“They (spiritual aspirants) develop a somewhat vain at times very vain-desire to speak of spiritual things in others’ presence, and sometime even to instruct rather than be instructed; in their hearts they condemn others who do not seem to have the kind of devotion they would like them to have” (DN 1.2.1).

Interestingly, the devil is observant of such matters and is intent not to see a soul enter more genuinely on the spiritual path of humble self understanding. Saint John of the Cross says that at times the devil may inspire a person to an increased fervor of devotion and a greater readiness to perform good works precisely to swell and expand the pride of the soul. This is certainly not our usual expectation. In these souls, as well, relations with authority, whether in religious life or in spiritual direction or with the Church herself, begin possibly to show tensions. The persons want approval and esteem for their apparent spiritual quality. They assume that this elevated quality must be seen by others, for it is quite visible to themselves, and so should be acknowledged and respected. And with that respect, writes Saint John of the Cross, should come permissions and encouragement to pursue their own preferential path to God. They have sharp opinions on what they think is best for their own spiritual advancement and, perhaps, strong opinions about areas of spiritual concern in a congregation or in the Church. If this encouragement is not forthcoming to confirm them in their preferences or their opinions, “they quickly search for some other spiritual advisor more to their liking, someone who will congratulate them and be impressed by their deeds; and they flee, as they would death, those who attempt to place them on the safe road by forbidding these things and sometimes they even become hostile toward such spiritual directors” (DN 1.1.2.3). “Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation” by Father Donald Haggerty

The strength of the soul to love, for better or worse, is always subject to the will. As our will rules and as it chooses, so our soul is shaped and fashioned, with the help of grace. And what does the will rule exactly? All the bodily and mental and emotional life of the human person is under the governance of the will-all the faculties, passions, and appetites. The thoughts and mental life, the feelings indulged, savored, and pursued, the choices adopted in action, all this is under the mastery of the will. A short paragraph in the opening section on the will in book 3 of The Ascent to Mount Carmel attests to the importance of the will in determining how fully the soul responds to grace and turns all its strength of love toward God. Inasmuch as contemplation is dependent on love, the purification of the will for greater love is an essential condition for any deeper contemplative union with God. “The strength of the soul comprises the faculties, passions, and appetites. All this strength is ruled by the will. When the will directs these faculties, passions, and appetites toward God, turning away from all that is not God, the soul preserves its strength for God, and comes to love him with all its might” (AMC 3.16.2).

Father Donald Haggerty “Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation”

Most people, until they begin to deprive themselves, have little awareness of how indulgent our senses can be in satisfying our immediate desires. This is particularly true of pleasures in food, which makes food a good place to start in the matter of ascetical restraint. Restricting ourselves to eating only at meals and taking nothing else in between, tempering our intake, not always choosing in accord with preference, mild steady fasting in predictable routines-these are hardly extreme measures. But quickly they begin to teach us how to say “no” to desires that would otherwise be indulged without a thought. These lessons of self-denial, first learned in physical privations, can carry over for use into many areas of the spiritual life, especially in exercising charity or conquering pride, but also in the life of prayer when prayer is difficult, as we shall see. The power to command, and the strength to refuse, are indispensable for virtue but are essential as well for contemplative life, as we will also see. All self-denial becomes a form of dying to self, which in itself is a core principle of spirituality, but it also fosters a vibrant will that is able to give freely and generously to God. The interior freedom to love without restraint depends on embracing an ultimate spiritual principle that “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30), as Saint John the Baptist famously taught, and without which there is no open path to God. –Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation by Father Donald Haggerty

…rugged souls of determination are those who advance most securely along the contemplative path to God. These seem often to be the most simple people, those not held back by ambitions for the enjoyment of their pride in this passing world. Indeed, nothing of spiritual elitism is compatible with the grace of contemplation. It is not a feat of acquired skills or of learned proficiency in prayer but, rather, an interior path of humility and deep faith and intense love for God. Are we perhaps invited in God’s plan to this grace of contemplation? A consuming desire for God that will not release our soul is one sign that this grace may await us or is already present. But we must be ready, if that grace deepen its impact, to leave naked the depths of our soul for God. We must be willing to give to God an offering of love and sacrifice, seeking nothing more urgently in life than him. These are serious demands, certainly. For souls who may be attracted to such a life of deeper personal interiority with God, Saint John of the Cross is an incomparable mentor.  –“Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation” by Father Donald Haggerty