This is a view from Slemish Mountain in Northern Ireland. It is sacred to the memory of St. Patrick, who spent seven years here as a slave tending swine.

This solitary era for St. Patrick was a time of great spiritual growth, in which he realized that God is our ultimate beginning and end. Hungry, cold, exposed to the elements, Patrick possessed the one thing necessary: God's grace. Thus he learned to love God.

"The school of Christ is the school of love. In the last day, when the general examination takes place...love will be the whole syllabus."

~ St. Robert Bellarmine

 Happy Feast of St. John of the Cross!

Here are photos of the monastery of St. John of the Cross in Segovia, Spain.

And here is his grave:

I think it's rather ironic that the saint who most exemplifies detachment from all worldly things finds his feast day falling on Black Friday this year! Black Friday, in the United States, is the epitome of attachment to worldly things. But his feast also falls on the day after Thanksgiving  this year. St John of the Cross had this to say about prayers of gratitude:

One act of thanksgiving, when things go wrong with us, is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclinations. — St. John of the Cross

Many of us remember to thank God when things are going great, (especially on the fourth Thursday of November), but how many of us remember to thank Him when we are disappointed, sad, or discouraged? The next time we are feeling "down-in-the-mouth", let us remember to thank Almighty God. His plan is perfect, and He shapes a cross for each one of us with Infinite Wisdom and Indescribable Love.