This is one of the Big Deal Saints. John of God, who was born in Portugal and lived most of his life in Spain. John’s life spanned precisely 55 years (March 8, 1495, to March 8, 1550), and he ended up becoming the patron saint of:

• Hospitals
• Nurses
• The Mentally Ill
• The Dying

This is quite the list!

Here’s a snapshot of John’s life: He was born to poor but goodly folk. When the opportunity arose, John joined army after army, fighting in war upon war–a mercenary who was highly successful in this arena. And, as these things go, John’s time as a soldier led him into pursuits that took him away from the goodly example his parents had set for him. While it occasionally troubled John’s conscience, it wasn’t until he heard a sermon preached by John of Ávila that his soul was overtaken:

[H]e filled the whole church with his cries and lamentations; detesting his past life, beating his breast, and calling aloud for mercy. Not content with this, he ran about the streets like a distracted person, tearing his hair, and behaving in such a manner that he was followed every where by the rabble with sticks and stones, and came home all besmeared with dirt and blood….

He was, thereupon, taken up and put in a madhouse on supposition of his being disordered in his senses, where the severest methods [think early 1500s here!] were used to bring him to himself, all of which he underwent in the spirit of penance, and by way of atonement for the sins of his past life.

Fortunately for our John, preacher John of Ávila provided him with long-term and helpful pastoral care and counsel. John of Ávila suggested that our John channel all his fervent energy for penance and publicly decrying his past life into doing good for other people in the here-and-now. To the “great astonishment of his keepers,” John of Christ became very calm, very sedate, and immediately began assisting fellow inmates of the institution where he was confined.

Once released, our John began taking on manual labor so that he could make money that he could then purchase items for the poor who lived in his area. Soon, John came upon a property that he worked to purchase, and then supply, as a place where the sick could be truly cared for and ministered to, whatever their financial situation. Indeed, this early hospital (particularly noting the relationship between hospital and hospitality here) became known for its caring approach to the bodies and souls of the poor, so much so that the Archbishop of Grenada–and a number of other bandwagon sycophant bishops–began funding John’s work.

This began a snowball effect, as kings and courtiers, bishops and wealthy churchgoers, all started vying to be the most munificent benefactor. Then, not surprisingly, some of the benefactors began wanting to place conditions on their gifts–they insisted that John test the people who came to him to make sure that they were truly impoverished poor and actually in need. John, however, refused to mistrust, needs-test, or turn away anyone who came for help.

In all things, John kept his focus on working among and on behalf of all those who came. He worked himself to such a state of illness that he himself had to be hospitalized (again) and ended up dying of this utter exhaustion.

Upon John’s death, a new movement began spreading John’s approach to “no questions asked” care for the sick and the poor to other areas and other lands, and this enterprise eventually gained a papal stamp of approval, instituting an order of charity to serve the sick.

Imagine–health care created with the people being cared for in mind (informed by knowing what it is like to be a patient), health care offered without the need of those who asked for it to show that they were “poor” or “poor enough” or “deserving” (let alone having insurance or being able to make payment). And imagine: religious and governmental officials falling all over themselves to fund this hospital and to ensure that more places like this be created and spread throughout the world!