St. John of the Cross : the poetics of heroism and the heroism of poetics

qualities. This suggests that the soul has advanced far in her pilgrimage and has entered a space unknown to those that do not take the mystical journey. Moreover, given the sacramental frame, this new space, on the one hand, surrounds the glory of her future matrimony, and on the other, proclaims the mystery of the bond between lover and Beloved. The poetic subject emphasizes this commitment and mystery, since the only iterations in the entire poem of the essential characteristic ‘capacity’ occur here in stanza 19 through the nouns servicio (service), oficio (office or profession) and ejercicio (exercise or activity). In addition to ‘capacity’, it is the first time the poetic subject utters the word ‘soul’, alma, as well as the essential characteristic ‘knowledge’, from the term ciencia. These nouns as well as the action of reciprocal exchange emphasize the soul’s commitment to her vocation, promising matrimony to her Beloved, while at the same time setting the stage of mystical union. Finally, the Sacrament of Matrimony signifies a bond “established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved” (Daily Roman Missal 2270n.24). As the Daily Roman Missal adds: