St. John of Avila taught that ‘the good preacher and the good confessor must go ahead. No one should say a good word without first putting it into practice.’

Newsroom (10/05/2023 10:16, Gaudium Press)  St. John of Avila was born in Almodóvar del Campo, in Castilla Nueva. He became one of the most influential saints of 16th-century Spain.

This distinguished Spanish priest was a mystic, a great preacher, a friend of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, and a spiritual advisor to St. Teresa. Additionally, he is credited with the conversion of St. Francis of Borja and St. John of God.

He was beatified in 1894 and canonized by Pope Paul VI on May 31, 1970. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church. See below for a selection of phrases by St. John of Avila.

Saint John of Avila’s quotes:

01 – ‘He who relies on God does not let himself be overwhelmed by sufferings, anguish, death, or hell. He who does not lean on Him, how much fear he feels, how worried he walks!’

02 – ‘I would rather live without skin than live without devotion to the Virgin Mary.’

03 – ‘Remember what you have done offending God and what you have failed to do in His service; go to the confessor and throw away all your sins, sweep and clean your house.’

04 – ‘The priests, at Mass, place themselves at the altar in the person of Christ to perform the office of the Redeemer himself.’

05 – ‘Whoever has the truth and does not profess it or behave according to it is trapping the truth in injustice.’

06 – ‘The cause that in a greater measure stimulates our heart to the love of God is to consider deeply the love that He had for us. This, more than benefits, stimulates the heart to love because he who gives a benefit to another gives him something he possesses, but he who loves gives himself with all he has, without there being anything left to give.’

07 – ‘Your neighbor is something that concerns Jesus Christ; therefore, the proof of the perfect love of our Lord is the perfect love of the neighbor.’

08 – ‘Enlarge your little heart to the immensity of love with which the Father offered us His Son, and with Him gave us Himself, the Holy Spirit, and all things.’

09 – ‘You think that by worrying too much you will be able to keep up. Woe to the man who does not lean on God but lives thinking whether it will rain a lot or whether it will not rain!’

10 – ‘The good preacher and the good confessor must go to the front. No one should say a good word without first putting it into practice.’

Prayer to Saint John of Avila Almighty God, You chose St. John of Avila from among your faithful to show his brothers the way that leads to You; grant that his example may help us to follow Jesus Christ, our teacher, so that one day, together with our brothers, we may reach the glory of your eternal kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen. (EPC)”

Compiled by Kate Iwuc