Saintly Saturday - St. John of the Cross
John's father & older brother both died when John was just a young boy. His mother supported the family through work as a weaver. He attended a boarding school specifically for poor & orphaned children. Thanks to his religious education, he decided early on that he would choose a religious path. He joined the Carmelite order in 1563, choosing the name John of St. Matthias. He was ordained as a Carmelite priest in 1567.
A rift began in the Carmelite order. The Discalced Carmelites wanted to restore the original, strict Rule of the Carmelites while the ordinary Carmelites preferred the newer, less strict ways. John had developed a friendship with St. Theresa of Avila & they worked together for the restoration.
John faced much opposition, persecution, & even imprisonment by those of his own order. They placed him in a small cell, barely enough room to stretch out fully. He was given bread & water with the occasional salt fish scraps. Weekly, he was lashed in public. His only belongings were a prayer book, an oil lamp, & paper smuggled in to him on which he wrote poems.
After nine months, he was able to escape. He joined Theresa & her nuns in Toledo, Spain, spending the first six weeks of freedom recovering in a hospital. In 1579, he was sent to support the Discalced Carmelites in Andalusia.
John of the Cross died in Ubeda, Spain on December 14, 1591 of a skin infection. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on December 27, 1726. He is the patron saint of contemplatives, mystics, & a Spanish poets. St. John of the Cross is also a Doctor of the Church.
There is so much more to St. John of the Cross than what I put in this post. We encourage to to read more about him!
Some of his writings are still in print & include the following:
* The Dark Night of the Soul* The Ascent of Mount Carmel* The Spiritual Canticle* The Living Flame of Love
St. John of the Cross, Pray for Us!
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