the dark night

The big guns are out today in A Year with the Church Fathers. St Augustine is one of the heavy hitters, and he doesn't pull any punches in today's reading. He talks about the second death - the one we all want to avoid. He says that when God forsakes a soul, and that soul forsakes the body... that's it. That's the end. That's why we call souls mortal... because they can face that death.

Of course, we want to avoid that. But there is another kind of forsaken that comes along in the lives of many Christians. The dark night. The dryness that comes to the best of the followers of Jesus, which feels like being abandoned. If you want a great example, look at the life of Jesus Himself. When He hung on that forsaken tree, He cried out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" "My God... why have You forsaken Me?" Even He faced that darkness, probably for theological reasons we'll never completely fathom. Yes, He was referring to the Psalms. But His cry was real, and heartfelt.

Saints like St Teresa of Calcutta (the saint formerly known as Mother Teresa) lived for years in this dark, dry place. Of course, the man who gave us the very phrase "dark night of the soul", St John of the Cross, experienced this darkness, too. What does it mean? Well, many will tell you that this kind of darkness comes when we're so close to God that we can't see Him anymore. We're "under His wing", as it were. We're so fully enveloped in His will that we can't see His will anymore because it's the air we breathe and the ground of our being.

As for little sinners like me, I still see God. I haven't lived in that dark, dry place, because I've got a ton of learning and growing to do before I get there. But if you find yourself in such a place - it's the opposite of the death of the soul. It's the death of our sinful self - and our soul being set free to live wholly in Him. If you find yourself there... say a prayer for those of us who are still trying to get there.

God, thank You for teaching us about dark places. Please lead us to the right ones.