The Contemporary Challenge of John of the Cross: An Introduction to His Life and Teaching

by Leonard Doohan

Leonard Doohan is widely-known as an author and lecturer in biblical theology, spirituality, and the role of the laity in the church. Here, for the first time, he gathers together material presented over many years in his workshops on John of the Cross. The Contemporary Challenge of John of the Cross offers a clear and simple introduction to the life, writings, and message of the Mystical Doctor, stressing always the practical applications of his teaching and example for today's Christians. 'This excellent work,' writes Ernest Larkin, O.Carm., 'opens the treasures of John of the Cross for our contemporaries.'

Genres: Spirituality, Religion

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introductory book on the great saint and doctor, St. john of the Cross. This was required reading for me as a Secular Carmelite but it was also a delight. Chapters 3 and 4 were the best. John knows human nature and Doohan knows St. John. In this little book you can pick out plum after plum. Rich fare!

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Institute of Carmelite Studies agreed to send me this book, The Contemporary Challenge of John of the Cross: An Introduction to his Life and Teaching, in exchange for an honest review. This is a great little publishing house that specializes in works by and about St. Teresa of Avila, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Edith Stein, St. John of the Cross, and several other prominent Carmelite figures.

This book starts off with a brief biography of St. John of the Cross. I have always known implicitly that St. John of the Cross had a hard life. You don't write Dark Night of the Soul without experiencing anguish in your life. However, the amount of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish was mind-boggling to me. I think one of the greatest tragedies he suffered was people in the Church turning against him and his leadership and instruction. The book then moves on to listing the works that St. John wrote and providing background and excerpts from some of them.

Chapters Three and Four are my favorite chapters. In these chapters we see St. John's Sketch of Mount Carmel, which shows the three paths to climb the Mount and "find the Lord we seek." We also are presented with the different stages of this journey we are making towards God including periods of lows, highs, and even plateaus. These two chapters shed a lot of light on the Ascent of Mount Carmel and the Dark Night of the Soul, and prove a very useful source to read them alongside these two great works.

This is an excellent starter book for anyone who wants to read St. John of the Cross but is intimidated, or someone like me, who tried to read St. John but got overwhelmed and lost in his brilliance of words. I give it five out of five stars. It got me excited to try and re-read St. John's works again and left me feeling a bit better equipped to tackle his writings. I'm also glad to have discovered this gem of a publisher in The Institute of Carmelite Studies. Check out my other reviews at stuartsstudy.blogspot.com

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

good introduction, especially to John's poetry