Saint John of Matha

Saint John of Matha

  • Short, concise biography of Saint John of Matha
  • History, Life, Biography, Facts and Information about Saint John of Matha
  • Fast, concise facts and information
  • Date of Birth and Death
  • Important Dates surrounding the life of Saint John of Matha
  • Life History, Story, Biography, Myths and Legends
  • Description / Title of the Saint : Visionary

Saint John of Matha

Fast, concise facts and information about Saint John of Matha
The following provides fast and concise facts and information:

  • Memorial Day / Feast Day of Saint John of Matha: February 8
  • Description / Title of the Saint : Visionary
  • Date of Death: Saint John of Matha died 1213
 
 

The Story and History of Saint John of Matha
The story and history of Saint John of Matha. The life of St. John of Matha was one long course of self-sacrifice for the glory of God and the good of his neighbor. As a child, his chief delight was serving the poor; and he often told them he had come into the world for no other end but to wash their feet. He studied at Paris with such distinction that his professors advised him to become a priest, in order that his talents might render greater service to others; and, for this end, John gladly sacrificed his high rank and other worldly advantages.

At his first Mass an angel appeared, clad in white, with a red and blue cross on his breast, and his hands reposing on the heads of a Christian and a Moorish captive. To ascertain what this signified, John repaired to St. Felix of Valois, a holy hermit living near Meaux, under whose direction he led a life of extreme penance. The angel again appeared, and they then set out for Rome, to learn the will of God from the lips of the Sovereign Pontiff, who told them to devote themselves to the redemption of captives. For this purpose they founded the Order of the Holy Trinity. The religious fasted every day, and gathering alms throughout Europe took them to Barbary, to redeem the Christian slaves. They devoted themselves also to the sick and prisoners in all countries.

The charity of St. John in devoting his life to the redemption of captives was visibly blessed by God. On his second return from Tunis he brought back one hundred and twenty liberated slaves. But the Moors attacked him at sea, over-powered his vessel, and doomed it to destruction, with all on board, by taking away the rudder and sails, and leaving it to the mercy of the winds. St. John tied his cloak to the mast, and prayed, saying, "Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered. O Lord, Thou wilt save the humble, and wilt bring down the eyes of the proud." Suddenly the wind filled the small sail, and, without guidance, carried the ship safely in a few days to Ostia, the port of Rome, three hundred leagues from Tunis. Worn out by his heroic labors, John died in 1213, at the age of fifty-three.

Feast Day of Saint John of Matha
The Feast Day of Saint John of Matha is February 8. The origin of Feast Days: most saints have specially designated feast days and are associated with a specific day of the year and these are referred to as the saint's feast day. The feast days first arose from the very early Christian custom of the annual commemoration of martyrs on the dates of their deaths at the same time celebrating their birth into heaven.

 

Saint John of Matha

  • Short, concise biography of Saint John of Matha
  • History, Life, Biography, Facts and Information
  • Fast, concise facts and information about Saint John of Matha
  • Memorial, or Feast Day, of Saint John of Matha - February 8
  • History, Life, Biography, Dates, Facts and Information
  • Date of Death: 1213
  • Important Dates surrounding the life of Saint John of Matha
  • Life History, Story, Biography, Myths and Legends
  • Description / Title of the Saint : Visionary
 
 

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Saint John of Matha