Sveti Ivan od Križa

Naš vrijedni suradnik Ivan (koji nam je za skoru budućnost pripremio još jednu poslasticu) uputio nas je na stranicu karmelićanki iz Colorada u SAD-u. Vrijedne sestre (monahinje) izrađuju svakojake lijepe stvari kao što možete vidjeti na njihovim stranicama, a Ivan iz iskustva jamči da ćete kad naručite koji artikl (poput recimo krunice) od ovih sestara biti ne samo zadovoljni jer ste pomogli u materijalnim potrebama ovim redovnicama tradicionalnog kova, nego ćete ostati zadivljeni i kvalitetom i ljepotom dobivenog.

Danas je prema tradicionalnom kalendaru blagdan svetog Ivana od Križa, pa posebno čestitamo Ivanu njegov imendan i molimo za njega zagovor ovog velikog sveca. Pridružite se i vi našoj molitvi barem kratkim zazivom.

Sestre karmelićanke šalju onima koji to žele i newsletter čiju arhivu možete pronaći ovdje. Izdvajamo samo nekoliko zanimljivih rečenica iz najnovijeg pisma u kojemu pokušavaju ispraviti ne posebno točnu sliku koju mnogi katolici imaju o sv. Ivanu od Križa:

Doctor of Mystical Theology (1542-1591) …When a young woman came very fearfully to his confessional at Avila, he encouraged her: “…The holier the confessor, the gentler he is, and the less he is scandalized at other people's faults, because he understands man's weak condition better." Sometimes as superior in the monastery he coughed or rattled the rosary hanging from his belt, to warn an offending friar of his approach. This was St. John of the Cross, often and even commonly thought of as the utmost in severity.

St. John was essentially a very gentle person, yet very intense. If he drove a generous and well-disposed penitent and spiritual child hard, it was only to lead him to greater union with God. He was not anxious to catch anybody breaking silence or infringing on some other monastic rule. He was willing to look the other way; yet he never closed his eyes to what really needed correcting. His strong sense of justice and the desire to see others advance led him to impose punishments that were on occasion severe.

… He could never compromise, but his sense of balance between justice and love was delicate… St. John of the Cross dipped deeply into the wells of contemplation, and his union with God reflected some of the justice and mercy of God, which to most mortals often seem apparently contradictory—unless a person can look far below the surface of things.

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