John of the Cross Saints by Our Side

This accessible biography of Saint John of the Cross introduces readers to the life and thought of a beloved Carmelite saint and one of the world's foremost experts on prayer and the spiritual life. Saint John of the Cross was a priest, poet, theologian, spiritual director, religious leader, and mystic with humble beginnings. Born into poverty, John lost his father and his older brother before the age of ten and spent much of his childhood at a boarding school for poor children. As a young man, he entered the Carmelite monastery and, after befriending Teresa of Ávila, began to work for the reform of the Carmelite Order. But not without difficulty. When John was kidnapped and tortured by members of his own community in response to his reform efforts, he found himself plunged into the sufferings of Christ crucified, where he learned to trust that God was still at work—even in the darkness. John's remarkable insights into the human spiritual journey sprang from his deep relationship with God, forged through experiences of hope, worry, struggle, poverty, illness, and temptation. This illuminating biography by Father George P. Evans, PhD, helps you discover how John experienced God's merciful love—and how you, too, can open your heart to the divine.