Today, the Church remembers and prays with Juan Martín de Porres Velázquez, a Peruvian-born man who is revered as the patron saint of mixed-race people, barbers, inkeepers, public health workers and all those who seek harmony between people of different racial backgrounds.
Saint Martin de Porres was born in Lima (Peru) on December 9, 1579. His father was a Spanish nobleman and his mother was a slave, though these two were never married. After the birth of Martin's sister, his father abandoned the family and left his mother to raise her two children on her own. She did this by taking in people's laundry, but despite her best efforts, Martin and his sister grew up in poverty. In fact, after having living in residence at a primary school for two years, he was entrusted to the care of a barber/surgeon so that he could learn the medical arts. Through all of this, he spent hours each night in prayer.
At the age of fifteen years, Martin asked for admission to the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima, where he served first as a servant boy and later was promoted to almoner (a chaplain who is in charge of distributing money to the poor). In addition to his barbering and the medical arts, he also took on kitchen work, laundry and cleaning. After eight years living and working among the Dominicans, they finally allowed him to take Religious Vows as a Dominican lay brother, although he was never ordained a priest.
Martin was devoted to working with the poor. He established an orphanage and a children's hospital, all the while maintaining an austere lifestyle which included fasting and abstaining from meat. Many miracles have been attributed to him including the ability to levitate and to bilocate. He had what appeared to be miraculous knowledge and was known to perform instantaneous cures.
Martin died on 3 November 1639 and many people called for his beatification and canonization, however it was not until two centuries later that he was invited to move up to a higher position (Lk 14:10) On 29 October 1837, he was Beatified by Pope Gregory XVI and it was Pope John XXIII who canonized him on 6 May 1962.
Today, we ask Saint Martin de Porres to intercede for all of us and to help us see others as Jesus sees them, as brothers and sisters, as sons and daughters of a loving Father.
Have a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment