What is the 'Dark Night of the Soul' according to Saint John of the Cross?
In mystical theology, the 'Dark Night of the Soul' (described by Doctor of the Church Saint John of the Cross) is an intense stage of spiritual purification where God withdraws sensible consolations, spiritual pleasures, and intellectual lights from the soul. Divided into the Dark Night of the Senses and the Dark Night of the Spirit, this painful experience is not divine abandonment, but a profound surgery of divine love freeing the soul from spiritual pride, attachments, and self-love so it can achieve mystical union with God in pure charity.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2725-2731
- Psalm 63:1
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