Father Paul Murray, O.P., in a recent interview with CRUX, recalled that Saint John of the Cross was deprived of the ability to receive holy Communion by members of his own order; members who were violently opposed to the reforms of the Carmelites he, along with Saint Teresa of Avila, was promoting. Saint John was ultimately locked in a closet, prevented from attending Mass or joining the common prayer of the community. During this time of harsh treatment and involuntary confinement, Saint John wrote so many of his poems.
Father Murray, well known for his God and the Poets course given at the Angelicum in Rome, Italy, referenced one such poem in his interview. Saint John, in this particular poem, is expressing the joy of having the gift of faith. As a poet, Saint John compares the joy of faith to the joy of finding a beautiful and refreshing spring of water. Saint John writes:
Aquesta esterna fonte está escondida en este vivo pan por darnos vida, aunque es de noche
Aquí se está llamando a las criaturas y de esta aqua se hartan, aunque a socuras, proque es de noche
Aquesta viva fuente que deseo, en este pan de vida yo la veo, aunques es de noche.
This eternal spring is hidden in this living bread for our life’s sake, although it was night
It is here calling out to creatures; and they satisfy their thirst, although in darkness, because it is night
This living spring that I long for, I see in this bread of life, although it is night
(The Collected Works of Saint John of the Cross, trans. K. Kavanagh, O.C.D., O. Rodriquez, O.C.D.)
The night refers to the darkness of faith; that is, a knowing that comes not from the senses but from a supernatural light. Saint John longs for the eternal spring that is a deeper faith, one that brings him into union with the Most Blessed Trinity. A union of pure love and joy. He finds this spring in the “living bread,” that is, in the Eucharist. He longs to receive our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. To be nourished with the divine gifts which come from our union with Jesus.
The Eucharist is described as the “source and summit of the Christian life” (cf. Lumen gentium 11). From the Eucharist we are nourished by Jesus; we are filled with this merciful transforming love, allowing each of us to live and act in a manner after the Lord. Not only does the Eucharist allow us to truly imitate Jesus in our lives, it allows us to taste the fruit of salvation, union with God, sharing in the life and joy of the Trinity.
We all should be longing, like Saint John of the Cross, to partake in the eternal springs of faith by desiring to receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. This longing is strengthened by the Spiritual Communion we are encouraged to make during this time we are not able to attend Mass and receive Communion. This lifting of our hearts and minds toward God, by desiring to receive Jesus’ flesh and blood, will strengthen our bonds of charity with God, allowing us to persevere during this most difficult time.
We hope the time for social distancing will soon be over. We will once again be able to gather with family and friends. Soon there will be cookouts and parties, not to mention some sporting events. We will also be able to gather again as a community and partake in the sacrifice of the Mass. We will be able to receive Jesus’ body and blood sacramentally in holy Communion.
This is most important: gathering together for Mass, receiving holy Communion. For not only is our union with God strengthened, but so too are the bonds of charity that unite believers as the Body of Christ. As the social distancing comes to an end, it will be time to engage in some “social-love” as Saint Paul VI teaches (Mysterium fidei 69). Social-love goes well beyond social-justice; for “above all these things (the virtues) have charity, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:14). Saint Paul VI describes social-love as a love “in which we put the common good ahead of private good, take up the cause of the community, the parish, the universal church, and extend our charity to the whole world” (ibid.). Social-love will help heal the pain of the isolation and economic distress so many are going through. Social-love puts the needs of others ahead of our own wants. Social-love allows for the common good of all to be realized; not due to some external force but due to the love working within us.
Such social-love is a fruit of the Eucharist. May our longing to partake of holy Communion, as expressed in our Spiritual Communion, allow us even now to truly love our neighbor as we love ourselves (cf. Mk 12:31).
Father Jason Rocks is priest secretary to Bishop Dennis Sullivan and adjutant judicial vicar for the Diocese of Camden.
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