John of the Cross and the Law of Worship

Daniel Salomão Silva

The Spanish Catholic friar John of the Cross is known for his rigorous religious life and for his reflections on the mystical experience, understood as a profound and immediate perception of the divine¹ presence. Alongside Teresa of Ávila, he led, in the sixteenth century, the important reform of the Carmelite Order, restoring religious practices that had become relaxed in previous decades, such as a “contemplative and communal life, simple and detached from excessive² ritualization.”

Works such as Ascent of Mount Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul, and Spiritual Canticle are invitations to live the Christian message in practice, emphasizing detachment from earthly goods, charity in its broadest sense, and the search for mystical union with God through prayer and renunciation³. Several of his themes allow for a rich dialogue with Spiritism and, in this article, we comparatively analyze his reflections on the worship of God.

In the final chapters of the first work mentioned above, the Catholic mystic presents an interesting discussion regarding the use of “images and portraits of saints, private chapels, and religious ceremonies.”

Although he acknowledges the role attributed by the Church to images as means of awakening religious devotion, he criticizes those who give greater importance to their material form than to their spiritual meaning⁴. For him, many people turn these objects into sources of vanity and attachment, accumulating them, adorning them, or even becoming concerned with multiplying them in domestic shrines. Instead, they should make “the invisible the primary object of their worship.⁵”

Because of its similarity to the approach found in The Spirits’ Book, his argument draws particular attention. For John of the Cross,

No one style is better than another for the hearing of a prayer by God, for this depends upon the simple and true heart, which looks at no more than pleasing God.⁶

In the same direction point Allan Kardec and the Spirits: “true worship is the worship of the heart.” Expanding on this idea, they teach that

God prefers those who sincerely worship from the bottom of their heart, doing good and avoiding evil, to those who think they honor God through ceremonies that do not render them any better than their neighbor. […] So do not ask if there is one particular form of worship that is the most acceptable, since that would be like asking whether it is more pleasing to God to be worshipped in one language rather than in another. I will say to you once more: hymns do not reach God except through the door of the heart.⁸

Charity, central to the quote above, is also emphasized by the Spanish friar over appearances: “it matters little whether one song sounds better than another, if it does not move me more than the first to do good works” Naturally, it is highly unlikely that he would recognize non-Catholic “music” as acceptable.

Charity, central to the quotation above, is also emphasized by the Spanish friar over outward appearances: “little does it matter that one kind of music should sound better than another if the better kind move me not more than the other to do good works.⁹” Naturally, it is quite unlikely that he would have recognized a non-Catholic “music” as acceptable.

Nevertheless, when evaluating reports of healings and other effects attributed to religious images, John of the Cross further stresses that they result from “e devotion and faith which the person has toward the saint whom it represents¹⁰,” and not from the object itself. Thus, what is essential is that one should not “even regard them, must raise up its mind from the image to that which it represents¹¹”. The same would apply to places considered sacred, where people seek the repetition of extraordinary events or imagine prayer to be more effective. Although such places may indeed awaken greater religious involvement for various reasons, they cannot become the focus of attachment; after all, “the soul is a fitter and more comely place for God than any physical place.”¹²

His criticism also extends to the overly meticulous approach to religious ceremonies. To those concerned with the “right number of candles,” “a specific day at such-and-such a time,” “a certain number of prayers,” “prerogatives,” etc., he recommends that they focus on “more important things, such as truly purifying their conscience and actually devoting themselves to the business of their eternal salvation.” Thus, when discussing religious temples or other places of prayer, he suggests a preference for the simplest ones, “which least hinder the senses and the spirit from uniting with God.”

His criticisms also extend to an excessively meticulous attitude toward religious ceremonies. To those concerned with the “exact number of candles,” “a certain day, at such and such an hour,” “a specific number of prayers,” “privileges,” and so forth, he recommends paying attention to matters “of greater importance to them, such as for the true cleansing of their consciences, and for a real application to things concerning their own salvation¹³”. Thus, when speaking of religious temples or other places of prayer, he suggests a preference for the simplest ones, “where sense and spirit are least hindered from journeying to God.”¹⁴

As justification, he returns to Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman, when the Master teaches her that “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23), as well as to His symbolic recommendation to close the door of one’s room in order to pray (Matthew 6:6). By doing so, he does not diminish the value of the Church or of communal religious practice, but rather emphasizes the “inner recollection” that grants them legitimacy.

