Ruth Burrows overview of the theology of St. John of the Cross is an excellent introduction to St. John's thought and values. The author anicipates many of the questions and contradictions that readers might encounter in exploring St. John's world and his response to it.
Burrows writing style is direct and readable. This book was a departure from my usual pile of Buddhist books and I enjoyed it thoroughly. A must have for the spiritual student, regardless of background or spiritual path.

A book itself in need of very few word to describe its greatness. A wonderful interpretation of the migrating soul!

When in print I had purchased 3 to pass along to friends.

Flames of Loves is really a great book. It will give you such desire to go beyond the contemplative dimensions of the soul and spirit. It will make you realize the sense of "nothingness" in everything. That for us to arrive at everything...desire to possess nothing. It will really make your heart a living flames of love. Such spirit is pure and simple to understand God's wisdom and His Divine Love. Truly an excellent book!

I love these authors! This work was my first introduction to Nemeck and Coombs. Not only is it an excellent introduction to the tenets of St. John of the Cross, it also provides tremendous insight into addiction and attachment, both of which are prevelant in the human condition. Although he lived in the 16c, John of the Cross offers much to contempary Christians interested in being freed from the bondage to self. I highly recommend this, and all books by Nemeck and Coombs.

This book "The Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom written by St. John of the Cross is very beautiful and draws one very close to Christ. It tells of how we are each Christ's Beloved.

Myadil writes in his conclusion, "St. John of the Cross can be a bridge to Hinduism for Christians, while the Gita can be the same for the Hindus." I would say it works in the reverse too. This is a wonderful introduction to St. John of the Cross for a Hindu.
His scholarship on St. John and the exposition of his work is great, I never realized what creative, imaginitive discourse was available in the Catholic Canon.
My thought is that St. John of the cross is like Arjuna, except he's telling his own story. Theres a sensual longing, and indentity with the senses and material reality in the Bhagavad Gita, especially in the context of the Mahabharata, the story of a civil war. Same goes for St. John of the Cross, he finds God in the darkness after escaping jail, and the description encompasses deep religious hope in an almost homo-erotic vision.
St. John's "darkness" is different from the Hindu emptiness in its tone, the differences outweigh the similarities. Myadil does not try to historically connect the two, though he summarizes the scholarship that does.
The author betrays his Christian bent only minimally and without any self-consciuos deception. I think its a beautiful book, simply written.
But it leaves something to be desired, I guess, as all religious literature can do sometimes, when it is good. Most importantly, Myladil sees this short study as a beginning, of a conversation between Christians and Hindus to develop mutual respect and appreciation. A great book, also, for those who might be very down on the Catholic Church. I am convinced the Church can rid itself of corruption and be a positive non-repressive model for the world one day.

Organized approach to life, poetry and prose tracing the spiritual journey made by St. John. Life details are summarized into a chronology. The original Spanish and English translation of famous poems such as "Dark Night" are included. The prose focuses on the Saint's explaination of the poems and omits portions written to address the Inquisition.

This book is a phenomenal introduction to some of the best writers of the spiritual life--John of the Cross and his contemporary Theresa of Avilla. This book will give everyone a clear, susinct, insight into these giants of spirituality whose writings have stood the test of time. The book discusses their lives, and their writings and compares it to the gospel understanding. The author, DuBay, rightly concludes that EVERYONE is called to be a mystic! Then explains what that process is! A msut read for anyone who wants to grow in their relationship to God!

I took over a year to go through this book: reading a few pages, then processing it for several days or weeks. Explaining mystical prayer is very difficult outside of trying to describe the experience, yet Fr. Dubay uses the writings of these saints beautifully for instruction and reflection. He spends considerable time refuting modern critics and cynics by demonstrating the Gospel calls all of us to deep union with God (according to God's choosing). He seems to write about this central theme endlessly; yet, without being verbose or tedious. My prayer life had become very dynamic over the year or so before I found this book. Reading it gave me some way of making sense of it all. I expect to reread it several more times throughout my life.

Fr. Thomas Dubay has been able to synthesize the teachings of two of the greatest teachers and mystics in the Catholic tradition. A comprehensive discussion of St. Teresa's "mansions" and St. John of the Cross's "dark night of the soul," this book is also a practical guide for people who want to grow in prayer and in the universal call to holiness. Fr. Dubay is an authority on both theory and practice, and is a much sought-after spiritual director. His explanation of discerning genuine encounters with God versus one's own self-delusion is especially useful in the realm of contemplation, since contemplation is by its very nature not an objective experience. He elucidates the movement from meditation to contemplation and distinguishes it from other psychological states. His chaper on friendship and the development of virtues sets the entire contemplative experience within the context of the goal and purpose of prayer. This is a meaty book, but it is well worth the effort.

In general, it's a book worth having because it includes his Sayings of Light and Love and his letters as well as his poetry and his major works: Ascent of Mt. Carmel, The Dark Night, the Spiritual Canticle and The Living Flame of Love.

