Saint John of The Cross

Saint John of The Cross (1542-1591), Spanish mystic and poet. John was born June 24, 1542, in Fontiveros, Spain, and originally named Juan de Yepes y Álvarez. He became a Carmelite monk in 1563 and was ordained as a priest in 1567. In organizing a new branch of the Carmelite order, his compatriot St. Teresa of Ávila called on John for assistance. In 1568 he opened the first monastery of the Discalced Carmelites, who emphasized a life of contemplation and austerity. John's attempts at monastic reform led to his imprisonment in 1576 and 1577; it was in prison that he began to compose some of his finest work. The themes of his poetry concentrate on the reconciliation of human beings with God through a series of mystical steps that begin with self-communion and renunciation of the distractions of the world. The unique poetical achievement of St. John of the Cross lies in his combining the nonrational longings of mysticism with the theological and philosophical precepts established by St. Thomas Aquinas. John's finest works, all of which have been translated into English, include the moving poems “Cántico espiritual” (Spiritual Canticle) and “Llama de amor viva” (Living Flame of Love). In his best-known lyric, “Noche obscura del alma” (Dark Night of the Soul), he described the soul's progress in seeking and finally attaining union with God by a course parallel to Christ's crucifixion and glory. John, who spent his final years in solitude and died December 14, 1591, in Ubeda, was canonized in 1726.