Feast of St. John of the Cross

 St. John of the Cross grew up amongst great poverty. When he was 14 he took a job in a hosptial caring for people who had incurable diseases and madness. Later, he joined the Carmelite Order and was asked by St. Teresa of Avila to help reform the order.  But when he tried some monks locked him in a dark, damp cell.  There he was imprisoned for 9 mths before he escaped with the writings he had produced during this time.

His life of poverty and persecution could have produced a bitter cynic. Instead it gave birth to a compassionate mystic.,

His books include:

Ascent of Mount Carmel

Dark Night of the Soul

and A Spiritual Canticle of the Soull and the Bridegroom Christ

"What more do you want, o soul! And what else do you search for outside, when within yourself you possess your riches, delights, satisfaction and kingdom -- your beloved whom you desire and seek? Desire him there, adore him there. Do not go in pursuit of him outside yourself. You will only become distracted and you won't find him, or enjoy him more than by seeking him within you." --St. John of the Cross