Dec 14 – Memorial for St. John of the Cross, priest, religious, doctor of the Church
St. John (1675–1726) was born in poverty. He cared for the poor in the hospital in Medina. He became a lay Carmelite brother in 1563 at age 21, though he lived stricter than their Rule. He studied at Salamanca. He was ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at age 25.
He was persuaded by St. Teresa of Avila to begin the Discalced (or barefoot) reform within the Carmelite Order, and took on the name John of the Cross. He was a master of novices, and spiritual director and confessor at St. Teresa’s convent. His reforms did not sit well with some of his brothers, and he was ordered to return to Medina. He refused and was imprisoned at Toledo, Spain, and escaped after nine months.
He was vicar-general of Andalusia. His reforms revitalized the Order. He was a great contemplative and spiritual writer. On Aug 24, 1926, he was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI.
- Patron Saint Index
Ecc 48:1-4,9-12
Mt 17:10-13
Happy shall they be who see you, and those who have fallen asleep in love
In recent years, I have had to attend quite a few funeral wakes of deceased loved ones of friends. There is often a mix of emotions at the venue, but one common refrain was that I wished I had spent more time with <insert name of deceased> when he or she was alive. Today’s readings also remind us that we need to be aware of the people around us, and the message which they bring.
The people in our lives are given to us by God to nurture, grow and sometimes mould us, to become his children. The role of contemplation with God is important for me to discern how this person could help me in the journey towards receiving my eternal reward. It is often difficult for me because there is a tendency to miss the lessons in each of these people whom we meet. As we continue in the season of Advent, let us take time to discover how Jesus can help us learn to treasure the people in our lives, so that we can continue to serve Him in faithfulness.
Nobody recognised John the Baptist as fulfilling the prophecy of the return of Elijah. Perhaps it was his lifestyle which deterred them from recognising him, or it could be due to the fact that they were preoccupied with the concerns of the world. This is an instructive lesson for each one of us, because it allows us to pause and see who are the people around us who may be prophets of God in our lives. I very often dismiss people who are in the same line of thought as me, but I have grown to realise that they could provide for me an alternative point of view which I am not aware of.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Jesus, give us the insight to recognise that the people in our lives are your ways of reaching out to us.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all the people who love us as we are.
OXYGEN 
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