14 December: Saint John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church
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A contemplative at the service of the Kingdom of God
“God humbles the soul greatly in order to exalt it greatly afterward”, Saint John of the Cross once wrote. He reformed the Order of Carmel, along with Saint Teresa of Ávila, and is considered one of the most important poets in Spanish literature. His greatest works are: The Ascent of Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul, Spiritual Canticle, The Living Flame of Love.
Saint John of the Cross was born in 1542 to Gonzalo de Yepes and Catalina Álvarez, in the small village of Fontiveros, near Ávila, in Old Castille.
His father was from a noble family with Jewish origins, who had converted to Christianity. Having fallen in love with a humble weaver from Toledo, he was disowned by his father, and John was thus born into a poor family. His father died when he a young boy. When he was nine years old, he moved to Medina del Campo, near Valladolid, with his mother and brother, Francisco. He attended the Colegio de los Doctrinos, where he carried out humble tasks for the sisters of the convent of the Maddalena. Because of his humanity and his good academic results, he was accepted as a nurse at the Hospital of the Conception. He then entered the Jesuit College when he was 18 years old, and studied humanities, rhetoric and classical languages. At the end of the three-year term, he understood that God was calling him to religious life and he joined the Order of Carmel.
He began his novitiate at Medina del Campo in the summer of 1563, and chose Mattias as his religious name. He was sent to the University of Salamanca, in 1564, to further his studies in art and philosophy. Following his ordination as a priest in 1567, he returned to Medina del Campo to celebrate his first Mass and met Saint Teresa of Jesus for the first time. She suggested that he join her in reforming Carmel, including the male branch of the Order. John was impressed with Teresa’s project for life, and together they were able to continue the plan to return to the origins of the Carmelite Rule.
The first reformed convent was opened on 28 December 1568 in Duruelo, in the Province of Ávila. The Community was composed of John and three companions, who renewed their religious profession, according to the Primitive Rule. Saint John changed his name from Mattias to John of the Cross. Following a request from Teresa at the end of 1572, he became confessor and vicar of the Monastery of the Incarnation of Ávila, where Teresa served as Prioress.
Unfortunately, after the reform of Carmel, John encountered many obstacles and conflict, which caused him great suffering. In 1577, he was unfairly accused, kidnapped and imprisoned in the Carmelite Convent of the Ancient Observance in Toledo. He stayed there for months, forced to suffer hardship and moral pressure. It was during his imprisonment that he wrote, among other poems, Spiritual Canticle. On the night between 16 and 17 August 1578, he was able to escape, and took shelter in the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites in the same city. He was then sent to Andalusia, where he spent 10 years in different convents, especially in Granada. He served in various roles, including provincial vicar, and completed the draft of his spiritual treatises.
When he returned to Old Castille as a member of the General Government of the reformed Carmel, he settled in the Carmel in Segovia and served as Superior. In 1591, he was relieved from his duties and sent to the new religious Province of Mexico. While he was preparing to leave for his journey, he retired to the Convent in Ubeda, near Jaén, where he fell gravely ill. He died in the night between 13 and 14 December 1591, as his confreres recited Matins. His last words were, “Today I am going to sing the Office in Heaven”. His mortal remains were translated to Segovia. He was beatified by Clement X in 1675 and canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726. Pius XI proclaimed him Doctor of the Church in 1926.