The way of nothingness
Gospel Reflection 
Today we are celebrating the feast of San Juan Dela Cruz, Carmelite priest and Doctor of the Church.
St. John was a partner of St. Teresa of Avila in the effort to reform the order, since most of the Carmelite communities at that time, friars and nuns, were starting to forget that they were religious and becoming more lenient with their disciplines, becoming more preoccupied with worldly matters rather than to deepen their relationship with God, in following the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Juan Dela Cruz experienced the cross in various ways, including being persecuted by his fellow Carmelites, who imprisoned him for being weird and for being too self-righteous. They could not accept the reforms he proposed. He escaped from his imprisonment after nine months and found refuge with the nuns of St. Teresa in Toledo. Then because of political maneuvering, he was sent to a very isolated monastery where he acquired an infection on his leg. He was then transferred to a monastery where the prior was so unwelcoming and he was not cared for in his sickness, resulting in his suffering until his death on the midnight o December 14, 1591. How did John view his suffering? In a letter to the prioress of Segovia, he said: Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love, and you will draw out love (July 6, 1591). His best works were written while he was in darkness. For in darkness we learn to humble ourselves and allow ourselves to become fully dependent on God. Bahala na, Bathala na.
In our first reading we heard how in nothingness comes abundance. In nothingness, God's greatness is revealed. In our grief, God's love is felt. In our solitude, God's presence is perceived.
John of the Cross has revealed to us how we could truly experience God's love and how we should be living our lives humbly trusting in God's love for us. This is how we should be living our lives as true followers of Christ. Let us make an effort to change our ways and learn to fully give ourselves to God, to submit ourselves to God's will, not just in moments of desperation, but in our whole lives.
Jesus said to the crowds:
"Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
St. John was a partner of St. Teresa of Avila in the effort to reform the order, since most of the Carmelite communities at that time, friars and nuns, were starting to forget that they were religious and becoming more lenient with their disciplines, becoming more preoccupied with worldly matters rather than to deepen their relationship with God, in following the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
For John of the Cross it is in the cross that we experience God's love, for it is in the cross that we are able to shed ourselves, be nothing, and allow God to do his will on our lives. For us Filipinos, in the most desperate situation where our humanly strength could no handle we have an expression, bahala na, which linguists would say is originally "Bathala na", which would mean to put the situation or whatever it is in God's hands.
Juan Dela Cruz experienced the cross in various ways, including being persecuted by his fellow Carmelites, who imprisoned him for being weird and for being too self-righteous. They could not accept the reforms he proposed. He escaped from his imprisonment after nine months and found refuge with the nuns of St. Teresa in Toledo. Then because of political maneuvering, he was sent to a very isolated monastery where he acquired an infection on his leg. He was then transferred to a monastery where the prior was so unwelcoming and he was not cared for in his sickness, resulting in his suffering until his death on the midnight o December 14, 1591. How did John view his suffering? In a letter to the prioress of Segovia, he said: Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love, and you will draw out love (July 6, 1591). His best works were written while he was in darkness. For in darkness we learn to humble ourselves and allow ourselves to become fully dependent on God. Bahala na, Bathala na.
In our first reading we heard how in nothingness comes abundance. In nothingness, God's greatness is revealed. In our grief, God's love is felt. In our solitude, God's presence is perceived.
In our gospel reading, we heard how Jesus himself praised John for living out his calling to prepare the way of the Messiah. In living his life in utmost humility, in nothingness, he was able to point the way to Christ. In his nothingness, people were able to realize their faults, their sins, and to prepare themselves for the arrival of Christ. In his nothingness John is made great.
John of the Cross has revealed to us how we could truly experience God's love and how we should be living our lives humbly trusting in God's love for us. This is how we should be living our lives as true followers of Christ. Let us make an effort to change our ways and learn to fully give ourselves to God, to submit ourselves to God's will, not just in moments of desperation, but in our whole lives.
San Juan Dela Cruz, pray for us.
Photo grabbed from Lonely Planet.
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