Book I, Chapter XIII Summary and Analysis

The presence of spiritual avarice is another condition which is addressed by the dark night. Christians on this road find they no longer desire spiritual things or possessions because they no longer find any pleasure in these things. Spiritual luxury is removed from the soul in much the same way. With regard to spiritual gluttony, the soul loses its taste for those sensual things it once found pleasurable. Also, the source of these sensual pleasures dries up, just as breast milk does when a baby stops nursing. Another benefit of this purification through the dark night of the soul is that the soul develops a more habitual remembrance of God, as well as a fear of backsliding. An additional benefit of a successful passage through the dark night of the soul is that the new...