My complaint has to do with the very prosaic nature of the translations. The abovementioned major works in this edition are written in academic American English. Even the layout screams "textbook." I first came upon John's major works online, on a site called "Ethereal Library." I read The Dark Night and Ascent .. in translations that captured a much greater sense of John's poetry and mysticism, as well as a sense of his own time and place in slightly (but not overwhelmingly) archaic language, where even the layout suggested more a long prose-poem than academic text. That other version was flavorful, glowing and delicious and, after reading it, I fell in love with St. John of the Cross.

Had I read this rather dry, textbook-style version first, I probably would have dismissed St. John as boring and difficult. For someone already familiar with St. John of the Cross, however, this book definitely offers examples of his thought and writing not normally available.

"The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross" consists of the writings of this 16th century Spanish Mystic and Doctor of the Church. St. John was a Carmelite friar and friend of St. Theresa of Avila. A valued spiritual counselor, many of his works were written as instruction to religious who sought his guidance.

The book consists of four major works and many minor works. The major works are "The Ascent of Mount Carmel", "The Dark Night", "The Spiritual Canticle" and "The Living Flame of Love". Each of the major works consists of a poem, written by St. John, and an extensive, word by word, explanation. In the explanation, St. John reveals his own theology, supported by verses from Scripture.

The minor works consist of letters written to his contemporaries as well as a collection of St. John's poetry.

This is definitely not light reading. The reader must concentrate on his the text in order to appreciate what he is reading. I am glad that I read it from two perspectives. From an historical perspective, it provides the reader with a good introduction into the world of mystical writing. More importantly, from a spiritual perspective, this book gives the reader an insight into God's call to all Christians to draw themselves more closely to Himself. The spirit of this book is difficult to explain. It is a classical book which is better experienced than described.

I was almost dissuaded from buying this by Ms Ramirez' review but having all of John's works in one book was too much to resist, and I'm very glad I went ahead and bought it. Concerning the "old" English translation so admired by Ms Ramirez, it certainly sounds very beautiful but it is also very difficult to understand whereas this translation by Kavanaugh and Rodriguez is extremely easy to read and grasp. Sound and rhythm have their attraction, but I'll take understanding any day. Who among you honestly gathers more insight from the King James version of the bible as opposed to the NIV? The same principle applies here. The Collected Works does NOT read like a "text book", the layout is wonderful and the value of having all of John's works in hand is inestimable. Buy it, treasure it - it holds the full depth of true Christianity within it's covers. Indeed, it is a map of the landscape leading to heaven by one who knows the Way, and in simple terms understandable to all.

Here is the message of "Dark Night Of The Soul": God wants our will more than anything else. To get it, he may allow us to stumble on without any sense of his presence or obtaining any pleasure from our spiritual exercises or even our life. All that will be left us is our decision to continue doing our duty despite not receiving any apparent gain from doing so. According to St. John, this is what pleases God more than anything for then we will serve God solely for Himself and not for any good feelings, sensations, or rewards we might experience by doing so. Whatever the validity of this spiritual approach (and I wonder about the value/point of sanctifying depression in this age of anti-depressants), St. John wrote this detailed book to explore it and did it better than anyone else has ever done. That makes it an important contribution to the literature on spirituality. But it also makes it something that most people will not be able to fathom or have any use for. The hours of daily prayer required by the school of thought that produced this book seem to me excessive and to miss the whole point of the Christian life. Most of us would be driven mad by such intensity-and I don't doubt that some have been. I tend to think that doing our duty is sometimes just work (true) but also sometimes will give a great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction because there are intrinsic rewards that come with being a good worker, spouse, parent, friend, etc. There is little point in getting this book unless you live in a cloister or are planning to do so and only if God is calling you to the depths of contemplative prayer. That leaves out 98% of the human race, including me. This is a dry treatise; admirable without being in the least bit inspiring. It is best left to graduate courses in spirituality or medieval Spanish literature (the poem is reportedly excellent Spanish poetry).

Yes, John of the Cross is hard to read. I have not read all translations, and have it in mind as a project, but I don't expect ever to take a book by him to the beach for a quick, entertaining read.
What John is, and the reason he is still read and studied and, in fact, treasured, is a scientist of prayer. If you are genuinely determined to climb Mt. Carmel, to pray and live your way into God, you need to read and re-read John. Like the Gospels, his work is dense and allusive, and full of layer upon layer of meaning. It is well to read present day authors who write about his work, too. But by no means should you leave him aside in your search for information and inspiration. There is no one else like him. He is the real thing.

review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God

St. John of the Cross is truly a superb Saint and Mystic. Through his writings You can see how your own spiritual journey may not always be easy. If you are looking for a book that will not only inform you of the dark night, but also give you a self evaluation of your own life, then this is the book for you. In parts it may seem that St. John is peering into your soul and speaking directly to you. The wonderful thing about this book is that no one will have the same experence of it. Everyone who reads it will read it in light of where they are in their own lives. the reflection and thoughts of this Holy man will force you to look inside yourself to find what you need to do to reach the Ultimate union with God. St John of the Cross...Pray For Us!