Collected here in this omnibus edition are all three of St. John of the Cross' major works as well as twenty of his magnificent poems. The Ascent of Mount Carmel is the third major work of St. John of the Cross and is considered to be the introductory work on mystical theology.Dark Night of the Soul is one of the greatest religious poems ever written. This masterpiece of Mystic Christianity examines faith and how to keep faith when all seems lost. Think of it as guide to making it through the dark night of the soul to the brighter happier faith filled tomorrow that awaits.In A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ St. John states: ""I do not purpose here to set forth all that greatness and fullness the spirit of love which is fruitful embodies in it. Yes rather it would be foolishness to think that the language of love and the mystical intelligence - and that is what these stanzas are - can be at all explained in words of any kind for the Spirit of our Lord who helps our weakness.""

Claiming to be a literary interpretation, this poem of forty stanza's is loosely based on the Biblical book of Song of Songs. This story follows a bride that has been separated from her bridegroom and her search for him. If it is not obvious enough from the reading of the poem itself and St. John of the Cross's extensive explanation afterwards, the poem is a literary interpretation of Song of Songs, but also of the soul's search for Jesus Christ.

Christian perfection consists in the twofold way of charity: service of neighbor and our direct quest for God's love. Many of us discover ways to love our neighbor, but few achieve intimacy with God. Why? Because we don't know how to prepare ourselves properly to reach this exalted goal. In these pages, Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen lays out for us a time-tested path toward achieving complete intimacy with God, the path first mapped out centuries ago by the Church's acclaimed master of the contemplative life, St. John of the Cross (1542-1591). St. John showed that God hungers for union with each of us but also requires arduous efforts on our part, the many details of which Father Gabriel explains in these enlightening pages. Do you perceive holiness as an unattainable goal for you? Or is fear of the fatigue of such an effort holding you back? Absorb this book, and allow gentle St. John to take you by the hand and lead you — as he has led so many others — to true intimacy with our Lord.

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