, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." When a rift arose among the Carmelites St. John was actually imprisoned and suffered in terrible conditions: a cell barely large enough for him to lie down. But, it was in these horrid conditions where he came to know the cross acutely to experience the dying of Jesus - as he sat month after month in his dark, damp, narrow cell with only his God. In the darkness of the dungeon, John's spirit came into the Light. Just like St. John of the Cross, we have to be willing to carry our own cross if we want to experience the Resurrection. We have to forge a way through the darkness if we want to walk in the light.