Digital Art by Lindy

 

THE SAYINGS OF LIGHT AND LOVE, NO. 162 - St. John of the Cross

Digital Art by Lindy

 

Desire...

Painting by Edmund Charles Tarbell

"The more

 God 

wishes to

 bestow 

on us,

the more

 does 

He

 make us 

desire."

                                                              St. John of the Cross

Tranquil night...

Painting by Alexander Mueller

"The tranquil night

at the time of the rising dawn,

silent music,

sounding solitude,

the supper that refreshes and

deepens love."

St. John of the Cross

Vintage Girl from Fotolia

"Finding our soul's beauty

 gives us tremendous freedom

 from worry."

St. John of The Cross

Painting by Elizabeth Sonrel

 "When you looked at me

your eyes imprinted your grace in me;

for this you loved me ardently;

and thus my eyes 

deserved to adore what they beheld in you."

                                                         St. John of the Cross

Painting by Gustav Pope

"I abandoned and forgot myself.
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased; I went out from myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies. "
                  St. John of the Cross

Painting by Anna Elizabeth Klumpke

"A soul enkindled with love
is a gentle, meek, humble
and patient soul."
                     St. John of the Cross

Painting by Franz Winterhalter

"You considered 
that one hair
fluttering at my neck;
you gazed at it
upon my neck
and it captivated you;
and one of my eyes wounded you."
                                                              St. John of the Cross

Christ Crucified...

Painting by Anthony Van Dyck

"Whenever anything

disagreeable or displeasing

happens to you,

remember Christ

crucified

and be silent."

St. John of the Cross

If you want....

If you want,

 the Virgin

 will come walking down the road

pregnant with The holy,

 and say,

"I need shelter for the night,

please

 take me inside your heart,

 my time is so close."

Then, 

under the roof of your soul,

you will witness

 the sublime intimacy,

The Divine, 

The Christ,

 taking birth forever,

as she grasps your hand for help,

for each of us is 

the midwife of God, 

each of us.

Yes, there,

 under the dome of your being

does creation come 

into existence 

eternally,

through your womb,

 dear pilgrim

 the sacred womb 

of your soul,

as God grasps 

our arms

 for help:

for each of us

 is His Beloved servant,

never far.

If you want,

 the Virgin

 will come walking down the street

pregnant with Light and sing.

St. John of the Cross

Sweet slumber...

Painting by George Elgar Hicks

"To saints, their very slumber is a prayer."
St. John of the Cross

'Silver Moonlight' by John Atkinson Grimshaw

"If one wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark."
St. John of the Cross

Painting by Edmund Charles Tarbell

" To come to possess all, desire the possession of  nothing."
St. John of the Cross

Silence...

"What we need most in order to make progress

 is to be silent before this great God, 

with our appetite and our tongue,

 for the language He hears

 is silent love." 

St. John of the Cross

             

The Principal Weaver...

                            

"Mission, like growth,

 is a journey into darkness,

 It rests on TRUST;

 trust that while at times 

we may not see a way,

 the Holy Spirit has a way, 

and will not 'fail in his care'. 

 It is like viewing a tapestry from behind

a mess of threads. 

 Only

 the principal weaver

 has access to the 

whole pattern it is making.

 Night demands

 we rely on His dexterity."

                                                                 (Excerpt from 'The Impact of God, Soundings from St. John of the Cross)

                                          ( Christine de Pisan)

"It is impossible that God fail to play his part, by communicating himself, at least in a hidden way.  It is more impossible for the sun not to shine in a tranquil, open place.  The sun is up early and shining on your house, ready to shine in if you open the curtains.  So God, who never sleeps nor slumbers as He keeps watch over Israel, will enter the empty soul and fill her with divine blessings.  God is like the sun, shining over souls, ready to communicate himself to them."
                          St. John of the Cross

The Gospel has eyes....

" You looked with love upon me
and deep within your eyes imprinted grace;
this mercy set me free,
held in your love's embrace,
to lift my eyes adoring in your face."
(Stanza 32 from 'The Living Flame', St. John of the Cross)

"Imagine sitting on a quiet bench in the park, between some flower beds and backed by a hedge...composing a quite personal letter, absorbed and writing...
someone is there...you notice out of the corner of your eye, someone is there looking at you; and HAS been for some time...What a moment of exposure!
The gospel has eyes - 'the eyes I long for so', says John of the Cross, and the point comes on the journey where the bride meets those eyes which had long been looking on:  ' It seems to her that he is now always gazing upon her'.  It is a moment of exposure, as she finds herself a factor in another's life and heart.
In the 'Flame',  St. John of the Cross has captured that moment, and delivered it to us."
  (Taken from the book, 'The Impact of God, Soundings from St. John of the Cross, by Iain Matthew) 

Again, in the arms of Abba...

"I will draw near to Thee in silence. 

 I will rejoice in nothing 

till I am in Thine arms. 

 Oh Lord, I beseech Thee,

 leave me not for a moment 

because I know not 

the value of my soul."

                                                                        St. John of the Cross

     Jesus, I am confident that You will teach Your little one to continue to run to You and jump into Your arms...and You will hold me close and kiss my head and I will BE love with You!

St. John of the Cross soothes my soul....

Painting by Vincent Van Gogh

"My Beloved is...

the tranquil night

at the time of the rising dawn,

silent music,

sounding solitude,

the supper that refreshes,

 and deepens love."

St. John of the Cross.