View all Retreat Guides |

The Caverns of Our Hearts: An Advent Retreat Guide on St. John of the Cross

Want to rate this?

Not sure how to use this retreat guide?

What do we really want? We live in a world of competing desires. Every day we’re bombarded by promises to make us truly happy. If you just buy this product, or read this book, or try out this dating app, or start this diet program, or exercise more, then you will be happy. If your relationship with your spouse or with your children or with your friends were better, then your heart would finally be full.

In and of themselves, these are not bad things. But will they fill our hearts? Is there a still deeper desire that nothing in this life can ever really fill?

God, the great lover of our souls, wants to fill these caverns. In his writings, St. John of the Cross describes this process with unparalleled beauty and seeks to encourage his fellow travelers to cooperate with the Lord’s work as he seeks to bring them to union with himself.

In today’s retreat, we’ll explore that teaching in the following stages.

• In the first meditation, we’ll reflect on the foundation of St. John of the Cross’s writing: God alone.
• In the second meditation, we’ll probe the importance of giving back even our deepest and holiest desires to the Lord.
• Finally, in the conference, we’ll tie these two meditations together as we ponder how we can continually give God permission.