Love & Beauty in St John of the Cross

Love & Beauty in St John of the Cross' Spiritual Canticle

Recordings of the five talks given by Fr Matthew Blake, OCD

Fr Matthew Blake is a Carmelite priest. Originally from Ireland, he has lived and worked in the UK for more than thirty years. His ministry has mainly involved retreat direction, for which he is well-known in the UK, and he has also worked in many different parishes.

St John on Prayer

The first talk provides an introduction to St John’s understanding of prayer, based particularly on The Ascent of Mount Carmel.

St John as a Doctor of the Church

The second talk looks at the context to and reasons for the declaration of St John as a Doctor of the Church.

St John on Beauty

This talk looks at the role of beauty in the relationship between the soul and God, especially as presented in the Spiritual Canticle.

St John on Love

St John’s understanding of God as Love, of union with God as the goal of the spiritual life and of the soul’s transformation in Love.

St John's Mysticism

St John’s poem, La Fonte (The Source), written whilst in prison, offers a glimpse into the heart of the Mystical Doctor.