If one would study the history of the Church, one would realize that there were moments in her long history that the Church went astray. God in his goodness and in his love for the Church would send reformers to renew the Church. Today we celebrate the memorial of one of them – John of the Cross. He was born in 1542 in Avila, Spain. He was ordained a priest in 1567. 

Three of his sayings are as follows:

1. “In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and human successes, but on how well we have loved.” –  Here John of the Cross reminds us of what is really most important in life. In fact, all the eulogies would emphasize this.
   
2. “Well and good if all things change, O Lord God, provided I am rooted in You.” – We are reminded that only God is permanent in life. Only God does not change. Hence, we should go to Him regardless if times are good or difficult. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
   
3. “Having nothing and possessing all things,” John reminds us that if we are not attached to anything, we can enjoy the fullness of life because it is easy for us to let go and move on. Remember, when the Lord takes away something, it is only because He will replace it with another something else. 

In the Gospel, we hear of John the Baptist. He had a role to play in introducing Jesus Christ. Today we celebrate the memorial of John of the Cross, he too had a role to play in introducing Jesus Christ to the people. Both were persecuted for doing this. As we celebrate Mass we remember the people who have sacrificed a lot for us to be gifted with faith. May we, like John the Baptist and John of the Cross, be a blessing to others as well.