St. John of the Cross’s Understanding of God as A Hidden Lover and Its Relevance to the Issue Of Suffering
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Date
2015
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The Christian religion is one that is centred on faith in a loving God, who
Vatican II says has expressed his love in various ways to us. Jesus Christ is the
climax of God’s expression of his love for humanity (cf. DV 3-4). Various writers
and Christian mystics have tried to express this love in various terms and symbols.
John of the Cross, in line with Scripture and the teachings of the church, presents
God as a loving God, who cares for his suffering children, turns their suffering to
good and uses it to draw them closer to himself.
John presents God as a Hidden Lover who loves his children and purifies
them for a life of communion with him. He leads them through various stages and
dark moments with his hidden presence. Though we suffer at every moment, God is
still with us as the life of John of the Cross testifies. Irrespective of our pains and
sufferings, God is still the closest person to us and loves us. He is at the very centre
of our being, though we don’t seem to notice his presence because of our present
painful condition.
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Keywords
God, St. John, Hidden Lover