Spiritual Direction with St. John of the Cross

All goods giving distinct joy to the will can be reduced to four kinds: motivating, provocative, directive and perfective. We will discuss them in due order, beginning with motivating goods: statues, paintings of saints, oratories, and ceremonies.

The Church established the use of images for two principal reasons: the reverence given to the saints through them; and both the motivation of the will and the awakening of devotion to the saints by their means. Insofar as they serve this purpose their use is profitable and necessary. We should consequently choose those images that are more lifelike and move the will more to devotion. Our concentration should be centered on this devotion more than on the elaborateness of the workmanship and ornamentation.

There are, as I say, some people who pay more attention to the workmanship and value of the statue than to the object represented. And the interior devotion, which they should direct spirtually toward the invisible saint in immediate forgetfulness of the statue--since the purpose of the statue is to give motivation--is so taken up with the exterior artistry and ornamentation that the senses receive satisfaction and delight; then both the love and joy of the will dwell on that satisfaction. This is a total obstacle to authentic spirituality, which demands annihilation of the affections in all particular things.
Ascent of Mt. Carmel, Chap. 35, No. 1,2,3



St. John of the Cross goes on to admonish those who adorn statues with jewelry and garments, in effect, disrespecting the saint the image represents.  In the above teaching from the Ascent of Mt. Carmel, he is reminding us of the proper use of statues and paintings:to motivate us to prayer.  If we stand in awe of a beautiful work of art and not lift our minds and hearts to the all good and beautiful Creator, our God, then we are merely idol worshippers. The danger comes in centering our joy on the object and not on the saint it represents.


We can take this teaching and examine ourselves to see if we have fallen prey to this temptation. Perhaps we have beautiful images and statues in our homes.  We pass by them numerous times each day. Do we make a sincere effort to stand before the image and pray?, or do we pass by and comment, "Oh, Our Lady's statue looks so beautiful." Or, "That picture of St. Therese looks so nice there on the wall."


In the Eastern Church, the icon is considered a "window to heaven." Many monks and nuns bow to the icon, others never turn their back on them when leaving a room.  We are not talking about idol worhip. When one sincerely takes a moment to gaze upon the image, then lifts the heart and mind to God or the saint represented seeking their help and prayers, then, yes, this is the proper use of images the Church teaches.


Let us pray for each other, that we place the religious images we possess in our homes in the proper perspective, not vain works of art, but true vehicles for prayer that help us in this physical world to raise our minds and hearts to the spiritual things of God.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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