IN TODAY’S LIVES OF THE SAINTS AND MARYTRS

Winchester, VA – Born in 1542, Juan de Yepes Y Alvares was a descendent of Jewish converts to Christianity. He lost his father at the age of three, and reduced to even greater poverty, his older brother at the age of 5 from malnourishment. He was educated by the Jesuits, whose order was very new at the time. John entered the Carmelite Order in 1563, taking the name John of St. Matthias. He was ordained in 1567, and was intending on leaving to join the Carthusian Order, desiring its life of silence and contemplation. His plan was thwarted, however, when, in Medina,  he met a Carmelite nun named Teresa of Jesus, who was making her second Discalced Carmelite foundation. Teresa restored the observance of the Primitive Rule of the Carmelites, and urged John to join her in her quest to reform the order. John founded the first Discalced Carmelite monastery in Duruelo, in a derelict house, in November 1568, and he took the name John of the Cross.  He was imprisoned for disobedience by the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance, tortured with weekly public lashings, solitary confinement, and very little food. After 9 months, he escaped out of his cell. John experienced a highly mystical prayer life, and wrote extensively, in poetry and prose, about the spiritual life. He continued to assist in the foundations of Discalced Carmelite convents and monasteries, until his death of a streptococcus related skin infection in 1591, at the age of 49. St. John of the Cross, pray for us!

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