Disclaimer

NOTICE: I am a practicing Catholic, active and in good-standing with my local diocese, who professes faith and loyalty to the Church. This ministry - my "little work" - is strictly a personal expression of that faith and loyalty, and not an officially recognized ministry in the Diocese of Honolulu.

~ Peter, Ministry Administrator


Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The Jubilee Year of Mercy & Hawaii's Holy Door!


"No one can be excluded from God's Mercy..."

~ Pope Francis

Excitement was in the air as Pope Francis proclaimed the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy beginning on December 8th, 2015 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), and ending on November 20th, 2016 (Solemnity of Christ the King).  In conjunction with his proclamation, the Pontiff opened the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica, as a symbolic gesture of opening wide the doors of the Church to invite all mankind to come to the saving Mercy of Jesus Christ.  

The opening of the Holy Door in the Vatican.

Jubilees or "Holy Years" are biblical in origin - see Leviticus 25: 10-14 - and mark a special period of time in the Church, emphasizing the forgiveness of sin and the remission of the resulting punishment incurred.  Beginning in 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII announced the very first Holy Year, the Church has since promulgated it every 25 to 50 years.  In the distant past, multitudes of pilgrims made difficult foot journeys to Rome as penance for their sins... and to gain a rare Plenary Indulgence - the complete remission of all temporal punishment due to sin - associated with each Holy Year (learn more about Indulgences here).

As for the Holy Door, the tradition started in 1500 and the door was meant to represent Jesus Christ, who referred to himself, as such, in Sacred Scripture:

"Jesus therefore said to them again: Amen, amen I say to you, I am the door of the sheep."

~ John 10:7

The Holy Door is normally bricked up in the interior of St. Peter's Basilica but during special Jubilee Years, the Pope would ceremoniously unseal and open the door so pilgrims could prayerfully walk through it.  The ritual of passing through the Holy Door was a highly symbolic act; denoting one's willingness to walk away from sinfulness and into a life of grace through Jesus Christ.

          
Hawaii's own Holy Door in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Honolulu.
A Divine Mercy image and portraits of Hawaii's two Saints flank the door.

With his announcement of this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has gone even further - he extended the Plenary Indulgence attached to the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica to dioceses throughout the world by authorizing Bishops to designate Holy Doors in their own local Cathedrals!  Here, in Hawaii, our Bishop Larry Silva recently inaugurated a Holy Door in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu.

All Catholics - locals and visitors to Hawaii - are invited to take advantage of this year-long celebration of Divine Mercy by walking through Hawaii's Holy Door.  An immense spiritual gift awaits all who do.  One must keep in mind, however, that to gain the Plenary Indulgence, one must meet the following requirements:


"Mercy is the very foundation of the Church's life.  All of her pastoral activity should be caught up in the tenderness she makes present to believers; nothing in her preaching and in her witness to the world can be lacking in mercy.  The Church's very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love."

~ Excerpt from the Papal Bull of Pope Francis


Year of Mercy Prayer
composed by Pope Francis

Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that
you spoke to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind. 
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.

Friday, December 25, 2015

Monthly Messages from the Queen of Peace of Medjugorje: December 2015


My Dear Children...

Our Lady's Monthly Message to the World on December 25th:
   "Dear children! Also today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you and from this embrace I am giving you His peace and a longing for Heaven. I am praying with you for peace and am calling you to be peace. I am blessing all of you with my motherly blessing of peace.  Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady's Special Message to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo on December 2nd:
   "Dear children, I am always with you because my Son entrusted you to me. And you, my children, you need me, you are seeking me, you are coming to me and you are bringing joy to my motherly heart. I have, and always will have, love for you; for you who suffer and who offer your pains and sufferings to my Son and to me. My love seeks the love of all of my children, and my children seek my love. Through love, Jesus seeks unity between Heaven and earth; between the Heavenly Father and you, my children - His Church. Therefore, it is necessary to pray much, to pray and love the Church to which you belong. Now, the Church is suffering and needs apostles who by loving unity, by witnessing and giving, show the ways of God. The Church needs apostles who by living the Eucharist with the heart do great works; it needs you, my apostles of love. My children, from the very beginning the Church was persecuted and betrayed, but day by day it grew. It is indestructible because my Son gave it a heart - the Eucharist, and the light of His resurrection shone and will continue to shine upon it. Therefore, do not be afraid. Pray for your shepherds that they may have the strength and the love to be bridges of salvation.  Thank you."

