Conversion of our Father St. John of God

20 January

 

“The feast day of that courageous martyr Saint Sebastian came around. Atthat time the city of Granada held the solemn festivities at the Hermitage ofthe Martyrs. That excellent and outstanding doctor of theology named MasterAvila was to be the preacher. He was a man of intense holiness and learning.The preacher expounded the reward which Our Lord bestowed upon his holy martyrfor having suffered such tremendous torments and the pain of a thousand deathsout of love for him, concluding that Christians must expose themselves to sucha point in order to serve their Lord and rather suffer a thousand deaths thanoffend him. John of God, assisted by the grace of the Lord who gave force andvirtue of such lively and effective words, was penetrated to the depths of hisheart. No sooner had the sermon ended than John rushed outside imploring andshouting in a loud voice for God’s mercy. He leapt up and ran about wildly …until he reached his shop … he began to tear the chivalric novels and otherprofane books in his stock into shreds. Any book of sound doctrine and those ofthe lives of the saints, he gave away free to anyone who asked for them for thelove of God …  He stripped himself ofeverything and gave it all away then once more ran shouting into the streets ofGranada begging the Lord’s mercy. Some honest persons who saw all this took himto where Father Avila was staying. And after comforting him he sent him awaysaying … ‘Go in peace with the Lord’s blessing and my own, because I amconfident that the Lord will not refuse you his mercy’. Placed in the RoyalHospital as a madman, he experienced the ‘cures’ used there to heal insanepatients and this experience matured his vocation; ‘May the Lord grant me thatI may have my own hospital to care for the sick’. (F. deCastro, History of the life and holy works of John of God, English translationDublin, 1986, chapters VII, VIII, IX)  The experience of God’s mercy changed John ofGod; the memorial that we are celebrating inspires the Hospitaller Order torecall the gift and the “conversion” that calls us to daily bring newhospitality to fruition. 



 

Copyright © 2024 Fatebenefratelli