Similarly, Allan Kardec defines the religious character of Spiritism as a doctrine founded “upon the bonds of fraternity and communion of thought, rather than upon convention.” For him, priestly castes, hierarchies, ceremonies, and privileges are not part of Spiritist practice. What should stand out in Spiritist gatherings is “charity toward all,” which must extend beyond the walls of the Spiritist center as a true form of worship of God.¹⁵

In short, as we have seen, when addressing the Law of Worship in The Spirits’ Book, its authors value all beneficial and sincere religious practices and, in comparison with John of the Cross, point toward a practice even more detached from objects, places, and outward forms. Nevertheless, both agree on the priority of the “heart” and of living charity in practice. Other similarities may also be perceived between Spiritist texts and those of John of the Cross, alongside significant and fascinating disagreements. His restriction regarding mediumistic practices¹⁶, for example, is evident and deserves proper reflection.

However, we highlight a second point arising from this comparison. By mistakenly replicating the behavior that we have often been and continue to be subjected to as Spiritists, we occasionally demonstrate “misunderstandings regarding Christian-Catholic metaphysics. This understanding approach opens the door to interfaith dialogue, to which we are invited even in the foundational Spiritist texts, prioritizing what is essential over what is incidental.and its salvific dimension.¹⁷” We often criticize Church doctrine, unaware of aspects closer to Spiritism than we imagine. For example, it is evident that popular Catholicism includes a more “literal” and almost “magical” understanding of images of saints. However, John of the Cross’s approach shows that for quite some time now, within the diversity of Catholic thought, there has been a more “symbolic” stance regarding images and rituals: it recognizes their intrinsic importance but prioritizes what they point to, as Spiritism understands it.

However, this comparison also highlights a second point. By mistakenly reproducing the same attitude of prejudice that Spiritists themselves have often faced, we occasionally display “misconceptions regarding Christian-Catholic metaphysics and its salvific dimension.” Many times, we criticize Church doctrine while remaining unaware of aspects that are closer to Spiritism than we might imagine. For instance, it is evident that popular Catholicism often includes a more “literal” and almost “magical” understanding of saintly images. Yet the approach of John of the Cross demonstrates that, for a long time within the diversity of Catholic thought, there has also existed a more “symbolic” approach toward images and rituals: one that recognizes their intrinsic importance, but prioritizes what they point toward — much like Spiritism itself understands them. This spirit of understanding opens doors to the interreligious dialogue to which we are invited already in the foundational Spiritist works, prioritizing what is essential over what is secondary.

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1. BINGEMER, Maria Clara L. “The Concept.” In: Mysticism and the Mystics. Edited by Eduardo Losso, Maria Clara L. Bingemer, and Marcus Pinheiro. Petrópolis: Vozes, 2022, p. 32.
2. OLIVEIRA, Cleide. “John of the Cross.” In: Mysticism and the Mystics. Edited by Eduardo Losso, Maria Clara L. Bingemer, and Marcus Pinheiro. Petrópolis: Vozes, 2022, p. 377.
3. BERARDINO, Pedro Paulo di. Saint John of the Cross: Doctor of Everything and Nothing. São Paulo: Paulus, 1992, pp. 93–98.
4. JOHN OF THE CROSS. The Ascent of Mount Carmel. Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez. Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1991.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid., bk. III,ch. 37, item 2. ch. 36, item 2.
7. KARDEC, Allan. The Spirits’ Book. Translated by E. G. Dutra. 2nd ed. Orlando: Luchnos Media, 2021, q. 653.
8. Ibid., q. 654.
9. JOHN OF THE CROSS. The Ascent of Mount Carmel. Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez. Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1991, bk. III, ch. 45, item 5.
10. Ibid., bk. III, ch. 36, item 2.
11. Ibid., bk. III, ch. 37, item 2.
12. Ibid., bk. III, ch. 42, item 4.
13. Ibid., bk. III, ch. 44, item 1.
14. Ibid., bk. III, ch. 39, item 2.
15. Spiritist Review: Journal of Psychological Studies. By Allan Kardec. Vol. XI (1868). Translated by Evandro Noleto Bezerra. Brasília: International Spiritist Council, 2012, December.
16. The Ascent of Mount Carmel, p. 103 et seq.
17. CAMURÇA, Marcelo. Spiritism and the New Age. Aparecida: Santuário, 2014, p. 29.