La Noche Oscura

Just read through this article that briefly explores what St. John of the Cross called la noche oscura, or dark night, that difficult invasion of God's astringent grace that opens us to new realms of spiritual experience.  Chuck DeGroat says that the purpose of the dark night, of course, is to strip us of our futile attempts to find God on our own terms, and to awaken us to a much simpler desire for intimacy with God. I find in my work that this is exactly what people want. Time and again, pastors tell me that they'd just like to know God, more purely, more simply, more deeply.

Having experienced a few dark nights, I wholeheartedly agree with Chuck.

I spoke of this a while back, but these dark nights can be extraordinary moments of grace and opportunities for a deeper...knowing?  Experience of Love?  I'm not even sure how to put it, but DeGroat is right, there are just so many dimensions to it. 

But I do know that each time it just scares the crap out of me, but paradoxically it also engenders hope. I have come through these seasons of dryness – wilderness experiences really – closer and more in touch with Jesus as a real person.  Y'know, what we really believe - that Jesus is alive, right here, right now - is pretty damn disturbing, exquisitely so...and yet I am still along a journey of living the questions more fully, more faithfully...