Contemplative in the Mud

Naught Else than a Secret, Peaceful, and Loving Infusion from God

1–2 minutes

Benjamin Embley

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1 comment on Naught Else than a Secret, Peaceful, and Loving Infusion from God

Not every word that Saint John of the Cross wrote transliterates from the cloister to the world. Most of his words needs some translation.

Here is one that applies equally to all Christians being drawn more deeply and more predominantly into contemplation:

By not hindering the operation of infused contemplation that God is bestowing upon it, [the soul] can receive this with more powerful abundance, and cause its spirit to be enkindled to burn with the love which this dark and secret contemplation brings with it and sets firmly in the soul. For contemplation is naught else than a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion from God which, if it be permitted, enkindles the soul with the spirit of love. (Dark Night, Bk 1, Ch 9, #2)

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Benjamin Embley

With backgrounds in engineering (BSc PhD) and philosophy (MA), Ben has lived and worked in England, France, and Thailand and is now back home as a settler in the unceded traditional territory of the Wabanaki peoples in Canada. He is a Laudato Si’ Animator and currently studying an MTS Peace & Justice in Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

One response to “Naught Else than a Secret, Peaceful, and Loving Infusion from God”

  1. What is the Difference Between Meditation and Contemplation? (Fourth View) | Contemplative in the Mud Avatar
    What is the Difference Between Meditation and Contemplation? (Fourth View) | Contemplative in the Mud

    […] is an enduring dart of love shot into the soul directly by God, as Saint John of the Cross says. It doesn’t originate with us. We can’t produce it. We can’t make it happen by […]

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