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“Some [spiritual beginners] make little of their faults, and at other times become over-sad when they see themselves fall into them, thinking themselves to have been saints already; and thus they become angry and impatient with themselves, which is another imperfection. Often they beseech God, with great yearnings, that He will take from them their imperfections and faults, but they do this that they may find themselves at peace, and may not be troubled by them, rather than for God’s sake; not realizing that, if He should take their imperfections from them, they would probably become prouder and more presumptuous still. They dislike praising others and love to be praised themselves; sometimes they seek out such praise. Herein they are like the foolish virgins, who, when their lamps could not be lit, sought oil from others.”

—St. John of the Cross in The Dark Night of the Soul

This entry was posted on December 14, 2015 at 8:00 am and is filed under Christian Perfection, Humility, Prayer, Reflection, St. John of the Cross. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.