A Mystic of the Cross - Memorial: May 3rd
Madre Juana of the Cross Vazquez Gutierrez - who was she? This obscure Franciscan nun was suddenly thrust into the limelight last November 2024 when the Vatican officially confirmed her cultus, effectively raising her to the status of a "Blessed". She was a prodigious mystic and a ground-breaking spiritual figure of her time. This is her story.
Juana was born May 3, 1481, to well-to-do farmers in Toledo. Her remarkable experiences began when she was just a 4-year-old toddler - having fallen off a horse she was knocked unconscious but was revived shortly after by a private apparition of her guardian angel and the Virgin Mary. The experience was pivotal because, from henceforth, she had a strong devotion to both ... and began living an intensely devout and ascetic lifestyle.
As she approached her 15th year, Juana's beauty attracted suitors from whom her father chose a knight from a noble family for her future husband. Upon learning of the plan to marry her off, the pious teen, with the direct assistance of her angel, escaped from home disguised in a male cousin's clothing. Juana fled to the "Beaterio" (beguinage/hermitage) of Santa Maria de la Cruz in Cubas de la Sagra (built on the site of a 1449 Marian apparition) where a group of Franciscan Tertiaries were living in community. Her father eventually found her but his efforts to retrieve her were firmly rebuffed by his daughter, forcing him to give up. Thus, began this Blessed's life as a consecrated soul on May 4th, 1496.
In the Beaterio, Juana donned the habit and professed private vows under the name of Sr. Juana de la Cruz (Joan of the Cross), which later proved to be prophetic since her religious career was marked with much suffering heroically endured in union with Christ Crucified: she fasted strictly, slept very little, and practiced the discipline. Her mystical experiences also gradually escalated with visions and ecstasies involving Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, and her angel, that sometimes lasted for hours. The phenomena that surrounded the young nun was initially met with skeptism by some of her companions and she was subjected to mockery and outright hostile treatment from most of her peers ... but Sr. Juana submitted to their ill-treatment with unfailing patience and humility, refining her virtues in the face of adversity.
Madre Juana had a close relationship
with her guardian angel
Successive and significant events were further recorded concerning the mystic's early, formative years:
- In 1506, at age 25, Juana became mute for a 6-month period between February 10th until August 11th (the Feast of St. Clare of Assisi). It was a period of preparation and purification as Jesus explained to her, "do not speak, because I will speak instead" ... because he desired to "reveal secrets and great wonders" to the people. After Juana regained her voice, she began falling into ecstatic trances during which she "preached" about various spiritual topics that were simultaneously revealed to her in visions.
- In 1507, she experienced the Mystical Marriage to Christ in the presence of Our Lady, who presented the ring of espousal to her Son who then placed it on Juana's finger.
- During Lent of 1508, the Stigmata appeared on her limbs and exuded an exquisite scent that was undeniable.
It was just a matter of time before word of the miracle nun of Cubas de la Sagra spread outside of the hermitage, attracting both the faithful and the curious, alike. In particular, her "sermons" were closely scrutinized by Church authorities and found to be of sound doctrine and highly edifying; her person and sanity were also tested and deemed healthy and sincere. As a result, the local prelate - Cardinal Cisneros - was so impressed, he gave an unprecedented approval to have her publicly preach, a faculty usually reserved only for priests! People from all walks of life - simple folk, royalty (e.g. Emperor Charles V), and Church leaders - flocked to the hermitage to witness her weekly discourses during which the visionary spoke with unusual eloquence and authority while in ecstasy.
As further confirmation of the divine origin of Sr. Juana's gift of preaching two other miracles were recorded about them: firstly, the mystic sometimes delivered her sermons in foreign tongues unknown to her (e.g. Arabic); secondly, a secretary appointed to assist her - an illiterate nun named Sr. Maria Evangelista - miraculously received the ability to read and write after being ordered to transcribe the words of the seer.
In 1509, with the influx of applicants to the Beaterio, Juana was instrumental in having it converted to a Poor Clare Monastery and was elected its first Abbess by her companions. In this capacity, she also proved to be a practical leader, expanding and upgrading the building for the good of the community; establishing a school for girls; and founding three new Clarist Monasteries in neighboring cities. Her own monastery became a spiritual hub for the region, where people came to Madre Juana for advice, prayers, and a blessing (she reportedly cured illnesses with the sign of the cross).
Still, despite the support the seer received from the Church, she continued to have her detractors. In 1517, after the death of Cardinal Cisneros, her own vicaress - a secondary superior named Sr. Eufrasia - with the backing of certain jealous priests, formally accused the Abbess of misconduct to the Spanish Provincial Minister of the Franciscans. Consequently, Juana was replaced by her accuser. In her customary humility, Juana urged the community to peacefully support the decision and was again subjected to a period of ill-treatment instigated by her successor and the hostile clergy who resented her powerful influence.
This new trial lasted for about six years, after which Sr. Eufrasia fell seriously ill. Fearing death was near, the nun confessed that she had falsely accused her former superior, which led to the reinstatement of Madre Juana as Abbess in 1523. The vindicated superior led her community with no further objections for the next 10 years. She died at the age of 53 on May 3rd, 1534, after spending the last years of her life bedridden by illness.
Madre Juana's tomb in the Monastery
of Santa Maria de la Cruz
During her lifetime, Madre Juana of the Cross was considered by many to be a saint and a true prophetess, and was even nicknamed the "Trumpet of God". After her death the sentiments continued and although she isn't Canonized, she is affectionately referred to by the locals as "la Santa Juana". Her tomb in the church of the Monastery of Santa Maria de la Cruz in Cubas de la Sagra is still frequented by pilgrims.
And finally, in a rare move by Pope Francis, this remarkable Franciscan mystic was declared Blessed Juana of the Cross after the Pontiff officially recognized and approved her cultus on November 25, 2024 (an "Equipollent" Beatification that dispensed of a required official miracle). From her place in Heaven, may she intercede for our personal needs and the needs of the universal Catholic Church.
Bl. Juana of the Cross,
pray for us!
