In 1495 a baby was born in Portugal named João Cidade Duarte. His family had at one time been prominent, but had lost it all. He worked as a farm hand.
After moving to Spain he served for a short while in the Army of Carlos V. He then had a psychological break and spent a period of his life in an insane asylum, as the were known. He recovered his mental health and spent the rest of his 55 years spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
Today we know him as St. John of God.
He knew adversity from the very beginning of his life, and yet each adversity seemed to only draw him closer to God. Today as we remember him, let us follow the example.
