THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

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It has been reported, that Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, experienced the "Dark Night of the Soul" from 1948 almost up until her death, in 1997. A close friend, Father Benedict Groeschel, apparently claims there were only brief interludes of relief and that the "darkness" left near the end of her life.

St. John of the Cross, a 16th century mystic and Spanish Carmelite priest, endured the "darkness" some 45 years. He wrote a poem: La noche oscura del alma, The Dark Night of the Soul, which follows the souls detachment from the world, to its union with God.

St. Terese of Liseux, the beloved 19Th century French Carmelite, went through a similar experience. Struggling with doubts about the afterlife she reportedly told her fellow nuns, "If you only knew what darkness I am plunged into."

The dark night of the soul is a spiritual crisis on the journey toward God. It is a feeling of intense loneliness and desolation, even in the face of extreme virtue. As the soul struggles to move closer to God, prayer becomes more difficult and there is an absence of peace and joy which leaves the individual feeling abandoned by God.

I experienced a very long, difficult dark night of the soul, although at the time I did not understand the experience. It was an excruciatingly numbing period and no amount of prayer or acts of charity, miracles or Masses could diminish the darkness. Somehow, through the soulful desire to survive, and my deep Love for God, I held on by using the tools of my faith...Until the darkness lifted, and gave way to God's luminous light and his liberating Love.

The great mystics have called the dark night of the soul a gift of grace...A kind of purgatory where the soul is purified and released from worldly detachments. The soul evolves to a higher spiritual level while developing an intimately authentic relationship with God.

So for those who are steadfast in their faith and relentlessly vigil, this painful spiritual crisis can be transformed into an unparalleled feeling of mystical Love and heavenly joy.

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