John of Yepes was born in Fontiveros (Ávila) into a noble family that had fallen on hard times. At twenty-one, when he became a Carmelite, he took the name John of St. Matthias. After being ordained a priest, he thought of joining the Carthusians, but Saint Teresa of Ávila dissuaded him and won him over to the Carmelite reform. That’s when he took the name John of the Cross.
It’s impossible to sum up in a few words all the things John did for the reform. He stood out as a teacher, a spiritual guide, and also as a superior and organizer. As a result of the opposition to the reform, he endured eight harsh months of imprisonment in Toledo. There, in that suffering, he began his poetic works.
Often misunderstood by his own brethren and treated unjustly, John died in the monastery of Úbeda (Jaén) at the age of forty-nine, on December 14, 1591. He was canonized in 1726 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926.
Small in stature, extremely ascetic, and serious in character, he was often the target of Teresa’s lighthearted jokes. He is considered the great Spanish master of mysticism; his system of spirituality is arguably the most important of modern times. His four great works are: Ascent of Mount Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul, Spiritual Canticle, and Living Flame of Love. The first two focus on the active and passive purification of the soul, while the last two explore the soul’s union with God.
Before the current calendar reform, his feast was celebrated on November 24.
