Saint of the Day: St. John of the Cross

Priest and Doctor of the Church (1542-1591)

His life

+ Juan Yepez was born in Old Castille, Spain, in 1542. He entered the Carmelite Order in 1563 and was ordained a priest in 1567.

+ Shortly after his ordination, John of the Cross met Teresa of Avila and she invited him to join in her work of reforming the Carmelite Order. John committed himself to this effort and became the first member of the monastery of Discalced (“Barefoot”) Carmelite Friars in Durelo.

+ Serving in several administrative positions, he maintained an intimate union with God that distinguishes him as one of the greatest contemplatives in the Church’s history.

+ Despite the opposition to his work of reform, including being imprisoned by his Carmelite brothers, he dedicated his life to serving others.

+ John of the Cross’s writings, including The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Spiritual Canticle, and The Living Flame of Love, are filled with symbols and metaphors describing the soul’s search for the Beloved. His most endearing work is his Dark Night of the Soul.

+ Saint John of the Cross died on December 14, 1591. He was canonized in 1726 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926.

For prayer and reflection

May I never boast,
except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.—Galatians 6:14

Spiritual bonus

On this day we also remember Saint Viator of Bergamo. Honored as the second bishop of Bergamo, Italy, he worked against the spread of the Arian heresy and was named by Saint Athanasius as one of the authors of a significant treatise opposing the teachings of Arius. Saint Viator died in 370 and was honored as a saint immediately after his death.

Prayer

O God, who gave the Priest Saint John
an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial
and love of the Cross,
grant that, by imitating him closely at all times,
we may come to contemplate eternally your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.  Amen. (from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Fr. Silas Henderson, S.D.S.