SAN JUAN DE ÁVILA: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

San Juan de Ávila (1499-1569) was an important Spanish priest and writer, who through his eloquence and ability to speak attracted crowds willing to listen to his sermons. From a very young age he showed great interest in leading a spiritual life, united to Christianity and a fervent faith in God.

He was a man of faultless conduct who always dedicated himself to serving others. In addition to his talent for public speaking, he stood out for his writing. His works belonged to what was known as ascetic literature, which was that based on the work of the spirit to achieve the moral and ethical, from perfection.

San Juan de Ávila. Source: By At the bottom of the image are the author's data., via Wikimedia Commons

Such was his time on earth that his always spiritual, loving and kind attitude made him worthy of canonization. At first he was beatified by Pope Leo XIII, in 1894, and later he was declared patron of the Spanish Church. Finally in 1970 Paul VI canonized him.

Biography

The priest Juan de Ávila was born in Toledo, Spain, specifically in Almodóvar del Campo, on January 6, 1500. He came from a well-off family.

His father, of Jewish descent, was Alfonso de Ávila, owner of some mines. While her mother was Catalina Gijón, a prominent woman from a distinguished Spanish family.

A compassionate and caring child

Since he was a child, his parents instilled in him good values, as well as love and respect for others. He was always educated from Christian principles. He differentiated himself from the other children by the long time he spent in prayer and meditation, as well as by his constant attendance at church.

He was also known for his devotion and faith to the Holy Virgin Mary. Those who have studied his life assure that since childhood he was detached from the material, and gave what he had to the most needy. He always sacrificed himself for others; from a young age he felt the call of God.

Preparation as a priest

When he was 14 years old, he began law studies in Salamanca. It was the year 1514 at the time. However, he dropped out just short of graduation, because his inclination was more to the priesthood. He returned to his hometown, and lived again with his parents. At that time he dedicated himself to a life of penance and prayer.

When he turned 20 years old, in 1520, he left home to study theology and arts in San Alcalá de Henares. This took six years.

It was a time when he soaked up a lot of new knowledge, including "Erasmus." There he began his apprenticeship to the Holy Scriptures and made good friends.

Among the friends he made after the first steps of his preparation for the priesthood were, to mention a few: Ignacio de Loyola, Teresa de Ávila, Luís de Granada and Juan de Dios. All of them dedicated to serving God and others. It was, for him, a rich exchange of knowledge and learning.

In the year 1526 he was ordained a priest. On that same date his parents died, and his first mass in the land where he was born was dedicated to them, to honor and honor them. They say that after the service, he sat at the table to eat with twelve poor people, just as Jesus Christ did with the apostles.

Evangelizer and missionary

Everything that the priest inherited from his parents, he donated to the poorest of his town. There in Almodóvar del Campo he carried out his first evangelizations. Later he moved to New Spain, after offering himself as a missionary to Fray Julián Garcés, who served as the new Bishop of Tlascala at that time.

During his time as a missionary in the aforementioned city, he lived with his partner Fernando de Contreras. They had a life of prayer and sacrifice. Together they lived in poverty, dedicated body and soul to preaching the Word of God and helping those most in need.

Although at first he had the idea of ​​going to preach to America with Fray Garcés, he gave up that thought when he was invited, by the then Cardinal and Archbishop of Seville Alonso Manrique de Lara, to evangelize Andalusia. His dedication to that city was so great that he became known as the "Apostle of Andalusia"

It was during his life in Seville that Ávila was caught in trouble. A representative of the Pope prevented him from preaching, which made it difficult for him to deliver bulls and documents on political and religious subjects. However, despite the vicissitudes, many people continued to support the future saint, Juan de Ávila.

Historically it has been said that this commissioner, who represented the Pope, slapped him in public, and that what Saint John did was kneel down and say: "Pair me with this other cheek, which I deserve more for my sins." This event opened the way for the famous Inquisition.

Attacked by the Inquisition

For 3 years, from 1530 to 1533, the Inquisition began to attack Juan de Ávila. His enemies accused him of not adequately explaining the Holy Scriptures and of considering witches and sorcerers martyrs. Furthermore, the Inquisition rejected the fact that Juan de Ávila claimed that heaven was not for the rich.

Adding himself to the list of accusations against the saint, he stressed that they blamed him for being incapable, because in Juan de Ávila's opinion it was better to help the poor than to build churches.

On the other hand, there was the fact that he asserted, and thus practiced it, that an intimate prayer with God was worth better than one with all the voice. All this cost him his freedom, since he went to jail for a year.

Once in prison he did not take part to defend himself, he let things happen. To each question they asked him, he responded with peace, serenity and, above all, humility. His respect for God and the church kept him firm. In the end, those who testified in his favor were fifty more than five who accused him.

It was in prison where he learned more deeply about God's way of acting; also there he wrote the first stage of Audi Filia. Although he was released, he was forced to accept charges he did not commit, and excommunicated and forced to serve his sentence, he had to "admit" that he preached wrongly.

Other aspects of his life and the death of Juan de Ávila

The constant process as a writer began in 1556, with the comment he made on Psalm XLIV. This publication was clandestine at first, and its publication was later authorized in Madrid.

The purpose of the work was to purify the spirit, leaving aside the pleasures. Thanks to her, he obtained the admiration of King Felipe II.

