Biography
Juan de Yepes y Álvarez was born in poverty in Spain. He joined the Carmelite Order and was ordained a priest. Dissatisfied with the laxity of the order, he considered joining the stricter Carthusians until he met St. Teresa of Ávila, who recruited him to help reform the male branch of the Carmelites. His reform efforts met fierce resistance from the non-reformed Carmelites, who eventually kidnapped and imprisoned him in a tiny cell in Toledo for nine months. In this darkness and isolation, he composed some of the greatest mystical poetry in Spanish literature. He miraculously escaped and continued his spiritual writings, most notably 'The Dark Night of the Soul' and 'The Ascent of Mount Carmel.' He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926.
Miracles & Signs
- ✦Miraculous escape from his prison cell in Toledo, guided by the Virgin Mary
- ✦Levitations during prayer
- ✦His body remained incorrupt after death and emitted a sweet fragrance
Wisdom & Quotes
“In the evening of life, we will be judged on love.”
“To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing.”
“God's first language is silence.”