St. John of the Cross
Doctor of Mystical Theology 1542 – 1591
St. John of the Cross is not only the Doctor of Mystical Theology but truly the foundation of Catholic Mystical Theology. His whole life was spent in prayer and solitude learning of the defects of the soul and their remedies. His works remain popular today and have become foundational reading for anybody pursuing the path of prayer or a spiritual path. His intensity was only overshadowed by his gentility, except in the certain cases involving priests under his directorship who sometimes claimed that his judgments could be quite severe.
St. John of the Cross, Son of the Spanish Inquisition
Born in Old Castile, Spain, St. John of the Cross’s father was a silk weaver. Going to Catechism Classes at Medina del Camp, the family settled there shortly after his father died not long after St. John of the Cross’s birth. At the age of 17, he began his work in a hospital while studying under the Jesuits. But he joined the Carmelites in 1563 and it was then that he took his name – St. John of the Cross, which in Spanish is Juan de Santo Matia.
St. John of the Cross Ordained in 1567
St. John of the Cross met St. Teresa of Avila inadvertently while he was on his way home to visit his family. At the time, he wanted to leave the Carmelites and join another order where he could engage in deeper contemplation and study but she convinced him to remain in the Carmelite order. St. John of the Cross helped to found the first male Carmelite houses.
St. John of the Cross Spends Time in Prison
As a member of the reform movement of St. Teresa of Avila to bring austerity, penance and asceticism back to the Carmelites, St. John of the Cross was arrested by the Calced Carmelites (He was part of founding the Discalced Carmelite with St. Teresa of Avila) and put in prison for two years between 1577 and 1579. He was subjected to tortures and great sufferings in prison and had to escape, but it was during this time that a great deal of the contemplation which led to his still widely read books on Mystical Theology being written.
The Frigid Battle between Calced and Discalced Carmelites
Because of his stance, St. John of the Cross was stripped of all of his offices and sent into a sort of exile in a monastery as a simple monk for nine years. They tried to remove him from the order entirely but he contracted a fever before the issues could be resolved and died December 14, 1591. Ironically, St. John of the Cross would’ve been surprised to realize how much his work would affect the Universal Catholic Church in future generations and the longevity of his efforts.
He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926.
St. John of the Cross’s Written Works
The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night of the Soul, The Spiritual Canticle, The Living Flame of Love, The Precautions, Counsels to a Religious on How to Reach Perfection, Sayings of Light and Love, Maxims and Counsels, Censure and Opinion on the Spirit and the Attitude in Prayer of a Discalced Carmelite Nun, Innumerable Letters, Innumerable Poetry
The Twenty Eighth Doctor of the Catholic Church
The Thirtieth Doctor of the Catholic Church
Sources: The 33 Doctors of the Church – By Fr. Christopher Rengers, A Catholic Dictionary – By William Addis, The Writings of the Early Church Fathers (Thirty Eight Volumes): Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post Nicene – Hendrickson Publishers, Dictionary of Saints – By John J. Delaney, Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics – By Chas S. Clifton, A Scholastic Miscellany: Anselm to Ockham – Edited by Eugene R. Fairweather, A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present – By Bernhard Lohse
St. John of the Cross
|
Latest Articles