so that we would be comfortable or just use the place, but to Show Off! That’s what I was busy doing was showing off! How much of our day is spent showing off? They are all to look at me, or give me attention, or it’s all about me. Me, My, I. And I think that’s what we see in today’s gospel. John and James send their mother to ask for positions of honor for the sons. Why? Because they want to be more important than the rest. And then the other disciples, the other apostles, all get angry at John and James and so they’re all upset too. And Jesus says, “Can you drink the chalice?” And they say, “We can!” But the chalice is the chalice of humility. It is not one they can easily drink after all, because they are far from it. Saint John of the Cross says, “It is a great wisdom to know how to be silent. Look at neither the remarks nor the deeds nor the lives of others.” I think that all the apostles miss that and maybe that’s the chalice that Jesus wants them to drink. To be silent and not look at each other, neither the remarks nor the deeds nor the lives. To be content just to be in the company of Jesus.

Rebind – Rejoin – Reconnect

Carmelite homily for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, January 28, 2024 – Lectionary 71 (Mark 1:21-28)

The Greek word for ball is “bollus.” It is where we get our word “ball” from. And if we take a ball and we divide it we have two balls – “di-bollus.” That’s where we get our word “diabolical” from: to divide something; to take a unity and make it two things. This is where we get our word “diabolical” and the shortened form is “devil.” This is the mission of the devil: to separate. And we see this in today’s gospel. Jesus comes into the synagogue. We’re at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel and this is the function of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel: to reconnect. So he goes into the synagogue and there’s a man with an unclean spirit and he drives out that devil. This man is divided; he has two beings in him. And whether we take it literally or metaphorically, this man is divided. And that’s what Jesus’ vision is, is to reconnect, to rejoin. This is the word “religion.” To rebind; that’s what religion means – to reconnect or to rebind. That’s Jesus’ mission throughout the Gospel. Whatever is separated, whether it is by superiority or judgment or sickness or the devil. Anything that separates, Jesus reconnects, recombines.

I think that is the mission of spirituality; that’s the journey of spirituality. In the Spiritual Canticle by Saint John of the Cross we see this culminating unity with God. This complete re-lig-ion with God. In the betrothal verses: “There he gave me his breast. There he taught me a sweet and living knowledge. There I gave myself to him, keeping nothing back. There I promised to be his bride.”

This beautiful marriage rite of two becoming one is how John of the Cross sees our spiritual journey – not only unity with each other, but unity with God. To rebind, re-lig-ion, rejoin. Not to divide, that’s the work of the devil, but to combine, to unify – the work of God.

Why All This Stuff?

Carmelite homily for Thursday (Week 14), July 9, 2020 – Lectionary 386 (Matthew 10:7-15)

In today’s Gospel Jesus sends out the Twelve Apostles to begin to preach in his name. He gives them four instructions. He says:

proclaim that the Gospel is at hand,
cure the sick,
raise the dead,
drive out demons.

But then he gives them a ton of instructions – a lot more – on what they’re supposed to take or not take. Don’t take sandals, don’t take a second tunic, don’t take a backpack, don’t take gold, don’t take silver, don’t take any money, don’t take a walking stick. It just seems like a lot more instructions of what not to do than what to do. Why? I think John of the Cross may have the answer here. John of the Cross writes, “The soul must empty itself of all that is not God in order to go to God.” I think that’s what Jesus is trying to get at here. All this stuff – the walking staff and the money and all that – is about insecurity and security and about power and status and everything. Let that go. Let the stuff go. And just proclaim love. That’s the invitation; that’s the gift; that’s the real instruction to the Twelve.

Dark Night

Carmelite homily for Tuesday (Week 14), July 7, 2020 – Lectionary 384 (Matthew 9:32-38)

In today’s Gospel we have Jesus very busy. He’s going to, it says, all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand. And he sees the crowds. He says that they’re like sheep without a shepherd. Let us pray for shepherds for these people. Saint John of the Cross, in the famous opening of his poem, One Dark Night, writes, “One dark night, fired by love’s urgent longings – ah, the sheer grace – I went out unseen; my house being now all stilled.” Oftentimes we think that is us – me, you – going to search for the Lord, but in today’s Gospel it’s the Lord going out searching to all the towns and villages for us. It works both ways. As we search for God, God searches for us.

Consider and Do That

Carmelite homily for Friday (Week 12), June 26, 2020 – Lectionary 375 (Matthew 8:1-4)

In the Second Book of Kings we have Elisha – he’s the prophet living on Mount Carmel, successor of the Prophet Elijah – and Naaman, a Syrian commander, comes to be cured of leprosy. And so Elisha says, ‘Go wash yourself in the Jordan River.’ And Naaman is all upset, ‘I could’ve done this at home; I expected to do something big.’ But his servants so, ‘no, do it’ and he’s cured of his leprosy. Something small. And in today’s Gospel a leper comes to Jesus and says, ‘if you want to you can heal me.’ And Jesus says, ‘I do want it; stretch out your hand.’ And the guy does and he’s healed. It’s a small thing. It’s a big thing – leprosy – but the cures are small: just do what you’re told. John of the Cross writes, “What does it profit to give God one thing if he asks you for another. Consider what God wants and do it.” I think that’s the lesson of today’s Gospel: not to to the big thing, or the small thing, or your own thing. Consider what God wants you to do and do that. You’ll be cured.

Do You Love Me?

Carmelite homily for Friday (Easter V), May 29, 2020 – Lectionary 301 (John 21:15-19)

Today we have a Resurrection Gospel. It’s the well-known scene on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples have come in after a miraculous draught of fish. And afterwards, Jesus asks Simon three questions – do you love me? do you love me? do you love me? He doesn’t ask questions like, ‘Simon, why did you doubt when I told you to walk on water?’ or ‘Simon, why did you fall asleep in the garden?’ or ‘Simon, why did you deny me in the courtyard?’ or ‘Simon, where were you when I was on the Cross?’ No, no accusations, just simple questions. Saint John of the Cross writes, “At the evening of life you will be examined in love.” Just like Simon Peter in today’s Gospel, I think those questions will be asked of us. Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?

To Grieve and Rejoice Properly

Carmelite homily for Friday (Easter VI), May 22, 2020 – Lectionary 295 (John 16:20-23)

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the disciples, they will grieve and then they will rejoice. And he uses a metaphor of a woman in labor. When she’s in labor, all she knows is the labor and the pain, and once she’s given birth, all she knows is the joy and the gladness. Saint John of the Cross writes, “Human beings know not how to rejoice properly nor how to grieve properly.” I think he’s getting at what Jesus is getting at in today’s Gospel. We just see the moment – the pain of the moment or the joy of the moment. We don’t see the bigger pictures or plans of what God has in store. That’s the call of today’s Gospel: to trust God when we want to rejoice; to trust God when we want to grieve; to trust God that it will all work out to God’s plan.