Our Order honors another Augustinian, a tireless preacher, a peacemaker, and an advocate of social harmony, a defender of workers’ rights, and a true devotee of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He is John of Sahagun, Spain, whose memorial is celebrated every 12th of June. The readings of his memory show us how Saint John lived a life worthy of our admiration and the promise of eternal happiness.

Allow me to give you a little background of this holy man. He is baptized as John Gonzales, of a well-to-do family of Sahagun de Campos, Spain, born in 1430. He studied under the Benedictines. Ordained priest by the bishop of Burgos and held office of chaplain at the Church of Saint Gadea. When his bishop died in 1456, he resigned as a chaplain and moved to Salamanca and taught and continue his priestly ministry at the University, College of Saint Bartholomew. On June 18, 1463, John renounced all his offices in order to join the Augustinian Order in Salamanca.  The following year, on August 28, 1464 he made his first profession and thereafter continued his preaching ministry while exercising various responsibilities in the order as a prior and delegate to various provincial chapters.

Aside from his love of the Eucharist, that his mass took too long, as it was accompanied by visions as well as conversing with Jesus. This holy man shows that as an Augustinian we are not only to pray but to share the works of contemplation by our words and actions.

In words —God has given him gifts of delivering a good, clear, sincere and eloquent homilies, people would say “we are going to hear our favorite preacher” as a result, he attracted many people to attend and listen to him especially during homilies.  Because of his being renowned in the city he also became a principal agent of reconciliation between rival groups for those who sought his help and counsel. The first reading for his day of memorial taken from the letter of Saint James Chapter 2, verses one to nine talks about partiality. In short, putting distinctions among people and treated them differently. James elucidated; “If a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in and you pay attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say, ‘sit here, please,’ while you say to the poor one ‘stand there or sit at my feet,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” Without partiality, regardless of economic state, John treated them fairly as a brothers to his brother.

In Words —Saint John preaches the truth of the Gospel tirelessly, he’s never afraid to criticize and denounce the sins even to the rich and known in the society in order to defend the rights of the workers and common folk. John of Seville wrote that this man has a “natural impulse to help everyone.” It is evident that for Saint John there is no partiality in telling the truth. In pointing out their sins, he doesn’t care even if it offends the rich or powerful person in the society.  He taught us that, in searching the truth we have fight for it. That social justice and harmony is built in truth and not of flattery and fear.

In actions—When some time, John was summoned by the Duke of Alba to his residence, the duke said, “It looks as though you do not know how to bridle your tongue, Father.” The saint answered “For what purpose do I ascend to the pulpit sir? To proclaim the truth to my hearers, or to wheedle them by base flattery? It is becoming for your grace to know that a preacher must be prepared in his soul to speak the truth to my hearers, both in denouncing and correcting shortcomings and in praising virtue to such a point that he is willing in that cause even to face death.”

In the face of opposition and personal risk, Saint John exemplified the beatitudes by embodying mercy for those who are oppressed, and enduring persecution for righteousness’ sake. His actions mirrored Jesus’ call to love our neighbor as our self, to seek justice, and to stand firm in faith. Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, proclaimed, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called Son of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” John died at the age of 49 on June 11, 1479 and beautified on 1601 and canonized in 1691 by Pope Innocent XII. It was thought by his contemporaries that he had actually been poisoned in retaliation for his condemnation of the immoral lifestyle of public figures he strongly opposed and criticized. His remains are venerated in the Cathedral of Salamanca, where he is honored both in the city and the diocese as patron.

As we contemplate Saint John’s life, we hope to emulate his example. We may be merciful in our interactions by continuously seeking reconciliation and understanding. We may be peacemakers in a world filled with discord by striving to build bridges and sow harmony. And we may be courageous in upholding righteousness, even when it requires sacrifice and facing opposition.

May Saint John’s legacy remind us of the boundless love of God and the transformative power of living out the Gospel message, in words and actions, in our daily lives. Let us heed the call to be instruments of God’s peace, mercy, and justice, following in the footsteps of Saint John and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.