The Eminent Doctrine of St. John of Avila: A Most Dynamic Priesthood | Brother John Paoletti, MIC | Homiletic & Pastoral Review
The prayer, work, and lifestyle of St. John of Avila provides an eminent doctrine for priests and seminarians: intense spiritual life, rooted in faith, coming first in the life of a priest, flowing from an interior union with Christ, consummated, and made real, on Calvary.
Pope Benedict XVI announced, to all the priests and seminarians gathered at World Youth Day in Madrid, that he will soon declare St. John of Avila a doctor of the Church. 1 We should not understand this event as an isolated occurrence. In 2008, Pope Benedict declared the Year of St. Paul, and in doing so, turned our gaze to Christ crucified. Soon thereafter, we celebrated the Year of the Priest, in which we recalled the great dignity of the sacred orders, and the example of St. John Marie Vianney. Declaring St. John of Avila a Doctor of the Church, is yet another action taken by our Holy Father in his efforts to bring revival to the many priests in the third millennium. It is, at the same time, a gift to the entire Church to have a new doctor from which to learn.
Doctors of the Church are distinguished in three ways: by eminent doctrine, by a life of significant sanctity, and by a declaration of the Church. What does John of Avila (nicknamed “The Master”) have to contribute to the doctrine of the Church, and what can we learn by looking at the life he led? These two questions of doctrine, and a living example, are not separate in his life. The prayer, work and overall lifestyle of St. John provides an eminent doctrine for priests and seminarians on how an intense spiritual life, rooted in faith, comes first in the life of a priest, with everything flowing from this interior union with Christ—a union consummated, and made real, on Calvary.
The Rock of Faith
John of Avila (Jan 6, 1500 – May 10, 1559) was raised in a wealthy and religious family in southern Spain. He began to study law but was unsatisfied dealing with the matters of the world, returning home to live the life of a hermit. After three years of seclusion, he encountered a Franciscan friar who was passing through his town. The friar told him that he had too many useful gifts to remain a hermit. So, John left his hometown to study for the diocesan priesthood, being educated by the Dominicans. After ordination, he desired to be a missionary in the Indies. He was prevented from doing so by his local bishop. He spent the rest of his life serving parishes, defending himself against the Inquisition, building seminaries and schools alongside the Jesuits, and offering exceptional spiritual direction to many people, including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. John of God, and St. Francis Borgia.
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