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

How God reminded me about the true meaning of Christmas...


Christmas came a little early for me this year.  I'm actually writing this latest blog from Chula Vista, California, where I am visiting with my sister and other family members for the Holiday Season. 

Today, Wednesday (12/23), I went for a quick workout in the gym at my sister's townhouse complex.  While I was doing some weights, I glanced out the window and noticed a strange, but familiar figure, on a palm tree outside.  For me, I could see a clear representation of the Blessed Virgin kneeling in prayer; covered with a veil; a dove hovering over her head.  It was the scene recalling the moments after the Annunciation when Mary conceived Jesus within her holy womb.

Photos I took of the image of Our Lady on
a palm tree in Chula Vista, California.  Click
on the image to view a larger size.

I stood near the gym equipment excited by what I was seeing and I couldn't help but think to myself, "How fitting for this time of the year."  I recognized that, despite my unworthiness, I was being blessed and reminded in a special way about what the meaning and celebration of Christmas was truly all about - the sublime Mystery of the Incarnation and Birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ... and I actually needed this reminder because December has been exceptionally stressful for me due to work, travel plans, and the distractions caused by the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping; I sensed immediately that God was telling me to press the [Pause] button in my life so I could refocus on what was truly important - JESUS.  So I did stop what I was doing for several long moments to offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God right there in the gym.

I then grabbed my cellphone and snapped several photos of the image on the tree; a couple of which are shown above.  I resumed exercising, but continued to offer short prayers in between workouts, while glancing out the window at the Virgin Mary figure.  I left the gym in a calm, reflective mood.

A popular traditional representation
of the Annunciation, depicting the Holy
Spirit descending to the Blessed Virgin.

Later, I pondered what transpired and it also dawned on me that our salvation really started on the day Mary pronounced the words, "I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Be it done unto me according to thy word..." to the Archangel Gabriel, and then the Holy Spirit overshadowed her with his Divine Power, making her pregnant with the Son of God; that Mary's cooperative role was integral to God's master plan for the redemption of mankind.  It was deep... very deep... and I felt a renewed and greater sense of appreciation towards our dear Blessed Mother.

So what a very productive, healthy day it has been... not just for my body, but also for my spirit, which stood in need of exercise, too, of which God reminded me about.  Have you had your spiritual workout today?  We should strive to remember that despite the frenzy of activity that often surrounds us during the Holiday Season, we can always find peace through God; that Jesus is indeed the reason for the season.

Merry Blessed Christmas!

Saturday, December 5, 2015

First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 12/5/2015


A panoramic view of our Day Chapel at
St. Anthony of Padua Church, Kailua.

Today's First Saturday Rosary prayer meeting at my parish was the last one for 2015.  We've been doing this for the past five years and I always get a little nostalgic whenever the December meeting comes around.  I recall the blessings and signal graces witnessed and/or received - answered prayers, appearance of escarchas, the tangible spiritual presence of the Blessed Mother, and new friends made - during the past year and I am full of heartfelt gratitude.  I also get excited, looking forward to the upcoming prayer meeting in January and all the hope and anticipation of continued blessings that the new year suggests.

Praying for God's Divine Peace
to descend within our hearts, homes,
our country... and upon the world.

I'm happy to say today's meeting was well-attended despite the hustle and bustle of the busy Holiday Season.  Many of the faithful regulars showed up, along with several first-timers of which many had just come straight from the confessional; grace-filled souls ready to intercede - powerful!  In fact, one of our most recent regular participants - an 84-year-old woman - had just lost her sister this morning... yet she came to the meeting, anyway, so she could pray the Holy Rosary with our group for the repose of her sister's soul.  What deep faith.  I was moved.

So being that we're in Advent Season, we appropriately reflected on the Joyful Mysteries this month... offering the merits of each Mystery to our Heavenly Father for the intention of Peace in our troubled World.  I also displayed my ministry's relic of St. Lucy on the display altar.  Her name, meaning "light", was a message in itself to us on so many levels.  You can read about St. Lucy's life by clicking here.

A 2nd Class Relic of St. Lucy on display
at this month's prayer meeting and a
parishioner venerating the relics of Our
Lady and St. Lucy after the meeting.

After the meeting ended, we wished each other a Merry, Blessed Christmas before dispersing back into the world outside our Day Chapel.  I extend my Christmas Greeting to all who are reading this blog.  May your Advent be filled with blessings of every sort and your Christmas joyous and CHRIST-filled.  God bless us all.

The next First Saturday Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua will be prayed on January 2nd, 2016.  All are welcome to participate.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe


Am I not here, who
is your Mother?

~ Words of Our Lady of Guadalupe
to St. Juan Diego, 1531

This ministry exercises a special love and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the designated patroness and namesake of this humble work... and readers are encouraged to honor her, as well.  Trust me - Our Lady's intercession is unrivaled before the heavenly throne of her Divine Son.  Recite the prayer below consistently for 9 consecutive days, with trust in her power to intercede... just see what happens. **

** TIP:  For this novena - any prayer - to be successful, there must be a measure of faith; a belief that God, in his infinite goodness, can answer our prayer.  Without faith, prayer has no power.

Memorare to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, that in thy celestial apparitions on the mount of Tepeyac, thou didst promise to show thy compassion and pity towards all who, loving and trusting thee, seek thy help and call upon thee in their necessities and afflictions.

Thou didst promise to hearken to our supplications, to dry our tears and to give us consolation and relief. Never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, either for the common welfare, or in personal anxieties, was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Mary, ever Virgin Mother of the True God! Though grieving under the weight of our sins, we come to prostrate ourselves in thy august presence, certain that thou wilt deign to fulfill thy merciful promises. We are full of hope that, standing beneath thy shadow and protection, nothing will trouble or afflict us, nor need we fear illness, or misfortune, or any other sorrow.

Thou hast decided to remain with us through thy admirable image, thou who art our Mother, our health and our life. Placing ourselves beneath thy maternal gaze and having recourse to thee in all our necessities we need do nothing more.  O Holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us.  Amen.

[Mention your prayer petition(s) here]

(Offer an Our Father, a Hail Mary & Glory Be
in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

** To learn more about the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her miraculous image, click here.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Saint of the Month - December 2015: Saint Lucy of Syracuse

St. Lucy of Syracuse
A Bearer of God's Light
Feast: December 13th 

This female Martyr's name - Lucy (or Lucia) - has its origin in the Latin word, "Lux", which means something tremendously uplifting and hope-filled - LIGHT.  In this valiant woman's case, it was also highly prophetic that she carried the name, considering the times that she lived in - a world ruled by pagan Rome, which was at the height of its worldly glory... but sunken in the very depths of its moral darkness (seem familiar?).  The persecution of Christians was also at its fiercest during her lifetime and Lucy's faith-example was like a lamp that lead others to Jesus Christ.

Some readers may find it of interest that the body of St. Lucy, which remains intact up to this present day, is one of the earliest cases of incorruptibility in the Church; a phenomenon that continues to attract believers to the major relic-shrines of mysteriously preserved Saints and Blesseds, mainly concentrated in Europe.

According to scant historical facts, combined with pious tradition, this youthful Saint was born in Syracuse, Italy, around the year 283 and died there in witness of the Faith in 304. The account of her life runs similar to other famous Virgin-Martyrs such as St. Agatha of Catania (d. 251) and St. Agnes of Rome (d. 304), in that she was reportedly a young woman who was betrothed to a pagan against her will.  She rejected him for Christ and ultimately paid for it with her life.

