How Awesome Are You!
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| Christ of St. John of the Cross, by Salvador Dali |
Piety
In those days, like a fire, there appeared the prophet, Elijah,
whose words were as a flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he shattered, in
his zeal, he reduced them to straits; By the Lord's word, he shut up the
heavens and three times brought down fire. How awesome are you, Elijah, in your
wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours? Sirach 48:1-4
He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all
things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize
him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at
their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them
of John the Baptist. Matthew 17:11-13
Study
We end our Second Week of Advent with another holy day, the Memorial of
St. John of the Cross. If Juan Diego did not get “bumped” from the Lectionary
due to the movement of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, this week would
have featured five special days (solemnity, memorials, or feasts). Not that you need to highlight the Second
Week of Advent further but these saints do help point the way.
Like John the Baptist, the Virgin of Guadeloupe, Mary, and St. Juan
Diego, John of the Cross also pointed the spiritual way toward Jesus.
Ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at age 25, John met Teresa of Avila
and, like her, vowed himself to the “primitive” Rule of the Carmelites. As a partner
with Teresa and in his own right, John engaged in the work of reform and came
to experience the price of change: increasing opposition, misunderstanding,
persecution, imprisonment. He came to know the cross acutely—to experience the
dying of Jesus—as he sat month after month in his dark, damp, narrow cell with
only his God.[i]
The central theme of his teaching concerns “the union through the grace
of man with God, through Jesus Christ.”
He describes a spiritual journey from the very beginning up to the most
sublime level...[with] steps for beginners, for the proficient and for those who are
close to perfection. As Saint John says - to arrive at the “All,” which is God,
people must give all, not like a slave but inspired by love. Saint John's most
celebrated aphorisms were: "In the evening of your life you will be judged
by your love" and, "Where there is no love, put love and then you
will find love."[ii]
The reformed Carmelites eventually became known after their most
noticeable change. They strictly adhered to the Carmelite Rule’s original
prohibition against wearing shoes. So, by the time the Vatican established them
canonically as a separate Order, distinct from the historic Carmelites, they
were called the Discalced, or Shoe-less, Carmelites.[iii]
Action
In his life and writings, John of the Cross has a crucial word for us
today. We tend to live a luxurious, soft, and comfortable experience. We even have cushions on our kneelers. We shrink from words like self-denial and discipline.
Do we run from the cross? John’s message—like the gospel—is loud and
clear: Don’t—if you want to live![iv]
John the Baptist and John of the Cross tell us to get up and get on our
way. Get on your shoes if you must (we can not all be “discalced.”). But get moving nonetheless.
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