Sister María Justa de Jesús
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Sister María Justa de Jesús | |
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| Born | María Justa January 6, 1667 |
| Died | 1723 La Orotava, Tenerife |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation(s) | Nun and mystic |
María Justa de Jesús (January 6, 1667 - 1723) was a Spanish Franciscan nun and mystic.
Biography
Born in La Victoria de Acentejo in the north of the island of Tenerife, she trained as a Franciscan in the Saint Joseph Convent of the city of La Orotava. Her life was involved in mysticism, but also in controversy.[1]
From her it was said that the Holy Inquisition had opened a trial for her, and even a witch.[1] She was accused of practicing Molinist doctrines.[2] It was hinted that the relationship with her confessor was not quite appropriate for a religious as she was.[1] His biographer and confessor, the religious Andrés de Abreu, threw into the fire the biography he had written about this nun, which has meant that little is known about the life of the nun.[3]
However, the Dominican friar Jose Herrera said that among her virtues was to give sight to the blind, to make the deaf hear and the mute to speak. Also heal the lame, limp and cripples, heal all kinds of diseases and expel demons, among other miracles.[1]
According to the old files, Sr. Maria Justa healed the sick by transferring to her person the evils and diseases that afflicted them. In this way the shamanic priests[1] proceed in other cultures for the cure of convalescents, a fact that fed the suspicions of those who accused her of being a phony and "alumbrada". During these healings, the nun suffered multiple ailments, covering her body of sores and producing a rise in her body temperature, which even brought her to the brink of death.
Sister Maria Justa died in 1723. According to the chronicles of the time her body showed signs of sanctity, such as flexibility, pleasant fragrances and fluidity of her blood.[1] Sr. Maria Justa de Jesus had many detractors who accused her of being a phony, but also many defenders who believed in her sanctity and after her death the Franciscan Order in the Canary Islands had a process of canonization involved in the controversy that had to be paralyzed.[2]
His case has been related to the phenomenon of the "Alumbrados" that arose in small towns of Castile two centuries before. These were people who professed doctrines considered heretical by the Catholic Church, believing in the union of being with God only through mystical experiences and private prayer, without intermediation of the sacraments..