The preserved body of St. Lucy of Syracuse
(with the skull masked in silver), venerated
in the city of Venice, Italy.

So as the story goes... Lucy was secretly a follower of Christianity and reportedly very, very pious; so much so that she consecrated her virginity to God, unbeknownst to her mother, a noble widow named Eutychia.  At an opportune time, Eutychia - following the social custom and practices of her time - arranged for Lucy's hand in marriage to a suitor from a wealthy pagan family.  But sometime before the wedding contract could be finalized, Eutychia was struck by a mysterious illness after which her daughter suggested they make a pilgrimage to the neighboring city of Catania, to pray at the tomb of St. Agatha, a Martyr venerated by Christians in Sicily. There, Eutychia was apparently healed through the Martyr's intercession and Lucy was also granted a vision of Agatha, who prophesied to her: "You will be the glory of Syracuse... as I am of Catania."

Taking advantage of the situation, Lucy confided to her mother the vow of virginity that she had made to our Lord and begged Eutychia's permission to remain unmarried. Her mother, deeply impressed by her own miracle, consented but it left Lucy's ex-fiance both embarrassed and furious at being set aside.  To add fuel to his fire, Lucy had also began openly distributing her family's large wealth among the poor of Syracuse, which brought her under heated suspicion as a Christian.  Her former suitor denounced her as such to the Roman Governor of Syracuse to whom she bravely confessed her faith in Jesus Christ.  She was ordered to make a sacrifice before an idol of their deified Emperor, Diocletian, but she steadfastly refused to do so.  Instead, she loudly reproached the pagans for their false beliefs and extolled her faith in the one true God.

Wanting to make an example of her to the gathered spectators, what followed next was a series of brutal tortures to make Lucy recant her profession of faith, e.g. beatings and a failed attempt at burning her alive; she never waivered... and this post wouldn't be complete without the mention of her reportedly beautiful eyes being blinded by her captors... then being miraculously restored by a vision of the Lord, himself.  Hence, the reason why St. Lucy is popularly invoked as the Patron Saint of Eye Issues.

Lucy eventually gained the Crown of Martyrdom by being beheaded. Her torture and death had the opposite effect the governor wanted.  Rather than discouraging Christians in Syracuse, it rallied them, and inspired the conversion of many pagans; Lucy became another hero for the young Church.  Hence, she earned the glory foretold her by St. Agatha in Catania. The Saint's bodily relic remained incorrupt throughout the centuries and eventually found its way to the Church of St. Geremia in Venice, where it lies enshrined in a glass urn for the veneration of the Faithful (left photo).

A Reflection
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven." 

~ Words of Jesus, Matthew 5:14-16

A Short Prayer
Lord, as you did with St. Lucy, enkindle within us the flame of Faith and Truth.  May its light shine brightly and lead others to also glorify our Heavenly Father.  Amen. 

Thursday, November 26, 2015

On the great value of Spiritual Communions...


Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Today is an appropriate day to share this latest blog - it's about making a Spiritual [Holy] Communion.  The thought of writing a little about this topic had actually been rolling around in my head for a few months now... and since "Eucharist", the word we also use for Holy Communion, means "Thanksgiving" in Greek, I thought why not do it today... on Thanksgiving Day?  So I said a short prayer and started typing away on my laptop...

"Embracing" Jesus Through Spiritual Communion

So what exactly is a "Spiritual Communion"?  In short, it's a conscious and prayerful act of inviting the divine presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and His Sanctifying Grace into our souls when we are not able to receive Him, sacramentally, in the Consecrated Host (the Eucharist).

The renowned "Angelic Doctor", St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274), described a Spiritual Communion as, "...an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace Him."; the illustrious St. John Marie Vianney (d. 1859) once said, "... [Spiritual] Communion is to the soul like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out, but has still plenty of hot embers; we blow, and the fire burns again."  And the wonderful thing about a Spiritual Communion is that we can make it any time during the day and, as many times during the day, as we feel inspired to do so.  This pious exercise is particularly potent during Eucharistic Adoration.


