In the Garden of the Soul

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)

St. John of the Cross became a monk at the age of 21, taking on the habit of the Carmelite friars at Medina. St. John of the Cross was known for his devotion to suffering and self-humiliation to glorify God. He slept in a small, dark cell with a hollow board for his bed, similar to that of a grave or a casket. He wore a hair shirt that pricked his body until he bled. His fasts and mortification were regarded as incredible, even for his time.

By all of these means, he studied how to die to the world in order to live for Christ.

St. John of the Cross had two maxims. His first was that, to attain perfection, a person studied Jesus Christ and desired to imitate him. St. John’s second maxim was to mortify the senses in all things, denying himself whatever did not seem to contribute to the glory of God. When Teresa of Avila heard about John, she set about reforming the Carmelite order. Soon after she founded her first monastery for men, John of the Cross responded to her call and entered the new rule on Advent Sunday, 1568. This was the beginning of the Barefooted Carmelite Friars. John, in reflecting on the cross, experienced internal and external trials, yet he was persistent in holding fast to his devotional rules.

In his austerity, John was considered a rebel and a threat to the church. He was imprisoned as an apostate, yet he did not yield to despair. It was Teresa of Avila who eventually secured his release from prison. His major contribution to devotional literature is The Dark Night of the Soul.

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) recalled in her autobiography how she and a favorite brother were influenced by the lives of saints. As youths, they left home to go to the country of the Moors, later being intercepted by a family member. At the age of eighteen, Teresa, determined to serve God, decided to become a nun in the Carmelite monastery in Avila.

Teresa was quick to confess that she had found it difficult to pray or meditate, but she persevered in creating a discipline in which prayer would become a major rule for the rhythm of her life. Teresa details her commitment to prayer in her autobiography which was written at the command of her spiritual director of 1562. She distinguishes four degrees of prayer. In the first degree or stage, the soul applies itself to holy meditation. The second degree of prayer for Teresa is that of quiet, which is followed by the third degree of prayer, the repose of the soul. The fourth degree of prayer is distinguished by a more perfect union with God. She described this prayer of union as a kind of rapture that causes the loss of voluntary functioning. Her extensive writings of visions give imagery to these four distinct stages. For example of her spiritual discipline, read her book The Interior Castle.

On her window is a heart pierced by an arrow. A flaming arrow and two fleurs de lys are all symbols of her concentration on the passion of Jesus. In the circle are the traditional symbols of roses and lilies – the symbols of spiritual life well-watered in the garden of her soul.