Spiritual director Guy Yeomans shared his experience of a dark night of the soul, which bought him a deeper faith.

The story behind this painting reveals how intimately it speaks of the hidden journeys many of us walk. JISA Canisius Spiritual Director Guy Yeomans lived through what he describes as a “dark night of the soul” in 1991—a time when both his life and his faith seemed to be imploding. Yet it was there, in the midst of that darkness, where he experienced something unexpected and deeply transformative: a mystical encounter with Christ on the Cross.

When Guy came across a photograph that symbolised this experience, something in him recognised it instantly. The image mirrored his own inner landscape—scorched, stripped back, yet somehow still alive. He asked artist Simon Walker to paint it, trusting that art could carry the depth of that moment in a way words cannot.

Guy reflects “Though the original scene was captured in England, it echoes something profoundly familiar to Australians. We have all witnessed those harrowing post-bushfire landscapes: blackened trunks rising from ash, the air still and stunned—until, almost impossibly, a small green shoot appears. That tender defiance of death, that promise of renewal, is always a moment of quiet awe.”

This painting, like Guy’s story, offers a kind of parable for anyone who has walked through pain and is searching for hope. It reminds us that even the most devastated ground can cradle the beginnings of new life, and that healing often comes to us in humble, surprising ways—green shoots pushing through blackened earth.

Thank you to Guy for entrusting this story to us. Explore here if you are interested in attending our upcoming retreat Beyond Pain – Reframing Hope at Peter Canisius House in Pymble NSW on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May 2026 – 9am to 4pm each day (day only or overnight Saturday options available). We look forward to welcoming you.