The Living Flame of Love
Written by St John of the Cross in 1586, in the midst of many duties as Vicar Provincial of Andalusia, The Living Flame of Love continues, it is suggested, where the Spiritual Canticle ends: at the highest degree of perfection attainable in this life.[1] It comprises four stanzas, each of six lines, with a commentary.
We are grateful to Fr. Tony Cussens for permission to reproduce the text of a series of talks given during 2017, illuminating this work and the teachings of St John of the Cross.
Each paragraph of the commentary is typically numbered. The paragraph numbers start from 1 for each stanza (i.e. Stanza 1, paragraph 1, paragraph 2 etc., then Stanza 2, paragraph 1, paragraph 2 etc.,) References to a particular commentary paragraph in the text below are indicated by “CP” followed by the paragraph number for that stanza.
[1], See The Collected Works of St John of the Cross, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh OCD and Otilio Rodriguez OCD, ICS Publications Revised Edition 1991, The Living Flame of Love, Introduction, page 634.
Written by St John of the Cross in 1586, in the midst of many duties as Vicar Provincial of Andalusia, The Living Flame of Love continues, it is suggested, where the Spiritual Canticle ends: at the highest degree of perfection attainable in this life.[1] It comprises four stanzas, each of six lines, with a commentary.
We are grateful to Fr. Tony Cussens for permission to reproduce the text of a series of talks given during 2017, illuminating this work and the teachings of St John of the Cross.
Each paragraph of the commentary is typically numbered. The paragraph numbers start from 1 for each stanza (i.e. Stanza 1, paragraph 1, paragraph 2 etc., then Stanza 2, paragraph 1, paragraph 2 etc.,) References to a particular commentary paragraph in the text below are indicated by “CP” followed by the paragraph number for that stanza.
[1], See The Collected Works of St John of the Cross, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh OCD and Otilio Rodriguez OCD, ICS Publications Revised Edition 1991, The Living Flame of Love, Introduction, page 634.
| Living Flame Part 1 |
| Living Flame Part 2 |
| Living Flame Part 3 |
| Living Flame Part 4 |