 Inspired by some uplifting events, a line from a poem has been resonating in my mind lately. The first event was the National Eucharistic Congress. While I was not in attendance, the articles and videos were awe and gratitude inspiring. The second was a trip to Glacier National Park in northern Montana. The scenery was so spectacular that even seeing the rocks at the bottom of a clear-watered lake was enough to make me gasp at the beauty of it all. The verse which arose, or perhaps its source, may come as a surprise: it is the twice repeated line, “Ah, the sheer grace!” from the poem which begins the “Dark Night of the Soul” by St. John of the Cross.* We often think of grace as limited to events that take place within us, such as an inspiration to do an act of kindness or to discern a movement of our soul toward God, or perhaps as that which comes from a sacrament or in answer to a prayer. All of that is indeed grace. However, all action of God is grace, and this includes the creative act; but grace also includes our response to seeing the beauty of creation, such as a glacier-carved valley, a roaring waterfall, or a craggy mountain, (or for that matter, rocks at the bottom of a clear lake). Specifically, God’s action of grace includes the movement within our heart to ‘wonder and awe,’ (one of the graces received at Confirmation), and to the gratitude that arises from experiencing something that is greater than we are and which gives witness to God.  St. John of the Cross began all of his books on mystical prayer with a poem composed as a response to his prayer experience, spending the rest of those books unpacking the verses. The poetry, like many great works of art (in any medium) is an attempt to express the inexpressible. Therefore, expounding on the poem was meant to teach about the different, more intense levels of prayer that are attainable especially for those who spend time developing such a relationship with God. He makes it clear, however, that our efforts only take us so far; the movement deeper is a gift from God, that is, sheer grace. The poem that begins “The Dark Night of the Soul” is quite short and describes mystical union with God. St. John elaborates on the two periods of darkness that the soul must experience on the journey deeper in order to get to that point. A note of caution, however, and one which St. John makes quite vehemently and at great length, is about trying to discern these spiritual dark nights oneself: no one can self-direct, and thus, a good (trained and experienced) spiritual director is imperative to discerning whether the directee is in fact entering into a dark night. ** No matter, all of us can appreciate and reflect upon the beautiful poem and the explanatory words of St. John of the Cross, and allow God’s grace to draw us deeper into the "sheer grace."  All that God gives is gift, so anything that moves us to a quickening of the heart, any visceral response to beauty, is a movement of grace within our souls. This is especially so when in the presence of God’s mercy, love, and beauty. Anyone who spends time with God ‘learns’ to be awed. Thus, when we are so moved we can (and perhaps should), echo with St. John of the Cross, “Ah, the sheer grace!” For example, if we look to the Gospels we can find many instances in which the apostles were moved in such a way, (though at first with a lack of understanding.) These were events such as Jesus walking on water, feeding 5000, healing people, raising Lazarus, the Transfiguration (for Peter, James, and John), and of course, the Resurrection. They must have been incredulous with wonder, but especially after Pentecost when they were able to more fully appreciate everything that was the action of God. However, I would like to highlight one specific action of God that we often take for granted and is in fact, sheer grace: God’s forgiveness and mercy. No matter how bad our sins may be, when we ask for grace and forgiveness God offers these gladly. He wants us to know that even our greatest sin should not be a cause of lasting shame, but rather, when presented to God in Reconciliation, it is an opportunity for Him to extend His most sublime love and mercy. Those graces offered can give rise to the virtues of humility and gratitude, and indeed arouse wonder and awe within in us in a similar way as we might respond to seeing a magnificent waterfall or some splendorous work of art. His mercy is a gift even greater than any of these. Ah, the sheer grace!  As we grow in our relationship with God through prayer, whether in adoration or in our daily time spent with the Lord in our own homes, it is good to recognize that grace is all around us and indeed within us. Everything is gift of God; the more time we spend with Him, the more aware of it we become such that our hearts will be repeatedly moved to gratitude, even in the most difficult moments as we realize He is with us. This gives rise to faith, hope, and love which in turn motivates our growth in holiness. Let us look for opportunities in every moment to recognize God’s presence and say with St. John of the Cross, “Ah, the sheer grace!”  May we desire to grow in graces, especially joy, gratitude, and wonder and awe! May we be able to recognize the movements of God that draw us to Him! And may we be filled with a growing sense of God’s presence, even in the difficult moments in which He is indeed most present! Let us meet in the Heart of Jesus! Peace!
©Michele L. Catanese * St. John of the Cross (1542-1591),was a Carmelite reformer, master spiritual director, and mystic, who wrote a number of books, two of which are meant as parts of the same larger work: the first is The Ascent of Mt. Carmel, and the second is The Dark Night of the Soul. ** In The Ascent there is an extended passage in which he decries bad spiritual directors who can do much harm, (that is, those who are not knowledgeable about the signs of deepening spiritual life or who are not attuned in the art of spiritual discernment), thus being unable to identify when the directee is being invited to a deeper level of prayer by God or not. Every trained spiritual director should read those chapters at least once a year and it ought to make their knees knock a bit, encouraging a renewed respect for their call and enlivening a deeper humility within them. The Dark Night identifies two distinct movements in prayer, (‘dark night’ experiences) given by the Lord, but which can be distressing if one does not understand what is taking place. Thus, the director must understand that each of the two dark nights, the “dark night of the senses” and the “dark night of the soul” respectively, are periods that do not happen ‘in a vacuum’ and only develop when one is advancing in prayer and ultimately has been moved by God to these depths. Images: 1. My photo; rocks under the water on the trail to Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana 2. Drawing; St. John of the Cross in the Dark Night of the Soul, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this (and other drawings and icons) at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/st-john-of-the-cross-in-the-dark-night-of-the-soul-290-william-hart-mcnichols.html 3. Painting; The Transfiguration by Duccio di Buoninsegna (Sienese artist late 13th and early 14th centuries) 4. My photo; moth on a rock. A beautiful creature. Ah, the sheer grace! 5. My photo; Kootenai Waterfall, Kootenai National Forest, Montana. For those interested, here is the text of the poem, The Dark Night of the Soul. This is my favorite translation, made by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., one of the best translators of the works of St. John of the Cross. The poem and both books mentioned above are found in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross. www.cordula.ws/poems/darknight.html Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time.
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