Spousal Hospitality and the Doctrine of St. John of the Cross

Abstract

The aim of this article was to explore the relationship between God and the human person, described by St. John of the Cross, using  the language of hospitality. This work deals with three different aspects of hospitality: first, it investigates the notion of hospitality and  then, secondly, links it with the spousal metaphor to create the expression ‘spousal hospitality’. Finally, it demonstrates how to read  the readings of John from the perspective of ‘spousal hospitality’. I genuinely believe that this approach will give a new and helpful  tool for interpreting John. Such a tool might be useful especially for those who find difficulty in overcoming the barrier of the technical  language that John uses.