Impulsive Saint

Today's saint began his life ready to follow every impulse of his heart.  He is much like all of us...yet he learned to rein in his desires and bring himself closer to God.

St. John of God

Feast day: March 8
Birth: 1495
Death: 1550
Patron of Booksellers, Firefighters, printers, heart patients, hospitals
Spain

At eight years old, John heard a visiting priest speak of adventures that were waiting in the New World.  That very night he ran away from home to travel with the priest and never saw his parents again.  He and the priest would beg for their daily needs, until John fell sick and then a kind landowner took him in and adopted him.  John would work in the fields tending their flocks until he was 27. Feeling pressure to marry the manager's daughter, whom he loved as a sister, John took off to join the Spanish army in the war against France.

He spent most of his years as a soldier gambling, drinking, and pillaging.  One day, he was thrown from a horse he had stolen near enemy lines.  He feared for his life and that moment promised to change his life.  When he returned he kept his spur of the moment vow, made a confession, and immediately changed his life.

This new lifestyle did not match those of the other soldiers and he soon found that he was resented for his holy ways.  Not only did John live this way, but he expected his friends to change as well.  They retaliated by tricking him into leaving his post to help someone in need.  This almost led to his death for disobedience, but he was instead beaten and thrown out of the military.

He begged his way back to his foster-home where he worked as a shepherd until he heard of a new war with Moslems invading Europe. Off he went but after the war was over, he decided to try to find his real parents. To his grief he discovered both had died in his absence.

When he was 38 years old, John decided that he wanted to assist Christians who were being ransomed.  Along the way, he met a noble family who were being exiled and chose to become their servant.  He was able to keep them alive on their rough journey.  Most importantly, he saw the cruelty of those who claimed to be Christian.  However, he was advised by a priest to not blame the Church.  John returned to Spain and  tried to seek renewal in his shaken faith.

While working at the shipyards, he enjoyed reading books in his spare time.  This led him to quit his work and become a book peddler.  Unfortunately, after hearing a sermon on penance, John became extremely distressed and tore up any books that were not religious, sold everything else that he had and began his self prescribed penance on the streets.  Some of his friends took him to a hospital in hopes that he would be given assistance.  It would not be until his dear friend, John of Avila, came to visit him that he was removed from the cruelty of the hospital.

With a desire to show better treatment for the sick and poor, John decided to open his own hospital.   Immediately critics tried to close him down saying he was pampering troublemakers. His answer to this criticism always was that he knew of only one bad character in the hospital and that was himself.

His impulsive behavior was often scorned.  He would often steal to feed the hungry.  He would buy clothing for others even when he did not have the funds.  However, one day his impulsive choice allowed him to save many people from a burning hospital building.  When he had rescued all of the patients, he returned to the building to save any supplies he could.  In this effort, he was in the building when it collapsed.  He miraculously emerged from the wreckage.

John died after making another impulsive decision to save a drowning boy.  He was unable to save the boy and ended up with pneumonia.  He died on his birthday at the age of 55 years old.