Healed by Love: Contemplation as a Path of Healing
according to St. John of the Cross

by Daniel Chowning, OCD | Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 2025, 248 pp
reviewed by Gregory Houck, O.Carm.

Daniel Chowning, O.C.D., has written Healed by Love with a Catholic audience in mind—especially those already familiar with the great Carmelite figures and their writings. For such readers, who may be fewer in number today, this book offers a thoughtful and accessible resource.

The opening chapters provide a solid biography of Saint John of the Cross, along with a clear introduction to the human condition. Readers newer to John will likely appreciate this foundation, while those already acquainted with his life and context may find themselves eager for the later chapters, where Chowning turns more directly to his central theme of healing.

It is in Chapter 5, “The Path of Healing: Jesus the Divine Physician,” that the heart of Chowning’s work emerges. Here he carefully outlines how John of the Cross presents a path of healing rooted in Christ. Chowning emphasizes that the journey begins with the imitation of Jesus and deepens through a personal relationship with him. In a single sentence he captures the challenge and promise of this way:

“Jesus lived a life of mercy, compassion, and self-giving love that required a complete relinquishment of false securities and self-gratification, which eventually led to an agonizing death on the cross” (p. 116).

For John, and for Chowning, the “complete relinquishment” of false securities unfolds through the well-known “Dark Nights.” While these can sometimes seem abstract, Chowning offers clear explanations, showing how each stage enables us to grow in love. As this love matures, it is revealed not simply as our own, but as God’s love flowing through us. He writes, “John believes that the healing process requires becoming conscious of the unconscious contents of our psyche and spirit and a deepening union with God who dwells in the center of our being” (p. 148).

From there, Chowning explores John’s reflections on the theological virtues – faith, hope, and love – and their relationship to the powers of the soul: intellect, memory, and will. John’s use of imaginative imagery (the white tunic of faith, the green coat-of-mail of hope, the red toga of charity) highlights both his creativity and Chowning’s skill in presenting him to a contemporary audience.

One challenge for modern readers is that John of the Cross wrote over four centuries ago. At times, his vocabulary (and the way Chowning presents it) calls for translation into contemporary categories. For example, the phrase “purged from self-love” (p. 175) may sound unsettling to today’s ear, since modern psychology associates healthy self-love with well-being. Clearly, John’s meaning differs, and Chowning could helpfully signal that distinction more explicitly.

Similarly, terms such as “original sin” (p. 54) or even “God” carry connotations that are not always immediately clear to modern readers. John himself sometimes preferred to use words like “Beloved,” or Teresa of Avila “Great King,” to bring nuance to the divine mystery. Without such clarifications, contemporary readers may unintentionally impose their own interpretations.

A Worthwhile Read

With these considerations in mind, Healed by Love proves a rewarding book. Readers may wish to move quickly through the opening chapters if they are already familiar with John’s life, but beginning with Chapter 5 they will find rich material for reflection and prayer. Chowning’s synthesis of John’s insights into healing and love ultimately invites us to see contemplation as not only a path of transformation, but also of wholeness and communion with God.