Saint John of God

Feastday: March 8

Click for a message from Saint John of God

John of God made a similar observation to the Prodigal Son. In this parable, the rich man’s son took his inheritance and went away spending all of his money foolishly. When he was reduced to feeding pigs, the foolish son realized that the pigs ate better than he did. Maybe John had this story in mind when he, too, realized that many animals ate better than the world’s poor and sick people. He committed much of his life and resources to caring for the sick who could not take care of themselves.

When John was eight years old in 1503, he was talked into leaving his home in Portugal. The circumstances of this event are unclear but it broke his mother’s heart. She died soon after and his father became a Franciscan, a group of people committed to living a simple life in service to others.

The man who lured John from his home left him with a family in Castile, which was a frontier area between Spain and Portugal. The family took him in, educated him and at the age of fourteen, trusted their flock of sheep to John’s care.

As a young adult, John joined the Spanish army who was at war with France. He got on the horse of a fallen French soldier and went in search of food. He soon realized that the horse was going back to the French camp. In an effort to turn the horse, John was thrown and begged that the Virgin Mary would help him. He believed that his prayer was answered but it would still be a while before John turned his life over to God.

Curious about his family, John returned to Monemoro Novo, Portugal where he was born. He learned of his mother’s death and his father’s vows. John himself decided it was time to pay for his past sins and that he would do so by serving God. He worked again as a shepherd for a wealthy woman. In feeding the animals, he realized that these animals ate better than many of the world’s sick, poor, and hungry people. This realization caused John to take action. He headed to Africa to minister to persecuted Christians. On the way, however, he was disappointed by the weak faith in so many people and returned to Spain.

He claimed to have encountered the Christ child at a stream. The child told John that Granada would be his cross. Moving on this information, John went to Granada where he met John of Avila who preached fiercely about the evils of wealth. John of Avila said that those who suffer for Christ would be rewarded. John of God took this pretty seriously. He began yelling out, beating himself, and pulling out his hair so that he might suffer for God. It didn’t take long before he ended up in an insane asylum where he was severely punished and put into solitary confinement. John of Avila came to see John and said enough was enough. If he really wanted to please God, John should do something useful. John of God eventually stayed in the asylum for a while to help care for the patients there.

In time, John found his way to Our Lady of Guadalupe. He realized that God wanted him to care for the sick. He collected enough money from people to open a small hospital. At this hospital people not only received medical attention but their spiritual needs were met, too. Many people admired what John was doing and gave him more money to build a bigger hospital.

Not all people liked what John was doing, however. People accused him of taking in tramps and corrupted people. The archbishop asked John if this was true. John replied by saying that as far as he knew, he was the only bad person in the hospital!

John came in contact with many diseases. At last he became quite ill himself. On his 55th birthday, he knelt at the hospital’s altar to pray and died on his knees.

John was canonized in 1690 and is known as the patron saint of hospitals and the sick.

Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition

Grade 4, chapter 15

Connecting to Faith First®

Grade 4, chapter 15