For me, I make Spiritual Communions whenever I need a spiritual and moral "boost": whenever I am feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work (I pray it right at my desk); whenever my spiritual "reservoir" is running low or feeling dry; or whenever I pop into any Catholic Church to make a visit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  I make it shortly before I depart from the church so that I take leave of the Lord with a deep sense of His abiding presence within me.  It never fails to bring me a measure of peace and refreshment; even a sense of empowerment, at times.

St. Catherine of Sienna's Vision

St. Catherine of Siena
I was first introduced to this pious practice many years ago after reading about a personal experience St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380) had with Jesus. This Saint was a mystic and stigmaticwho reportedly made frequent Spiritual Communions, and once experienced doubts as to whether they were of any value to her soul in comparison to her Eucharistic Communions.  Our Lord immediately appeared to her holding a beautiful chalice in each of his hands - one was made of gold, the other of silver.  Jesus went on to explain to St. Catherine that he saved all her Sacramental Communions in the gold chalice, while the silver chalice held the Spiritual Communions that she made; BOTH chalices, Christ reassured her, were pleasing to him.

The above-anecdote so impressed me I never forgot it although it's been quite a while; hence, Spiritual Communions became a part of my own spiritual regimen, thanks to St. Catherine of Siena.

Other Saintly Souls on Spiritual Communion

Besides, the testimonies included above from St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Vianney, and St. Catherine of Siena, there were other holy individuals who esteemed the value of Spiritual Communions... or received private revelations from our Lord about the efficacy of the practice.  Among them were the following:

+  St. Teresa (of Jesus) of Avila (d. 1582) once wrote:
   "When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you."

+  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (d. 1690) once heard Jesus say to her from the Tabernacle:
   "I love so much a soul's desire to receive Me, that I hasten to it each time it summons Me by its yearnings."

+  St. Leonard of Port Maurice (d. 1751) once remarked:
   "If you practice the holy exercise of Spiritual Communion a good many times each day, within a month you will see yourself completely changed."

+  Sr. Benigna Consolata (d. 1916), a mystic-nun, once heard Jesus say to her:
   "Make as many Spiritual Communions as possible, to supply for the many Sacramental Communions which are not made.  One every quarter of an hour is not enough.  Make them shorter, but more numerous."

+  St. Josemaria Escriva (d. 1975) once advised:
   "What a source of grace there is in spiritual Communion!  Practice it frequently and you'll have more presence of God and closer union with him in your life."

Other Saints who exercised the practice of Spiritual Communion and/or promoted it were St. Alphonsus Liguori (d. 1787), St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), and St. Pope John Paul II (d. 2005).  All good company.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

Now that we've [hopefully] established the value of a Spiritual Communion, how do we make one?  There are many formal prayers available on the Internet (just google "Spiritual Communion Prayer")... but, personally, I believe the best prayers are the ones that come straight from the heart... so why not simply invite the Lord into your soul by expressing it in your own, heartfelt words?

My own Spiritual Communion Prayer goes something like this:

   "My Jesus, I believe You are truly present in the Eucharist.  As I cannot receive You, Sacramentally, at this present time, come to me in Spiritual Communion.  Fill me with Your grace; cleanse me of my sin; bring me healing in soul and body; transform me into Yourself.  I love You, Jesus, and I thank You.  Amen."

And... may I add that the Church has attached a Partial Indulgence (remittance of temporal punishment due to sin) of 300 days with every act of Spiritual Communion?  More value for our souls! So why not get your hug with Jesus today?

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Holy Relic Visitation: Our Lady of Fatima Prayer Group, 11/21/2015


"...Do not waste time thinking
about whether you are worthy
to be my apostles..."

