12/13/2025
St. John of the Cross is the patron saint of mystics, contemplatives, and Spanish poets. He was born in 1542 in Avila, Spain. His father came from a wealthy family but married a very poor woman, so the family disowned them. John grew up in poverty, and his father died when he was three. John was sent to a boarding school for poor children. He was given a solid formation in Catholic doctrine from a young age. John was inclined to holy pursuits in his youth, and in 1563, he entered the Carmelite religious order.
John was ordained a priest for the Carmelites in 1567. He loved solitude and contemplation, and so considered entering the strictest of Orders, the Carthusians. He met St. Teresa of Avila, who was working to reform the Carmelites and bring them back to their former austerity. This redirected John's vocation, and he opened the first Discalced Carmelite monastery at Duruelo. Reform, however, caused friction within the order and led to his imprisonment at Toledo, where he wrote some of his finest poetry. After nine months of imprisonment, John was able to escape.
Near the end of his life, John traveled across Spain, establishing Discalced Carmelite houses while engaging in an intense priestly ministry. He was a contemplative who elegantly expressed his love for God in works like Dark Night of the Soul, Spiritual Canticle, Ascent of Mount Carmel, and Living Flame of Love, which are considered poetic masterpieces of the Spanish language. In 1591, John contracted a skin disease and an infection. He died on 14 December that year, repeating with the psalmist, "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." He was canonized and declared a Doctor of the church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.
Prayer
O God, who gave the Priest St. 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.
