We are familiar with the importance of unconditional love. What the saint teaches us, what is perhaps no less important for holiness, is unconditional freedom.

St. John of the Cross does not want merely to bring you close to a true understanding of your flawed and broken self. He also is bringing you close to the fire, to the “living flame of love, that tenderly wounds my soul in the deepest center.”

Many people experiencing aridity for the first time may mistakenly think they are somehow failing at prayer. St. John of the Cross tells us that aridity is not a sign of backsliding but of progress; it is exactly that process by which God draws the soul away from childish pleasures to the hard work of purification. 

The hope of a Christian confronts every trial, even death itself. Christian hope does not just raise our spirits; it raises a battle flag against all the troubles of this life.