Saint john of the Cross places great importance in particular on the exercise of the will in the purification of so-called inordinate feelings. What he means by feelings are the passiins of the soul, which, if uncontrolled or regularly indulged, cause constant turbulence and disruption in our lives. The reason is that the passions, if not tempered, cling heavily to the will and weigh down the three operations of the will. No deeper interiority with God can be maintained Without a discipline of the passions. These feelings, if not governed by an exercised strength of the will, tend to dominate a life by cleaving oppressively to the will, influencing its desires, its choices, and its pursuit of delights. The passions can lead us to continual instability in the spiritual life, including the life of prayer. In the treatment of Saint John of the Cross, there are four primary passions or feelings: joy, hope, sorrow, and fear. The challenge is to rule these passions in such a manner that “a person rejoices only in what is purely for God’s honor and glory, hopes for nothing else, feels sorrow only about matters pertaining to this, and fears only God” (AMC 3.16.2). That statement in itself presents an immensely difficult demand. But the result of exercising or not exercising a control over these passions and directing them toward God is consequential: “When these emotions are unbridled they are the source of all vices and impertections, but when they are put in order and calmed they gave rise to all the virtues” (AMC 3.16.5).

–“Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation” Fr. Donald Haggerty