~ from Our Lady's Medjugorje Message, February 2, 2015


Bone Relics from St. Theophane
The line above, from the Medjugorje Message we read at the start of tonight's prayer meeting, for some reason, really struck a chord with our group members.  I think we are all, sometimes, our very own worst enemies when it comes to our personal relationships with Christ; often believing that we our unworthy of doing something good for God because of our personal faults and weaknesses; wanting to leave God's work to living "saints", who we deem to be the only ones fit to labor in the Lord's vineyard.  So yes, it's true we are far from being perfect (ALL people are!)... but our hesitation and doubt more often, than not, just renders our spiritual lives stagnant and fruitless... and as Our Lady stated in her message to us, it leads to a sad waste of the time and talents we have in this life.

Further complementing the Medjugorje Message was the life of the Saint we venerated this month - St. John Theophane Venard, a true modern apostle of the Church. This priest-martyr dedicated his life to God and to his ministry in Vietnam, and courageously died in witness of his immense faith in Christ... with such PEACE and JOY, I might add (you can read more about St. John Theophane here).  Again, more inspiration in regards to being modern apostles.

Lastly, we meditated on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary this month... and all the reflections that our prayer leader read to us from a little prayer book - coincidentally, but not surprisingly - spoke of the eternal reward and the glory that awaits those who faithfully serve God. It was one of those nights where all the different components of our prayer program ended up perfectly complementing each other despite no prior planning; a sign of the Holy Spirit at work... and the message for our group from Him was crystal clear: be apostles that this world stands so much in need of today; be proactive participants in God's plan of salvation not just bystanders.

 
Some of our group members clowning
around with the "Photo with the Pope"
cellphone app... and preparing for our
early Thanksgiving Feast after
our prayers.

And another common theme that emerged tonight as we prayed our personal intentions out loud after the Rosary was GRATITUDE; thanking God for his many blessings. In fact, we dubbed our usual potluck our prayer family's early Thanksgiving Dinner since the Thanksgiving Holiday is just a few days away. We didn't have a turkey but we enjoyed delectable dishes and desserts, just the same, along with a few glasses of wine... and lots of lighthearted conversation and laughter during our time around the table. We all went home with full tummies and full spirits.

Thank you, Jesus, and our
dear Blessed Mother!

Saturday, November 7, 2015

First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 11/7/2015


My Rosa Mystica statue with relics of Our
Lady's veil & St. Martin de Porres at its base.
The Saint we honored at our First Saturday Rosary was St. Martin de Porres, the illegitimate son of a fair-skinned, Spanish father, and a Black mother (a freed slave) who died in the 17th Century; his father was relatively wealthy, while his mother was poor. So Martin's life, being bi-racial, straddled two cultures; two social statuses... and he was made fun of by both the Spanish and the slave-class (black and native indians) because they didn't see him as being completely one of their own.

How difficult and painful it must have been for St. Martin to be in "social limbo"; not feeling like he belonged anywhere... yet, through God's grace, he forgave the ridicule, over and over, and just strove to see Christ in each person; serving Christ, via ministry to his neighbor, regardless of skin color and social background.

After he joined the Dominicans in the city of Lima, St. Martin's reputation for exceptional sanctity (and remarkable miracles, too) became so widespread in Peru, he attracted everyone to himself... and in his love-filled presence, racial and social status lines were blurred, and the people united as a peaceful family in God.  Our featured Saint, today, posed a challenge for all of us in attendance, which was... to be a person who healed division in the different areas of our lives - at home; at work; and out on the streets -  rather than be the cause.  St. Martin de Porres, pray for us.

After our Saint-Lesson, we proceeded with our Rosary, keeping our Saint's life-example in mind.  It was a reflective prayer, given that our spiritual goal is to pray for Peace every month.  And people must have been touched by my narrative on St. Martin, because afterwards, several of them went up to the display altar to venerate his relic - a 1st Class [Flesh] Relic - that I brought to our Day Chapel for today's meeting.  It's always a joy for me when I see the people venerating the Saints with sincere enthusiasm.  The Saints deserve to be remembered and honored, and the power of their intercession should never be overlooked.

