wisdom of John of the cross in the writings of Evelyn Underhill, The

Spiritual Life, Summer 2000 by Durkin, Mary Brian

WHEN EVELYN UNDERHILL (1875-1941) began to study and write about the meaning of mysticism, she immersed herself in the writings of St. John of the Cross. Her monumental volume, Mysticism (1911), reveals her knowledge and appreciation of his teachings concerning the mystical life. In The Mystic Way (1913), Practical Mysticism (subtitled "A Little Book for Normal People" 1914), and Mystics of the Church ( 1925), she continued to expound on John's wisdom concerning ways to achieve union with the Absolute.

In 1925, Underhill was invited by the Church of England to lead retreats, the first English woman to be so honored. She was so successful at this and in giving spiritual instructions to those who sought her advice that from then on she considered spiritual direction her life's work. It was particularly in retreat conferences and in letters to advisees that Underhill utilized and with, keen discernment, presented ways to develop a practical and balanced spiritual life based on the teachings of St. John of the Cross, who, she claims, is "at once the sanest of saints and the most penetrating of psychologists."1

From the many sanjuanistic ideas found in Underhill's writings, this article will highlight basic teachings concerning the importance of detachment, mortification, prayer, and service, not only because she considered these to be crucial instructions for anyone striving for a closer union with God, but also because members of a contemporary Evelyn Underhill study group found these teachings inspirational today.

"I knew that Underhill had many practical ideas about the spiritual journey," a member of the study group commented, "but I always thought John's teachings were too drastic-impossible for a beginner like me, but now I find him less formidable, thanks to her explanations." As the leader of this study group, I became increasingly aware at each session that the reactions of the group showed how relevant the wisdom of these two mystics is today. When I first drafted this article, I included many questions and comments by the study group, but space limitations demand that in most cases these be eliminated. It is my hope that readers will take time to answer some of the questions proposed and to read thoughtfully the prayers by Evelyn Underhill that end certain sections. Intimate and insightful, these prayers reflect her teachings and those of John of the Cross.

God Dwells Within Us

Evelyn Underhill frequently began retreat conferences with the statement that any discussion of practical ways to grow closer to God must begin with the humble recognition of the supernatural truth that he dwells permanently within each of us. In The Golden Sequence, Underhill reiterates the words of John of the Cross: "In every soul, even that of the greatest sinner, God lives and substantially dwells."2 John distinguishes between the immanence of the Creator in all his creatures and that supernatural union which requires of each of us a willed self giving as the price of our transformation into a suitable dwelling place for Divinity. Underhill explains:

God is always really in the soul...but this does not mean that He always communicates to it supernatural being. This communication is the fruit of grace and love, and all souls do not enjoy it.

Those who do, do not possess it in the same degree, since their love may be greater or less.... The greater the love, the more intimate is the union 3

An important teaching of both John and Underhill is that we are half formed, incomplete creatures, continually being shaped by God's pervasive presence and pressure. For this reason, Underhill pleads, "Don't say `God made me.' Say `God is making me.' The Divine Creator is still working on you!" To emphasize this point, she asked retreatants to contemplate a picture-God forming Adam. She then says,

There we see the embryonic human creature...half awakened, not quite formed, like clay on which the artist is still working, and brooding over him, with His hand on His creature's head, the strong and tender figure of the Artist-Creator. Creative love, tranquil, cherishing, reverent of His material...meeting His half made human creature, firmly and gradually molding it to His unseen pattern, endowing it with something of His own life.4

Like Adam, we too are partially formed and unfinished creatures upon whom the Divine Potter is still working. John of the Cross also refers to the Artist within our souls, able to accomplish his handiwork only if we are receptive to his touch.5 Left to ourselves, we could only accomplish the merely natural and temporal, Underhill asserts, then adds, "Our spiritual life begins with a recognition of this humble truth, and a willing response to the Spirit, who first creates, then nurtures and stimulates us."6

Teach me, O God, a proper reverence for all that unformed human nature on which your Holy Spirit rests, which You can penetrate, transform, make holy, and in which You show forth to us the glory of the Only-Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.7