The higher he ascends
the less he understands,
because the cloud is dark
which lit up the night;
whoever knows this
remains always in unknowing
transcending all knowledge.

To anyone first experiencing it, the obscure sense in prayer of losing a hold on God, and even, strangely, of not knowing him, may appear to be a sign almost of a spiritual illness. But the experience is not an unhealthy state, and it is important that this is realized without much delay. A painful sense of incomprehension toward God is an aspect of deeper interior prayer. There are clear reasons for this experience of darkness, even as it causes confusion in prayer. The disproportion between the nature of God and our own limited human nature becomes an experience in prayer to the degree that our soul draws nearer to God. Even as God loves us in great tenderness and mercy, there remains a measureless chasm between God and our soul.

‘St John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation’ by Father Donald Haggerty