María Justa de Jesús (January 6, 1667 - 1723) was a Spanish Franciscan nun and mystic who was tried as a witch during the Inquisition.

Early life

She was born in La Victoria de Acentejo on the north of the island of Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. She trained as a Franciscan in the Saint Joseph Convent in La Orotava. Her life was involved in mysticism and controversy.Los 4 místicos tinerfeños
(The 4 Tenerife mystics), https://diariodeavisos.elespanol.com/2017/03/galeria-misticos-tinerfenos/ (in Spanish)

Career

The Holy Inquisition tried her as a witch. She was accused of practicing

Molinist Molinism, named after 16th-century Spanish Jesuit priest and Roman Catholic theologian Luis de Molina, is the thesis that God has middle knowledge. It seeks to reconcile the apparent tension of divine providence and human free will. Prominent c ...

doctrines.Los conventos de La Orotava. Manuel Hernández González.
/ref> It was hinted that the relationship with her confessor was not appropriate for a religious person. Her biographer and confessor, Andrés de Abreu, burned the biography he had written about her.Alrededor de Fray de Abreu (1647-1725): Historiografía literaria y una obra inédita.
/ref> However, Dominican friar Jose Herrera said that among her virtues was to give sight to the blind, to make the deaf hear, the mute to speak, heal the lame, heal diseases and expel

demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...

. Sr. Maria Justa healed the sick by transferring to her person the evils and diseases that afflicted them. Shamanic priests in other cultures used analogous techniques to cure convalescents. That similarity fed the suspicions of those who called her an "'' alumbrada''". During these healings, the nun suffered multiple ailments, covering her body in sores and elevating her body temperature, which brought her to the brink of death.

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. After her death, the Franciscan Order in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

conducted a process of

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

that was later halted.

''Alumbrados''

Her case was ascribed to the phenomenon of the ''" Alumbrados"'' that arose in small Castilian towns two centuries earlier. These were people who professed doctrines considered heretical by the Catholic Church, believing that union with God came only through mystical experiences and private prayer, without the need for Church

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...

References

{{Authority control 1667 births 1723 deaths 17th-century Christian mystics 18th-century Christian mystics People from Tenerife Franciscan nuns Franciscan mystics Franciscan spirituality 17th-century Spanish nuns Spanish Inquisition Stigmatics Burials in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 18th-century Spanish nuns Witch trials in Spain

Early life

Career

Death

''Alumbrados''

See also

References