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BK1 Chap 12 -13 – “The Ascent of Mt. Carmel” by St. John of the Cross
translated by David Lewis
read by Ed Humpal
For the complete pdf text of the “The Ascent of Mt. Carmel” by St. John of the Cross
For other audio chapters of “The Ascent of Mt. Carmel” visit here
Book 1
The nature of the obscure night, the necessity of passing through it in order to attain to the divine union: and especially the obscure night of sense and desire, with the evils which these inflict on the soul.
STANZA I.
In an obscure night,
With anxious love inflamed,
0, happy lot!
Forth unobserved I went,
My house being now at rest.
Chapter 12
Which treats of the answer to another question, explaining what the desires are that suffice to cause the evils aforementioned in the soul.
Chapter 13
Wherein is described the manner and way which the soul must follow in order to enter this night of sense.
Here is an alternate translation of the instructions found in Chapter 13 provided by E. Alison Peers:
2. These counsels for the conquering of the desires, which now follow, albeit brief and few, I believe to be as profitable and efficacious as they are concise; so that one who sincerely desires to practice them will need no others, but will find them all included in these.
3. First, let him have an habitual desire to imitate Christ in everything that he does, conforming himself to His life; upon which life he must meditate so that he may know how to imitate it, and to behave in all things as Christ would behave.
4. Secondly, in order that he may be able to do this well, every pleasure that presents itself to the senses, if it be not purely for the honour and glory of God, must be renounced and completely rejected for the love of Jesus Christ, Who in this life had no other pleasure, neither desired any, than to do the will of His Father, which He called His meat and food. I take this example. If there present itself to a man the pleasure of listening to things that tend not to the service and honour of God, let him not desire that pleasure, nor desire to listen to them; and if there present itself the pleasure of looking at things that help him not Godward, let him not desire the pleasure or look at these things; and if in conversation or in aught else soever such pleasure present itself, let him act likewise. And similarly with respect to all the senses, in so far as he can fairly avoid the pleasure in question; if he cannot, it suffices that, although these things may be present to his senses, he desires not to have this pleasure. And in this wise he will be able to mortify and void his senses of such pleasure, as though they were in darkness. If he takes care to do this, he will soon reap great profit.
5. For the mortifying and calming of the four natural passions, which are joy, hope, fear and grief, from the concord and pacification whereof come these and other blessings, the counsels here following are of the greatest help, and of great merit, and the source of great virtues.
6. Strive always to prefer, not that which is easiest, but that which is most difficult;
Not that which is most delectable, but that which is most unpleasing;
Not that which gives most pleasure, but rather that which gives least;
Not that which is restful, but that which is wearisome;
Not that which is consolation, but rather that which is disconsolateness;
Not that which is greatest, but that which is least;
Not that which is loftiest and most precious, but that which is lowest and most despised;
Not that which is a desire for anything, but that which is a desire for nothing;Strive to go about seeking not the best of temporal things, but the worst.
Strive thus to desire to enter into complete detachment and emptiness and poverty, with respect to everything that is in the world, for Christ’s sake.
9. First, let the soul strive to work in its own despite, and desire all to do so.
Secondly, let it strive to speak in its own despite and desire all to do so.
Third, let it strive to think humbly of itself, in its own despite, and desire all to do so.
10. To conclude these counsels and rules, it will be fitting to set down here those lines which are written in the Ascent of the Mount, which is the figure that is at the beginning of this book; the which lines are instructions for ascending to it, and thus reaching the summit of union. For, although it is true that that which is there spoken of is spiritual and interior, there is reference likewise to the spirit of imperfection according to sensual and exterior things, as may be seen by the two roads which are on either side of the path of perfection. It is in this way and according to this sense that we shall understand them here; that is to say, according to that which is sensual. Afterwards, in the second part of this night, they will be understood according to that which is spiritual.
11. The lines are these:
In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything,
Desire to have pleasure in nothing.In order to arrive at possessing everything,
Desire to possess nothing.In order to arrive at being everything,
Desire to be nothing.In order to arrive at knowing everything,
Desire to know nothing.In order to arrive at that wherein thou hast no pleasure,
Thou must go by a way wherein thou hast no pleasure.In order to arrive at that which thou knowest not,
Thou must go by a way that thou knowest not.In order to arrive at that which thou possessest not,
Thou must go by a way that thou possessest not.In order to arrive at that which thou art not,
Thou must go through that which thou art not.
12. When thy mind dwells upon anything,
Thou art ceasing to cast thyself upon the All.
For, in order to pass from the all to the All, Thou hast to deny thyself wholly in all.
And, when thou comest to possess it wholly, Thou must possess it without desiring anything.
For, if thou wilt have anything in having all,197 Thou hast not thy treasure purely in God.
13. In this detachment the spiritual soul finds its quiet and repose; for, since it covets nothing, nothing wearies it when it is lifted up, and nothing oppresses it when it is cast down, because it is in the centre of its humility; but when it covets anything, at that very moment it becomes wearied.
