St. John of Ávila 'on Ewtn | National Catholic register

Learn more about the apostle that has touched the hearts throughout Spain.

When the legendary St. Teresa of Ávila needed spiritual lawyers during the Spanish Inquisition, it did not turn to the St. John of the Cross or the St. Peter von Alcántara, but for the less well -known St. John of Ávila.

This priest, who in the same year as the St. Teresa of Pope St. Paul VI. Was made sacred in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI to the 34th doctor of the church.

St. John, who was known as the “Apostle of Andalusia” at the time, is the latest focus of the EWTN Original Doctors of the Church Series. This 30-minute episode examines his life and influence in Spain from the 16th century, where he also shone among other well-known lights such as Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Borgia, Peter von Alcántara and the Great St. Teresa.

Doctors of the Church: St. John of Ávila Premiere at 4 a.m., Monday, May 5th; 9 a.m. ET, Tuesday, May 6th; and 5 p.m. ET, Friday, May 9th, on EWTN. (Find Ewtn at ewtn.com/everywhere.)

This episode contains some wonderful stories about the saint. Here is a small view of three of them.

History No. 1: Like St. Francis, John was born by wealthy parents, albeit in 1499, which was just more than three centuries later. While his parents may have had great hopes for him, John's visors never fluctuated from the priesthood. When John's parents died, they left him a big property. How did John react? Like most people who inherit money, John held a big party – but in contrast to most people, John belonged 12 homeless people and gave away all his money!

History No. 2: John was obedient to church authority. As a young priest, John had the burning wish to become a Spanish missionary in the new world. He asked the Archbishop of Seville to send him there. Instead, the archbishop tried to convince him to stay in Spain. But when he did not persuade him, the archbishop used the authority of his office to order John to stay in Spain – and John let his dream go immediately. His new mission was to serve and convert his co -operations, which had suffered a lot from Moorish rule. While the mission given to him was different from the one he had hoped for, John learned that he was uniquely suitable for it.

History No. 3: While John would become a famous preacher and reformer, he didn't start. During his first sermon, John is aware that he is not sure how to start. At this exciting moment, however, John turned inwards and prayed: “Christ, I give you the skills I have. Tell me what I have to do.” After that, John started preaching – and never stopped. His passionate homilies pulled crowds so big that the churches could not contain them, and forced people to gather in squares and streets to hear him speak.

Also learn about John's time in prison, his love for the Eucharist, his passion for education, which laid the foundation for seminars, the miracles that occurred during his masses, his correspondence with some of the greatest Catholic figures of his time and much more.

Saint John of Ávila died in 1569 and left an inheritance of reform, education and holiness. While his holy contemporaries – Ignatius, Francis and Teresa – often overshadowed him, his contributions to the church and his call to religion and laypersons were no less monumental for a deeper faith and larger service.

Switch on and let yourself be inspired by this powerful, unlimited well -known doctor of the church!

Michelle Laque Johnson is a communication director at EWTN Global Catholic Network and author of author of Go the path of the cross for supervisors; This is a shortened adaptation of the weekly programming -e email “ewtn wings”. To get information about EWTN shows and specials directly at your inbox, register Ewtn.com/wings.