St. John of God

St. John was 40 years old before his sinful life started to be recognized by him. Ever since a young age St. John had a hard time following the Holy Spirits guidance because he had trouble with overcoming his own temptations. When he turned eight years old, St. John overheard a priest that had travelled to where he lived, and he heard him speak of adventures. That evening St. John ran from his home to travel with the priest, and from that day on he never spoke to his parents again.

St. John would eventually become sick and the man who helped him get healthy ended up adopting him. Until the age of 27, St. John spent most of his life laboring as a shepherd. At the age of 27 years old, St. John decided to fight in the Spanish army against France. However during the war, St. John did not follow God’s will, St. John would spend time drinking, gambling and doing other sinful activities. This all stopped one day when he fell off a horse he had stolen and he fell near enemy lines, and he decided to make a vow of change in his life.

St. John later went to confession and from that moment on he changed his life giving up all the sinful desires and pleasures that he had in his life. Due to the fact he had changed his life, his fellow army soldiers could not stand him. So they decided to play a trick on him that ended getting him kicked out of the army. After St. John got kicked out of the army he decided to return to his foster home and he started to work as a shepherd again. He later joined another war that had started and after that war ended he went out to find his birth parents. However, he found out his parents had past away. He spent time after the war being a shepherd and spending much time in prayer, contemplating with God what his plan for his life was.

When he had turned 38, he had the idea to travel to Africa and ransom Christian captives. However, while he was waiting for his source of transportation he saw a noble family that had left Africa due to political issues and were going through a hard time. St. John decided to change plans and he became their servant. The family later became extremely sick and St. John had to keep them alive by not only nursing them, but by earning money for them and feeding them.

St. John decided to go to Spain after a few years where he spent his days unloading ships, and visiting Churches to read spiritual books. St. John had such a big love for reading that he decided to become a book peddler and he sold religious books and holy cards. St. John later moved, and he decided to open a tiny store where he sold books.

Later in his life he heard a beautiful homily from John of Ávila which was about repentance. This homily was so powerful that St. John went to his shop, and gave away all of his books and money. St. John was left with torn clothes and was insulted by a lot of people. St. John ended up being placed in a hospital with the lunatics. John of Ávila went to visit him and said that his penance that had gone on for 40 days was enough. St. John of God was someone who as soon as he saw suffering, he did something about it. Even though he was a patient he would always serve others and help the sick. The hospital he was at really liked having his help.

St. John enjoyed serving others, so much that he started his own hospital. St. John would sell wood in the town to get money for his hospital. The little money that he made during the day, he used it to buy supplies such as food to comfort the poor. He eventually rented a house and took care of people inside of it. He would go out to the streets and carry the ill to his house on his shoulders, and he would clean their wounds and their clothes while he would pray. He was later able to change the location of his hospital to an old Carmelite monastery and opened a homeless shelter in the hall. He faced many challenges during that time, people tried to close him down because they believed that the people he was helping were trouble makers. He would always respond to these people saying “The only bad character in the hospital he knew was himself.” He had faced a lot because of his need to act instantly when he saw suffering.

When the Royal Hospital was on fire, St. John went to the hospital and ran into the burning building and saved every patient that was inside. After assuring that all the patients were safe St. John ran back into the building and started to throw out the sheets, blankets and mattresses out of the building to save them because he knew how important they were. St. John ran all the way to the top of the building and with an axe he split the burning part of the building away from the other part of the building to assure that the part of the building that was not on fire was safe. However, St. John fell through the roof and everyone thought he had died. Until St. John came out of the smoke and was okay.

Near the end of his life, when St. John was ill he witnessed one of his companions fall into raging waters which lead St. John to jump in the water after him to try to save him. He ended up failing to save him and got pneumonia. He ended up dying on March 8th on his 55th birthday. St. John’s feast day is March 8th and he is the patron saint of firefighters, nurses, hospitals and booksellers.

Prayer to St. John of God

Saint John of God, intercede that we may be able to do God’s will regardless of the challenges we may face while doing his will. Give us the strength to spread his love to others and give more then what we receive. Help us to offer up all the pain we endure for others and help us to pray more for others. Help us to gain the strength to guide more souls to Christ so that we may all be united together in heaven.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord and Mary Our Mother in Heaven.

Amen

Works cited

Information (read from, not taken):

Catholic Online. “St. John of God.” Saints and Angels. 2021. St. John of God - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online. Accessed 8 March 2021.

Images:

Faith magazine . St. John of God. March 8, 2021.

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