The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross

This is the latest, most authoritative translation of these four-centennial classic writings by the master and Spiritual Director of all time, given to us by the Institute of Carmelite Studies (ICS). Father Thomas Dubay says of him, along with Saint Teresa of Avila, "These two Carmelites have been to the summit of the mountain: they know what it is like and how to get there." Therefore, for anyone serious about "going to the summit" or helping others to do so, the works of Saint John of the Cross are a must. They should read, or maybe better, learn the "Ascent to Mount Carmel" and "The Dark Night of the Soul." My suggestion is that before reading them for the first time, one should obtain talks from ICS on the saint, some of which are given by these same translators of his works in this book (unfortunately these are not carried by Amazon.com—these would make a nice packaged set). There are plenty, some of these: are St. John of the Cross: The Person, His Times, His Writings; Freedom to Love: The Role of Negation in St. John of the Cross; St. John of the Cross for Carpenters: Ordinary Way/Dark Night of Faith; The Dark Night of the Spirit: The Healing of the Soul; Spiritual Direction in the Letters of St. John of the Cross; The Holy Spirit: The Bond of Friendship in John of the Cross; The Dark Night as Liberation of the True Self; St. John of the Cross on Love and Kenosis in Prayer; and a number of others. These are available from ICS at Carmel Clarion Communications. These are both an introduction to the saint and a commentary on his works. Books like Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and the Gospel-On Prayer by Father Thomas Dubay work also. Ordinarily, there are misunderstandings about Saint John. These resources act as good-to-great preparations, which can act as hurdles in overcoming obstacles to understanding him and his thought--a great investment! You will be recommending them to others who also want to follow the saint. Other great recommendations, for a book like this, come from the saints and scholars who have preceded us in following this saint. He has many disciples. One was Saint Teresa of Avila. He acted as her Spiritual Director. A number of others are quoted on the back cover of this book. These are not lightweights. Their endorsements hold lots of weight. These are as follows: "How many lights have I not drawn from the works of our holy Father, St. John of the Cross!" Thérèse of Lisieux "Far beyond the boundaries of the Catholic Church, John of the Cross is recognized as one of the leading spirits, a reliable signpost, which no one who earnestly wishes to advance in the mysterious realm of the interior life may bypass." Edith Stein "In St. John of the Cross everything rushes and hurtles toward a blessed and radiant beatitude; everything takes on that straining of earth toward heaven, like the figures in a painting by El Greco." Jacques Maritain "John of the Cross is a wonderful literary artist and the loftiest poet of Spain." Dámaso Alonso "Although St. John of the Cross's teaching is always given in an objective and impersonal form and is the work of a trained theologian, we feel here, far more than with many more exuberant mystics, that we are in close and detailed touch with personal experience of the highest king." Evelyn Underhill "I myself felt especially drawn by the experience and teaching of St. John of the Cross. From the first years of my priestly formation I found in him a safe guide along the paths of faith." John Paul II Reviewed 09/10/2010; Updated 04/30/2025

The main theme running through all the works in this collection (The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, and the Living Flame) is that of letting go, or detachment. Just as one would ascend a mount, so it is that detachment is accomplished in a difficult, wearying, step by step manner. The first step is disciplining the physical body through prayer and the use of sacramentals. After the body has been brought in line with the will, the next step is directing the soul toward God, and here some of the sure and familiar comforts of this life are left behind as one ascends to higher and higher intimacy with the Lord. These first two steps are active, and many who set their minds to it can, with God's grace, attain this relationship. The next and final phase of the ascent is completely passive - it is God, the bridegroom, who moves toward the bride, the soul, and the soul surrenders to Him totally. To reach this passive surrender is anxiety-inducing - the dark night - and it requires a grace and perseverance granted only to a few in this life, the saints. Cardinal Wiseman said of Fray John "...one feels in reading him that he has to deal with the master of a science. There is no wandering from the first purpose, no straying aside from the pre-determined road... every division and subdivision of the way has been chartered from the beginning by one who saw it all before him... St. John invents nothing, borrows nothing from others, but gives us clearly the results of his own experience in himself and in others... He represents the ideal of one who has passed, as he had done, through the career of the spiritual life, through its struggles and its victories." And so it is that in these writings one will not encounter the sayings of the Desert Fathers; nor will the internal life of St. Augustine ring familiar, nor Kempis' exhortation to imitation; no, instead a wholly unique universe of Catholic mystical thought is revealed. Actually, the one prominent influence (outside of holy writ) comes from a completely unexpected source in dealing with the mystical: that great master of syllogism, St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor. In fact, the deeply-rooted scholasticism of St. John is what gives his works coherence - especially since most of them are unfinished, at least in light of the author's stated goals. St. John is the most unsettling author I've read to date. It took about twice as long for me to read, not because of the author or the subject matter, but rather the implications of his writings: if it is anxiety-inducing for the soul that is in the Dark Night, I found that simply contemplating what it would mean to enter into it shattering all my conceptions of what it means to be holy. In this respect, this book left me as one dumbfounded, standing before an abyss, desperately trying to peer into it for any spark of light: then the voice of St. John telling you to let go of the rails and leap into that abyss, forgetting everything you think you know about God. To loosen the grip of base desires on our heart is one thing; to contemplate loosening one's intellectual grasp is quite another - and much scarier - thing. I'll have to come back to this collection a second time. Probably multiple times. I'm glad I read it, but it has quite literally stopped me in my tracks; after reading about 70 works or so in the past 2 years, I have not read a single page in the two months since I put this volume down. It's taken me that amount of time to even think of writing a review on it. Strange.