He made many trips, in one of them he met Fray Luis de Granada, with whom he created close spiritual ties. During 1535 he dedicated himself to preaching throughout Córdoba. He founded several colleges, including San Pelagio and La Asunción, where students had to preach if they wanted to obtain the title of teacher.

His trip to Granada was made at the invitation he received from Archbishop Gaspar de Ávalos. In that city he witnessed the change of life of San Juan de Dios. He was also in charge of training his first group of disciples. He traveled leaving in his wake preaching, aid, schools and love for others.

He established himself as a great preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Saint Paul was his example, his preaching was profound, destined to transform hearts and lifestyles. He constantly invited prayer. He became the advisor to many personalities of his time.

Beato Juan de Ávila Street. Source: By Jose Luis Filpo Cabana, from Wikimedia Commons

He formed the priestly school, under the principles of the Society of Jesus, although he did not enter that group. Preaching, "accommodating" lives and customs, patience, prayer and penance were the main objectives of the Society, and its members were all supporters of what has already been described.

Death

Death came to him while in Montilla. He was ill for a long time, until on May 10, 1569, he fell asleep forever.

In life he made it clear that he was buried in the Jesuit church, and that many masses were celebrated. His remains still rest in the Company of the Jesuits, in the city where he died.

Plays

The writings of San Juan de Ávila, as well as his life, were dedicated to good works. A closer encounter with God, prayer, charity, love and detachment were the most salient aspects of his preaching. His language was clear, concrete and with an unequaled closeness to the reader.

It was frequent for his readers and for the students of his work to find popular words or phrases in his texts, with lively characteristics.

He also used many sayings. Although he made use of these elements so that his followers understood him better, it is also true that expressive beauty accompanied him in all his writings.

Spiritual Letters for all States

It consisted of a set of letters intended for all people in general. Its content was ascetic, that is, it was intended to invite people to take their lives to a higher spiritual plane. San Juan de Ávila wrote this text when he was in Madrid, in the year 1578.

These texts transmitted, and still do today, great wisdom through their wit, eloquence and sympathy. Although they were addressed to both rich and poor people, they somehow revealed the author's noble spirit and his strong relationship with God. Teaching about contemplation and the joy of living in Christ Jesus was his main objective.

Audi Filia

At first it was a dedication to Sancha Carrillo, whom the future saint guided spiritually.

San Juan de Ávila was inspired by Psalm 44 of the Sacred Scriptures to make this manuscript, and in it he spoke about leading a good life within what was faith in God. The play was written in Latin, and its title translates to "Listen daughter."

Fragment:

"Listen, daughter, look

and listen carefully…

Do not hear the language of the world;

full of lies

that harm those who believe them…

Hear only God, everything in Him is true… ”.

Treatise on the Love of God

It is a book that described God's love for his children. In the text Juan de Ávila made it clear that man demonstrates his love for the heavenly father through obedience.

He established that although Jesus Christ suffered for men on the cross, his love was always greater than his pain.

San Juan de Ávila, Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. Source: By José Luis Filpo Cabana, from Wikimedia Commons

The author wrote this work in simple language so that everyone could understand the message. In the text he referred to the way God loves his children, to the foundations of that same love, to his greatness, and even how Jesus Christ, after being crucified, remained among his people.

Fragment:

"Do not think that, because he ascended to heaven, he has forgotten you, because you cannot sympathize with love and forgetfulness. The best garment he had left you when he went up there, which was the canopy of his precious flesh in memory of his love.

Catechism or Christian Doctrine

This work dates from the year 1554. With this work by Ávila he sought, through educational tools, to teach the little ones about the message of Christ.

At the same time, he sought to get children closer to God through biblical writings, and by doing charitable works, as well as by dedicating themselves to prayer.

The works described above are just some of the most outstanding of this famous priest. Many of his sermons, in which he performed excellently, have disappeared throughout history.

Many historians agree that Juan de Ávila never bothered to take care of them, and some did not even write them.

Saint John of Avila, a vicar of God and the scriptures

Finally, San Juan de Ávila, as he was known from the year 1970 after the canonization process by Pope Paul VI, was a man completely given to God, and his passage through this world did not go unnoticed. Either because of the life he led or because of his literary works, he left indelible marks.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI reported that at the request of the Spanish Episcopal Conference he would be declared a Doctor of the church, which is a recognition and honor given only to men of faith who have stood firm throughout of history.

The act of appointing "Doctor of the Church" took place a year later, on October 7, 2012. Juan de Ávila went down in history as a man given to God, to know him deeply, to his constant help to the most needy, as well as for his incomparable love and humility.

References

1. San Juan de Ávila. (S. f.). (N / a): Hearts. Recovered from: corazón.org
2. San Juan de Ávila. (2018). (N / a): EC Wiki: Online Catholic Encyclopedia. Recovered from: ec.aciprensa.com
3. Juan de Ávila. (2018). (Spain): Wikipedia. Recovered from: wikipedia.org
4. San Juan de Ávila. (2012). (N / a): Present Church. Recovered from: Iglesiaactualidad.wordpress.com
5. San Juan de Ávila: Missionary Director of Almas. (S. f.). (N / a): EWTN Fe. Recovered from: ewtn.com