The saints write about the “dark night of the soul” in many ways. Saint John of the Cross gives us plain lessons on how it feels for the generous soul with a contemplative vocation, in an almost clinical, scientific, or objective way, giving details on the root causes in God and in ourselves also. Saint Teresa describes her personal experiences. Saint Alphonsus talks about the “desolations” of being thrown into the “crucible”, experienced even in active and active-contemplative ways of life. Each saint has her or his own way of expressing this reality of growing in faith, hope, love, the other virtues, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

One way that catches my eye is that of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. In a poem, she sings,

God in your heart’s asleep,
you think? Well, understand
You’re not to wake him up!
for that’s another grace.

It’s “another grace” to feel like God is awake. We don’t always get it. We don’t always receive such a grace. Undoubtedly, this is for our benefit, for God is all Goodness. But sometimes it does happen that the night is dark and all we have is faith, as our faculties and, especially, our will, are being purified. If we don’t feel, keep going. It’s “another grace” to feel and know with sensible consolations, or even consolations of the intellect and will. Just know, believe, and keep going in trust. We don’t decide what graces we receive; we simply are thankful for the ones we have, and in all cases, we keep going.

I like this way of thinking:

You’re not to wake him up!
for that’s another grace.

Related posts:

• The Dark Night’s Dryness Experienced in the World
• The Necessary Logic of Dark Nights According to Saint Alphonsus
• Dark Night of the Soul: East and West
• Dark Night of the Soul Lived Outside the Cloister