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St John of the Cross - a general introduction
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Poet and Spiritual Father
John must have felt consolation
and peace when a year and a few months previous to this he arrived to take
up his office at El Calvario, a place of spectacular beauty far away from
the jurisdictional conflicts and threats. He never cared to go over the
past and talk about his imprisonment. He bore no animosity; he neither
complained nor boasted about what he had endured. Now more than ever he
could listen to nature through his senses; the flowers, the whistling breezes,
the night, the dawn, the rushing streams, all spoke to him. God was present
everywhere.
But in less than a year he had to move to the city again, this time to
the university town of Baeza to serve as rector of the new college for
the Teresian friars in the south. Unable to compete with places like Salamanca
or Alcalá, the university of Baeza did enjoy a certain prestige and was
making important contributions to Scripture studies. While rector of the
Carmelite college (1579-82), John guided his own students in their studies,
becoming acquainted as well with the professors at the university. Records
reveal that they frequently consulted and had long conversations with him
about the Bible. In these years after his escape, John took up once more
the ministry of spiritual direction, not only of the friars but also of
the nuns. He made frequent journeys through the mountains to Beas, a typical
little Andalusian town with small whitewashed houses, grilles in front
of large windows, and balconies full of flowering plants. The town is important
in John's life, for here he met Ana de Jesús, the prioress, who did not
at first recognize his depth and spirituality. In a letter to Ana, responding
to her complaint about having no spiritual director, Teresa made clear
her thoughts about Fray John of the Cross:
I'm really surprised, daughter, at your complaining so unreasonably,
when you have Father Fray John of the Cross with you, who is a divine,
heavenly man. I can tell you, daughter, that since he went away I have
found no one like him in all Castile, nor anyone who inspires people with
so much fervour on the way to heaven. You would not believe how lonely
his absence makes me feel. You should reflect that you have a great treasure
in that holy man, and all those in the monastery should see him and open
their souls to him, when they will see what great good they get and will
find themselves to have made great progress in spirituality and perfection,
for our Lord has given him a special grace for this [December 1578].
She went on to extol his holiness, kindness, experience, and learning.
Soon Ana de Jesús and her nuns affirmed Teresa's words through their own
experience. John shared his poems with them, and began the work of commentary
through his talks to them on his Spiritual Canticle. While the saintly
friar served as rector at Baeza, his discalced brethren, through the intervention
of the king, obtained juridical independence. In 1580 the Holy See allowed
them to erect an autonomous province, but under the higher jurisdiction
of the general of the order. Complete independence did not come until 1593,
after the deaths of both Teresa and John, when Pope Clement VIII accorded
the discalced Carmelites the same rights and privileges as other religious
orders. In 1582, Fray John was elected prior of a monastery adjacent to
the site of the Alhambra, with an outstanding view of the Sierra Nevada
and overlooking the enchanting city of Granada with its exotic traces of
Moorish culture in evidence everywhere. Here, in addition to leading the
community, John designed and worked on a new aqueduct and a new monastery
building that became a model for the discalced. At the same time, his ministry
of spiritual direction - not only to the friars and nuns but also to the
clergy and lay people who came knocking at the monastery door seeking help
- set in motion his work as a writer, and he began to compose his classic
works of spirituality. In 1585, at a chapter in Lisbon, John was elected
vicar provincial of Andalusia. This office obliged him to travel frequently.
He had to attend all the houses of friars and nuns in Andalusia, visiting
each formally at least once a year. He founded seven new monasteries. All
this brought him to Córdoba, Málaga, Caravaca, Jaén, and other renowned
cities in the south of Spain.
Purchase the official
English translation of the Collected Works of St John of the Cross, at ICS Publications,
Washington DC.
 Now
also on CD-Rom - Digital Library
The following information has been provided courtesy of ICS Publications. The
copyright of all materials is held by the Washington Provinceof the Discalced
Carmelites. Permission is hereby granted solely for private use of these texts
on which ICS Publications hold the copyright.
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