saint john of the cross was a catholic priest, subsequent doctor of the church, and saint, obviously. this collection of his works is truly outstanding! i can not make intelligent comments on the quality of translation(s). i do, however, find that this collection of four major works and numerous minor works (which, in some cases, provide as much information as the longer) is great. oddly, one thing that i've noticed is that many mystics write about the spiritual union with god by analogy to romantic or sexualized love. i guess long ago they had sanskrit to more accurately select words that others would understand. in the beginning, i was sitting in my chair wondering what he truly knows. it wasn't long before i was really humbled by his knowledge and real life experience. he's been there and done that and he has written extensively about it. i can think of several dozen books on christian mysticism that are much easier to understand by today's reader rather than this guy who wrote 500 years ago. however, i believe strongly, that if you build up to this majestic (there, i used it in a review, finally) piece under the supervision of a spritual guide, this will be one of the most beneficial works of spiritual development that you can find, especially within the christian mystical tradition. i highly recommend it for serious scholars and practitioners and i give it an "A+".

It was a well appreciated gift to a priest friend of mine.

The Collected works of John of the Cross describe a privileged topography of the Ascent to the love of God. The reader is advised to follow the classic Carmelite advice and read the poetry first and perhaps the Living Flame or The Spiritual Canticle in order to see the heights that we are called to in our relationship with God. Perhaps one then will have the courage to delve into the Ascent of Mount Carmel and the Dark Night to see the God also speaks in what can appear to be the darkness of renunciation in our human experience. While many can become discouraged with his doctrine of detachment this proves to be the surest path to become intimately attached to and in union with God. This method may still prove to be daunting and it is wise to seek others who comment on these writings for help and guidance. Many speak from experience when they acknowledge that their lives have been profoundly changed as they walk along with the Saint and Holy Man.

This is the 3rd time I've bought this translation. I've read John of the Cross in older versions, but this one is much more accessible to the modern mind. I bought the paperback edition, and it's feels sturdy. The pages are nice, and the print is easily readable. This edition is well annotated and includes a short biography of the saint. I like the fact that this version is translated by Carmelites. The older versions I've read weren't, and it seems to me that these authors have managed to pull more of the essential John of the Cross and his Carmelite perspective into their translation.

This is the recommended translation by Dr. James Finley and Richard Rohr, OCS as presented in their workshop, "Intimacy: The Divine Ambush." The content is superb and includes the original Spanish poetry as well as elaborations on the life of Juan Yepes. My ONLY frustration was the size of the book and the print. As crazy as it may sound, a binder or set of binders that you could pull pages out from, hold and contemplate, pore over is really what this material requires, you can spend hours, days, weeks over a single paragraph, hence a book that stays open, comfortable with Itself, resting on the table in front of you is more the type of friend you need as far as edition style for this type of reading. This is a read of a lifetime, I doubt my copy will last even a few years, but then maybe I'll punch wholes in the pages and put them in a binder. St. John of the Cross was profoundly human in the most integral sense of what that means. His journey of the Dark Night of the Soul is a map into what it means to be transformed through trauma and grief and arrive at an inner union of our human and divine nature . His guidance comes from the core of his suffering with a depth of love that only a truly transformed individual can offer selflessly. These writings are about what happened to him and how he found the way through it. "The Living Flame", "Spiritual Canticles", are the fruition of the journey, the self liberated from its limitations rises into the fullness of Being.

I must admit, I was raised in a charismatic church so I passed off all old catholic writers as boring and dry. NOW wait, before you reject this I have to say John of the Cross was the first one to change my mind. I fell in love with Dark Night of the Soul and though I did see convictions and things of my own life, it was the good kind of discipline that leads to repentance and change. I feel so akin to his spiritual aspects of how he tackles common things to all saved people in the bible and spiritual disciplines. I cannot tout or support this enough. Please venture out of your comfort zone and enjoy reading this. It will change your life and help you grow with God.