St John of Avila is one of the Catholic Church's greatest heroes, even if relatively little is known about him outside Spain, where he is patron of the nation's priests. It is strongly believed, though, that Pope Benedict XVI will highlight his contribution to the Christian faith by declaring him a Doctor of the Church during the 2011 World Youth Day, to will be held in Spain from 16 - 21 August (see Rome Reports and Rorate Caeli).So great was John of Avila's impact on Spain that it is true to say at least six of that country's saints were directly inspired by him - namely, St John of the Cross (with whom he is often confused),
St Teresa of Avila, St Peter of Alcantara, St Ignatius of Loyola,
St John of God and St Francis Borgia. The latter two were personally converted to a deeper love of God through his ministry, whilst all the rest received spiritual direction from him.
His success in Andalucía was immediate, and crowds began packing the region's churches to hear his sermons. Unfortunately, this led to some jealously or misunderstanding and he was accused of heresy. He was specifically charged with exaggerating the dangers of wealth and closing the gates of heaven to the rich. Of course, his innocence was quickly proved, once his trial had started - but in total, John spent over 12 months waiting in prison (1532 - 33). He claimed that his imprisonment taught him more about life and spirituality than all his other studies combined. It was during this time that John wrote some of his best tracts on mysticism, including Audi, filia, which was written for a female disciple of his. It is also during his imprisonment that John of Aliva became strongly devoted to the life and writings of St Paul the Apostle - one priest famously said, after hearing John preach, "I have heard St Paul on St Paul!" Following his aquittal, John went on to become an even greater preacher, priest, missionary and reformer - a ministry that lasted several decades.
His middle years were affected by ill health, even though they also saw him working as a prolific educator, founding several schools, and as a renowned theologian of the priesthood - his ideas heavily influenced the Council of Trent's reform of the priesthood. In fact, John of Avila had been invited to attend the Council as a peritus (theological expert), but declined due to ill health. He did, though, write systematic documents for his friends in the hierarchy who were attending Trent. In these papers, St John wrote for the need of reform within the papacy, the episcopacy and the priesthood. He also specifically identified the priesthood with the Eucharist, saying that there was no power in the world greater than the power of the priest, who can transform bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord. This grace, as well as the priest's role as mediator (in Christ), requires that they should strive towards the highest form of holiness possible - for to "have power over God himself" is not something to be taken lightly (cf Treatise 2)!
The Apostle of Andalucía, John of Avila, was born in Almodóvar del Campo into a Jewish converso family on the Feast of the Epiphany, 1499. Even as a boy, he was already famed for his intellect and piety, and was sent to study law at the University of Salamanca as a 14-year-old, where he stayed until 1517. After returning home, John spent much of his youth living a disciplined life of devotion and semi-eremitic penance at his parents' house.
John's sanctity so impressed a travelling Franciscan that he was advised by the friar to study philosophy and theology at Alcalá. One of his teachers there was the the famous Dominican theologian, Domingo de Soto. During his studies, though, both John's parents died and were buried in the local parish church, where he later celebrated his first Mass, in 1526. Upon his ordination, John of Avila sold his family's estate and property and gave all the proceeds to the poor.
John initially wanted to travel to the New World, to Mexico in fact, to work as a missionary priest. 
But whilst investigating the possibility of doing this during a stay in Seville in 1527, John's sanctity - especially his reverential celebration of Holy Mass - came to the attention of the local Archbishop and Inquisitor General, Don Alonso Manrique de Lara. This man managed to persuade the young priest to abandon his longing to become a foreign missionary in order to do similar work in Andalucía, which was a region of Spain in need of reform and a re-igniting of the faith, especially after so many centuries of Muslim occupation.
But whilst investigating the possibility of doing this during a stay in Seville in 1527, John's sanctity - especially his reverential celebration of Holy Mass - came to the attention of the local Archbishop and Inquisitor General, Don Alonso Manrique de Lara. This man managed to persuade the young priest to abandon his longing to become a foreign missionary in order to do similar work in Andalucía, which was a region of Spain in need of reform and a re-igniting of the faith, especially after so many centuries of Muslim occupation.His success in Andalucía was immediate, and crowds began packing the region's churches to hear his sermons. Unfortunately, this led to some jealously or misunderstanding and he was accused of heresy. He was specifically charged with exaggerating the dangers of wealth and closing the gates of heaven to the rich. Of course, his innocence was quickly proved, once his trial had started - but in total, John spent over 12 months waiting in prison (1532 - 33). He claimed that his imprisonment taught him more about life and spirituality than all his other studies combined. It was during this time that John wrote some of his best tracts on mysticism, including Audi, filia, which was written for a female disciple of his. It is also during his imprisonment that John of Aliva became strongly devoted to the life and writings of St Paul the Apostle - one priest famously said, after hearing John preach, "I have heard St Paul on St Paul!" Following his aquittal, John went on to become an even greater preacher, priest, missionary and reformer - a ministry that lasted several decades.
St John of Avila was one of Spain's most advanced mystics, and influenced many other contemplatives, such as St John of the Cross and St Theresa of Avila - they both received guidance from him. His distaste for money and riches was therefore coloured by his mysticism, and might have been very hard for many people of the time to understand. His preaching on the subject of wealth, like St Francis of Assisi's teachings, was always quite extreme for worldly ears - but it was grounded in a passion for heavenly things and in a poetic wisdom that many, even in the Church, have failed to understand.
His middle years were affected by ill health, even though they also saw him working as a prolific educator, founding several schools, and as a renowned theologian of the priesthood - his ideas heavily influenced the Council of Trent's reform of the priesthood. In fact, John of Avila had been invited to attend the Council as a peritus (theological expert), but declined due to ill health. He did, though, write systematic documents for his friends in the hierarchy who were attending Trent. In these papers, St John wrote for the need of reform within the papacy, the episcopacy and the priesthood. He also specifically identified the priesthood with the Eucharist, saying that there was no power in the world greater than the power of the priest, who can transform bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord. This grace, as well as the priest's role as mediator (in Christ), requires that they should strive towards the highest form of holiness possible - for to "have power over God himself" is not something to be taken lightly (cf Treatise 2)!St John of Avila became very frail towards the end of his life. He spent his last three years in semi-retirement in Cordoba. Even so, he nearly entered the Society of Jesus during this time, as its model of fraternal priesthood matched his own ideas. But ill health meant that he remained a diocesan priest until his death in Montilla on 10 May 1569. He was, though, buried according to his wishes in that town's local Jesuit church.
John of Avila was declared Venerable by Pope Clement XIII on 8 February 1799 and beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 12 November 1893. In 1970 he was canonised by Pope Paul VI. His feast is kept on 10 May.
San Juan de Ávila, ora pro nobis
[Images - Top: St John of Avila; this image is in the public domain; source: Wikipedia. Middle:
St John of Avila on an old 25 peseta Spanish postal stamp; source: Rorate Caeli. Bottom: St John of Avila by Pierre Hubert Subleyras 1699-1749, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, England; source: Idle Speculations]
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