Saint John of the Cross

Juan de Yepes was born in Fontiveros (Avila) in the year 1542. He entered the Carmel Order in Medina del Campo and in 1567 he was ordained a priest in Salamanca. The summer of that year he met Mother Teresa of Jesus in Medina del Campo. At that time of that fortunate encounter the Foundress was 52 and the "santico" fray Juan was 25.

The intuition of St. Teresa was accurate and undeniable. From then on these two great mystic authors of Christianity walked together in the history of Carmel and Christian spirituality. Won over by her for the new ideal of Carmel, John of the Cross initiated the new experience of the Carmelite life with Fr. Antonio de Jesus and others in Duruelo, Avila, on November 28, 1568.

He shines with his own light in Carmel and the Church. He was the formator of the first Teresian Carmelites in various houses of formation and the director and spiritual master of Carmelite nuns and the laity in Castile and Andalusia. He instructed and encouraged by his preaching but his special charism was manifested more in his spiritual direction. He had responsibility for government in the houses and in the religious Provinces. A lack of comprehension within the Order cause him to be imprisoned for almost nine months in the monastery jail of Toledo. This cramped environment without light favored him with an interior introspection which he sang about in his first poems and which were the first beginnings of his future books.

His books reflect the teachings of his spiritual direction and instructions. At the beginning is the poem, almost beyond analysis for its inspiration, its allegory and its symbolism. The analytical commentary follows with liberty, but which can be so inspired for the profound theology and for the astoninshing poetic revelation. Standing out in all his teachings and commentaries is the image of the living Christ. As the foundation and reason for all the asceticism and spirituality he recommends having "an habitual desire to imitate Christ in all your deeds, conforming you self to his life which you must study in order to know how to imitate it" (Asc. BK. I, 13,3)

In the standard classification, which is imperfect since it does not take into account the unity and the profundity of his thought, his books: Ascent of Mount Carmel and the Dark Night are considered ascetical works. Writings of the mystical level are the Spiritual Cantle (also called "Songs that treat of the exercise of love between the soul and Christ the Spouse") and the Living Flame of Love. Other minor writings follow, such as the Cautions, the Sayings of Light and Love and the Letters and various Poems.

Because of his subtle analysis of the human soul with its destiny and tendencies, the written works of St. John of the Cross give rise to interest by Psychology, Mysticism and literature. His own total longing is for union of pure love with God: there the impassable and mysterious divine transcendence leaves a glimmer and at the same time makes it closeness felt to the point of being the same center of the human person. For the serene and captivating tensions of this intimate transcendence his writings are, surely, read today more than ever, inside and outside the Christian faith.

He died in Ubeda, on the night of December 13 towards midnight in 1591. His body rests in Segovia. Beatified on January 25, 1675 and canonized in 1726, two centuries later on August 24, 1926. Pius XI declared him a Doctor of the Church for his teachings in domain of mysticism.