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If it were given to a man to see virtue’s reward in the next world, he would occupy his intellect, memory and will in nothing but good works, careless of danger or fatigue.

John of the Cross

Oh, night that guided me, Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved!
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Guide Love Myself Night Transformation
In the inner stillness where meditation leads, the Spirit secretly anoints the soul and heals our deepest wounds.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Healing Leadership Meditation Ourselves Spirit Wound
Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which, if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Love Peaceful Secret Soul Spirit
A Christian should always remember that the value of his good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Excellence Goodness Love Remember Value
When there is no love, pour in love and you shall draw out love.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Draw Love
Abide in peace, banish cares, take no account of all that happens, and you will serve God according to his good pleasure and rest in him.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Account Goodness Peace Service Yourself
Though the path is plain and smooth for men of good will, he who walks it will not travel far, and will do so only with difficulty, if he does not have good feet: that is, courage and a persevering spirit.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Courage Goodness Man Path Perseverance Spirit
Faith is a dark night for man, but in this very way it gives him light.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Darkness Faith Himself Light Man Night Way
God desires the smallest degree of purity of conscience in you more than all the works you can perform.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Conscience Desire God Performance Purity Small Work
Never relax, for you will not attain to the possession of true spiritual delights if first you do not learn to deny your every desire.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Delight Desire Learning Possession Spiritual True Yourself
Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Darkness Faith Forget God Himself Leaving Live Protection Wrong
They say, “God told me”, or “God replied to me”. And yet most of the time they are talking to themselves.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

God Myself Talk Time
In the dark night of the soul, bright flows the river of God.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Darkness God Night River Soul
In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Confidence God Instruction Strength Yourself
Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Desire Difficult Give Up God Love Prayer Reason Satisfaction Soul
To love is to be transformed into what we love. To love God is therefore to be transformed into God.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Deep God Love Transformation
At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Evening Judgment Life Love Ourselves
Yearning: It needs to hurt in order to be worthy of the word. Otherwise it is just wanting.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Hurt Need Word Worth
The window of the soul cleansed perfectly and made completely transparent by the divine light.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Divine Light Perfection Soul Window
Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Earth God Heart Himself Live Soul World
The purest suffering bears and carries in its train the purest understanding.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Purity Carry Training Understand
The virtuous soul that is alone and without a master is like a long lone burning coal; it will grow colder rather than hotter.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Alone Burn Cold Growth Hot Master Soul Virtue
In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and human success, but rather on how much we have loved.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Earth God Human Judgement Life Love Possession Success
Seek in reading and you will find in meditation; knock in prayer and it will be opened to you in contemplation.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Meditation Open Prayer Reading Seek Yourself
See that you are not suddenly saddened by the adversities of this world, for you do not know the good they bring, being ordained in the judgments of God for the everlasting joy of the elect.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Adversity God Joy Judgement Sadness World
My spirit has become dry because it forgets to feed on You.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Dry Forget Spirit Yourself
To reach satisfaction in all desire its possession in nothing, To come to the knowledge of all desire the knowledge of nothing. To come to possess all desire the possession of nothing. To arrive at being all desire to be nothing.
JOHN OF THE CROSS

Desire Knowledge Possession Reach Satisfaction

If it were given to a man to see virtue’s reward in the next world, he would occupy his intellect, memory and will in nothing but good works, careless of danger or fatigue.

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If it were given to a man to see virtue’s reward in the next world, he would occupy his intellect, memory and will in nothing but good works, careless of danger or fatigue.

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Popular Authors

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