Prayer participants venerating the relics
on the display altar... and discussing the life
and miracles of St. Martin de Porres.

Our next First Saturday Rosary will be prayed on December 5th, beginning at 4:25pm with the sharing of next month's yet-to-be-determined Saint.  All are invited to pray and be inspired... and to venerate genuine relics of the Blessed Mother's veil and a featured Saint.  We hope to see you there.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Saint of the Month - November 2015: Saint Martin de Porres


St. Martin de Porres
A Saint for ALL People
Feast: November 3rd

This month's featured Saint is beloved by people of all racial backgrounds - Hispanics, Blacks, and Caucasians - and it's because he embodies the best of all of us.  Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, on December 9, 1579; the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed Panamanian slave of mixed African/Native American heritage.  The boy's father actually abandoned him and his mother and a young sister when he was but a child, leaving the trio to live in grinding poverty.  Martin's father later experienced a measure of remorse and arranged for his son to be trained as a Barber, which back in the Saint's time, also meant being somewhat of a medic; performing blood-letting and minor surgical procedures, when needed.

Among St. Martin's many spiritual gifts
was the ability to levitate.
The youthful Martin trained in his profession with great skill, but deep in his heart, he knew it wasn't what he truly wanted to do.  He was deeply pious and longed for the religious life, despite the fact natives and colored people were restricted by law from full profession with religious orders. The 15-year-old Martin found a way around it by offering himself as a servant to the Dominican Monastery of the Holy Rosary in Lima.  There, he was allowed to wear the habit, but was assigned the most difficult chores that no one else wanted to do.  In addition to the menial work, he was looked down upon by some of the friars for being bi-racial.  

Martin was grateful to be among the Dominicans and persevered despite the prejudice and other challenges. His background as a barber/medic made him indispensable to the monastery. His humility, charity, and piety also came to be well-respected by the friars and he was eventually accepted as a lay-brother in 1603 when Martin was 24-years-old. He was later assigned to run the infirmary, which he did admirably for 36 years.

A facial reconstruction of St. Martin's features,
created by a team of forensic scientists.
God confirmed Bro. Martin's sanctity with multiple spiritual gifts, among which were the gifts of Bilocation, Healing, and Prophecy. Often, the patients in the infirmary would just need to mentally formulate a request to Martin and, through the power of God, he would mysteriously appear to fulfill the request... sometimes even walking through locked doors or the walls.  The nature-loving friar also had a special affinity with animals.  One of his most famous miracles was the ridding of the monastery of an infestation of mice by simply calling on the rodents and leading them out to the barn where he fed them on scraps.  The friars had intended to poison the mice, but gentle Martin, in his love for all God's creation, interceded on behalf of the poor mice. 

Bro. Martin's wonders became so commonplace among his brethren, the other friars could have easily taken his miraculous feats for granted.  But his spiritual gifts in no way distracted him from his duties, but rather, the humble friar lived his vocation of charitable service, effectively, for many years - performing his routine chores and ministering to the sick-poor during the day; spending his nights in deep ecstatic prayer in the monastery chapel... sometimes raised several feet above the ground and surrounded by a luminous glow!

Needless to say, the humble mulatto came to be highly revered in his lifetime.  He was a confidante of St. Rose of Lima and a friend of St. Juan Macias, who was also a friar in the same monastery.  Bro. Martin fell seriously ill in the beginning of 1639 and passed away at aged 60 on November 3, 1639, deeply mourned by all of Lima.  In his lifetime he had managed to bring about a measure of peaceful unity among the various races - rich and poor - through his example of charity and unconditional love.

St. Martin de Porres was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 6, 1962, and for obvious reasons, he is considered the Patron Saint of Barbers, Surgeons, and of Social Justice.  May St. Martin pray for our personal needs and the needs of the Universal Church.

A Reflection
Sanctity comes in a variety of colors!

A Short Prayer
Lord, help us to see beyond the color of a person's skin; to clearly recognize your innate presence and beauty within each soul.  Amen.