The story
Coined by John of the Cross.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
dark night of the soul
Today it means: a period of time in which a holy person (someone believed to be potentially on their way to sainthood) experiences a seeming withdrawal of God's previously-felt presence in their lives, and undergoes stark spiritual attacks. This period of time is seen (by Catholics) to be a period in which God is calling the holy person to rid themselves of any remaining vestiges of self-pride and vanity that they may have. Full definition →