Sunday
God has to undo our illusions secretly, as it were, when we are not watching and not in perfect control, say the mystics. We move forward in ways that we do not even understand and through the quiet workings of time and grace.
—Richard Rohr
Monday
What feels like suffering, depression, uselessness—moments when God has withdrawn—are often deep acts of trust and invitations to intimacy on God’s part.
—Richard Rohr
Tuesday
Enter knowing through the needle of unknowing. In silence, finally hear the voice of the Holy One. In surrendering to sheer emptiness, be filled with the Beloved at last.
—Mirabai Starr
Wednesday
Contemplation is nothing other than a secret, peaceful, loving inflow of God. If given room, it will fire the soul in the spirit of love.
—John of the Cross
Thursday
The dark night heightens our connections to all living beings. In a dark night, I feel deeply the sorrow—as well as the joy—of the other. It may be dark in here, but it’s full of love.
—Therese DesCamp
Friday
The Incarnation always brings good news, but it never minimizes the realness of our pain. Advent declares the hope that a light is coming, but first it declares the truth that the world right now is so very dark.
—Stephanie Duncan Smith
Week Fifty Practice
Song of the Soul
In season three of Turning to the Mystics, James Finley and Mirabai Starr read “Song of the Soul” or “Noche Oscura” by John of the Cross. We invite you to use the links below to listen or to read this poem shared in both English and Spanish and follow these simple instructions for lectio or audio divina.
Listen or read the first time and allow the sound and images of the poem to wash over you.
Listen or read a second time and allow your attention to be drawn to a word or phrase. Let it speak to you. Pray to God or journal about what it might mean to you.
Listen or read a third time. Sit in silence with God for as long as you feel drawn.
Click here to read the poem in the podcast episode’s transcript.
Reference:
James Finley and Kirsten Oates, cohosts, with Mirabai Starr, Turning to the Mystics, podcast, season 3, ep. 1, “Turning to St. John of the Cross,” March 8, 2021. Available as MP3 audio download or PDF transcript.
Image credit and inspiration: Laura Barbato, untitled (detail), 2020, photo, Italy, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. Wiping the fog from the window becomes our small gesture of being in the Dark Night—an embodied “I’m here” that reaches for clarity amid unknowing, while the small, steady candle reminds us that the spirit still burns softly even when the season feels bright and our inner world does not.
