Spiritual Journey

"Behold, I send my messenger before you, who will prepare your way" (Mt 11:10).

One of the saints whom God sent to the Church was Saint John of the Cross. His memorial falls today – December 14th, on the Third Sunday of Advent – the so-called Gaudete Sunday. According to Saint John, the spiritual journey is a path toward deep union with God, which leads through purification. Such a spiritual journey is precisely what we ought to undertake during Advent.

The expression of Christian maturity is passing through stages of dryness and suffering in order to finally discover the fullness of God's love, who so loved humanity that He sent His beloved Son into the world.

The spiritual path in Saint John of the Cross is a process in which a person, through accepting difficulties, trust, and humility, discovers the deeper meaning of life and communion with God. Unfortunately, self-deception often occurs on the spiritual path – when we think that our own thinking, decisions, and actions are always right and correct. This is also where spiritual crises arise, so common in our contemporary generation.

Let us listen to the words of Saint John of the Cross: "You love, O Lord, prudence, You love light, but above all the activities of the soul You love most of all love itself." May these words be signposts for us on our spiritual journey of faith.

According to the Spanish mystic, the greatest enemies of our soul during Advent are the world, Satan, and the flesh. It is the evil spirit who is the instigator and master of lies and deception on the spiritual path. Despite such a powerful adversary, each of us is the true hero of a spiritual adventure. Our leader and light should always be God, faith, love, and hope in Him.

Saint John of the Cross encourages us today to use reason enlightened by faith on our spiritual journey – that is, the Word of God. He also urges us to make use of sacramental help in spiritual matters, so as to avoid mistakes and not go astray in life.

Let us therefore read the Gospel to prepare well for the approaching feast of Christmas. May the Word of God become our treasure, which we will use to strengthen our faith, hope, and love. May the holy sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist, lead us along the right path to inner healing.