Detachment is designated as a night through which the soul must pass. It is this in a threefold sense: in regard to the point of departure, the path, and the goal. The point of departure is the desire for the things of this world, which the soul must renounce… The way of faith is a way, for it leads to the goal of union; but it is a nocturnal way, for in comparison to the clear insight of the natural understanding, faith is a dark knowledge: it acquaints us with something, but we do not get to see it… The goal we reach on the way of faith is also night: God remains hidden from us on earth, even in the bliss of union.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross