Saint of the day and Feast days.

[odhiambo]

3 rd November

Today is the Memorial of
Saint Martin de Porres
Among many other Saints

[odhiambo]

Martin de Porres
Religious
Martín de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, on December 9, 1579. His father was a Spanish conquistador(Knight) named Don Juan de Porres and his mother was a freed slave from Panama, of African or possibly part Native American descent, named Ana Velázquez. Seeing that the child had African rather than European features, Don Juan de Porres refused to acknowledge his paternity. Martín was baptized the day he was born, with notation on the baptismal certificate reading "father unknown". He was raised by his mother in extreme poverty, on the very lowest rungs of early Spanish colonial society; in the eyes of the nobility, a mark of illegitimacy was exceeded in shamefulness only by a child's racially mixed heritage.
Stories of Martín's remarkable generosity apparently began to surround him even in childhood; sent to the local market by his mother, he would often give away the contents of his basket to homeless persons before reaching home. By the time he was 10 he was spending several hours of each day in prayer, a practice he maintained for the rest of his life. He once asked his landlady for the stumps of some candles she had discarded, and she later saw him using their meager light to behold a crucifix before which he knelt, weeping. Perhaps as a result of the boy's spiritual accomplishments, Don Juan de Porres acknowledged when Martin was eight years old, that he was Martín's father, a remarkable admission at the time. (He reportedly, finally abandoned Ana Velázquez for good after the birth of another daughter.) Ana recognized in her son the signs of an intense spiritual quality, and she tried to obtain for him a good education….
 Check next post for continuation. A rather lengthy narrative, I am afraid.

[odhiambo]

Martin de Porres....
When Martín was 12, he was apprenticed to a barber, a profession that at that time, involved much more than just cutting hair. Young Martín learned the rudiments of surgery: administering herbal remedies, dressing wounds, and drawing blood;  aprcedure that was thought to be curative then.
At 15, Martín decided to devote himself to the religious life. He applied to join the Convent of the Rosary in Lima, a Dominican monastery. Racial restrictions dictated that he be given the position of "tertiary" or lay helper, which he enthusiastically accepted. The bishop at the monastery, according to an early biography quoted by Alex García Rivera in St Martín de Porres , said that "there are laws that we must respect. These indicate that the Indians, blacks, and their descendants, cannot make profession in any religious order, seeing that they are races that have little formation as of yet." Martín was able to exercise his medical skills after being put in charge of the monastery infirmary, and he was often given the monastery's basic chores such as cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry.
Both before and after joining the monastery, Martín suffered incidents of harassment that may well have been racially motivated. The monks for whom he was cooking would hide the kitchen's potholders, and one of the early stories surrounding the young holy man was that he could then pick up the pots with his bare hands and not be burned. Another story concerned Martín's tendency toward self-denial; or, read another way, his determination to identify himself with the lives of Peru's indigenous poor. Told by his superior to retire to bed, Martín responded (according to Kearns), "What! Do you command me, who at home would never have enjoyed the luxuries of life, to betake myself to a soft bed! Father, I beseech you, do not force me to enjoy such an unmerited gratification." Cleaning a toilet one day, he was asked by a monk whether he might not prefer life at the splendid offices of the Archbishop of Mexico. Martín responded, according to Kearns, by quoting the biblical Psalm 83:
"I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners." He qualified this remark by saying that he was not referring to the Archbishop as a sinner, but rather simply that he himself preferred menial tasks. He wore robes until they fell apart, refusing the luxury of new ones….

[odhiambo]

Martin de Porres...
When Martín was 24, in 1603, he gave the profession of faith that allowed him to become a Dominican brother. He is said to have several times refused this elevation in status, which may have come about due to his father's intervention, and he never became a priest. As with any other famous holy man, Martín's life is surrounded by stories, and those stories constitute the primary means of remembering him all these centuries later. The stories surrounding Martín are of two kinds.
Some consist of testimony about his character and accomplishments by church officials who knew him.
Others seem to be of a more popular character, arising among Lima's impoverished populace, and coming down to the present time partly via oral tradition.
Many stories attest to Martín's exceptional piety. He was said sometimes to be surrounded by a bright light when he prayed, and to be levitated off the floor of a chapel by sheer religious ecstasy. He subsisted for days on bread and water and would do penance for sins by whipping himself with chains. Martín was said to be capable of bilocation (being in two places at once), and individuals from both Africa and Mexico swore that they had encountered him in their home villages even though he was never known to have left Lima. Patients under his care spoke on several occasions of his having walked through locked doors in order to render medical help.
Other tales of the miracles and wonders worked by Martín, however, were more specific to his time and place. He was said to have a supernatural rapport with the natural world. The most famous single story connected with Martín had to do with a group of mice (or rats) that infested the monastery's collection of fine linen robes. Martín resisted the plans of the other monks to lay poison out for the mice. One day he caught a mouse and said (According to Angela M. Orsini ),
"Little brothers, why are you and your companions doing so much harm to the things belonging to the sick? Look; I shall not kill you, but you are to assemble all your friends and lead them to the far end of the garden. Everyday I will bring you food if you leave the wardrobe alone". Whereupon Martín lead, (Pied Piper-like) a mouse parade toward a small new den. Both the mice and Martín kept their word, and the closet infestation was solved for good. Martín loved animals of all kinds and seemed to have unusual skills in communicating with them. He would apply his medical skills to the treatment of a wounded dog found wandering the streets with the same energy he would devote to a sick human. Paintings of Martín often depicted him with a mouse, dog, or cat—or sometimes with a broom, symbolizing his devotion to everyday tasks….

[odhiambo]

Martin de Porres….
Many other stories of Martin’s goodness pertained to his unwavering efforts to help Lima's poor and ill, often against the wishes of his superiors at the monastery. A sick, aged street person, almost naked and covered with open sores, was taken by Martín to his own bed at the monastery. A fellow monk was horrified, but Martín responded (according to the Lives of the Saints on the website of Canada's Monastery of the Magnificat), "Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create."
He treated victims of bubonic plague without regard to whether they were white, black, or Native Americans. During one plague outbreak he brought a wounded Native American man into the monastery for treatment even though the Superior administrator of the province had forbidden the admission of the sick owing to fears of contagion. Given a reprimand for disobedience, Martín replied (according to the Monastery's the Magnificat site), "Forgive my error, and please instruct me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity." Martín's skills as a physician spread his name far and wide and even the Archbishop of Mexico came to Lima to seek his services at one point. He was said to have a miraculous ability to know whether or not a patient would recover. Sometimes he sent sick people (or animals) to the home of his sister Juana when the monastery's facilities were overwhelmed.
Martín was, in the words of Richard Cardinal Cushing (writing in St. Martín de Porres ), "a precursor of modern social science," and the Convent of the Rosary while he was there "became the forerunner of the modern medical clinic." To finance all these activities, Martín also became an early specialist in the art of nonprofit fundraising. Spanish nobles gave him large donations so that he could continue his work, and one estimate placed his weekly disbursements of funds at the level of 2,000 dollars, guite a sum for the period. Martín did not devote these funds exclusively to those in misery, but also tried to level class distinctions. For example, he sometimes provided money for a poor young woman's dowry so that she could marry.
Martín died of a fever in Lima on November 3, 1639, at the age of nearly 60. He was beatified in 1837, and canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 6, 1962. He was designated the patron saint of universal brotherhood. He is also the patron saint of interracial relations, social justice, public education, Peruvian television and public health, trade unions in Spain, mixed-race individuals, barbers and more.
Saint Martin de Porres,
Pray for us!
 
Ref: Heavily borrowed from the Encyclopedia of World Biography.
Martin Porres
This is not my usual Catholic reference material but I did not read anything that was contrary to our Faith and I particularly like the clarity of their biography of this  particular Saint.

[Patricia]

A great life worth reading!   With the rejection he faced since birth he could have very well have turned out to be a bitter and angry young man but by the light of Christ he is today one of the greatest Saints of the Catholic church.

[odhiambo]

A great life worth reading!   With the rejection he faced since birth he could have very well have turned out to be a bitter and angry young man but by the light of Christ he is today one of the greatest Saints of the Catholic church.

Prayer
Merciful Father, You led Saint Martin de Porres
By the path of humility and service, to the glory of heaven.
Enable us to recognize You in those who suffer, and serve You in them.
Amen!

[odhiambo]

4 th November.
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Charles Borromeo
Among many other Saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Charles Borromeo.
Archbishop of Milan
Charles was born on October 2 , 1538, in the family castle of Arona located on lake Maggiore, Italy.
He was the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo and his mother was
Margaret de Medici, sister of Pope Pius IV.
The Borromeo family was one of the most ancient families of Lombardy.
At the age of twelve, Charles was sent to the Benedictines at Arona for his education.
He also studied in Milan and Paris, Receiving his doctorate in civil and canon law in 1559.
When he was 20, his father died. Charles was obliged to come back from where he had been studying.
He refused to assume the title of his family, choosing instead to become a priest.
He was ordained in 1563 and made Bishop of Milan.
He was also named Secretary of State by his uncle, Pope Pius IV, who also appointed him cardinal and after another year, nominated him Archbishop of Milan.
On 26 April 1578,Charles founded the Oblates of Saint Ambrose, now called the Oblates of Saint Charles.
Saint Charles spent his life and fortune in the service of the people of his diocese.
He died on the night of 3 November 1584 of a fever at Milan in Italy.
He was canonized on 1 November 1610 by Pope Paul V.
Saint Charles Borromeo,
Pray for us!

[Shin]

St. Charles and St. Martin, they're so great fellows!

'It is a certain, well established fact that no other crime so seriously offends God and provokes His greatest wrath as the vice of heresy. Nothing contributes more to the down fall of provinces and kingdoms than this frightful pest.'

St. Charles Borromeo

'We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: "I will pray, and then I will understand."  This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work. In meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in others.'

St. Charles Borromeo

'If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.'

St. Charles Borromeo

'I admit that we are all weak, but if we want help, the Lord God has given us the means to find it easily. Would you like me to teach you how to grow from virtue to virtue and how, if you are already recollected at prayer, you can be even more attentive next time, and so give God more pleasing worship? Listen, and I will tell you. If a tiny spark of God‘s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out. Keep the stove tightly shut so that it will not lose its heat and grow cold. In other words, avoid distractions as well as you can. Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter. If teaching and preaching is your job, then study diligently and apply yourself to whatever is necessary for doing the job well. Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head. We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: "I will pray, and then I will understand." This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work. In meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men.'

St. Charles Borromeo

"Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create."

"Forgive my error, and please instruct me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity."

These are really thought provoking! Splendid!  I read that his patron was St. Martin of Tours.

"Little brothers, why are you and your companions doing so much harm to the things belonging to the sick? Look; I shall not kill you, but you are to assemble all your friends and lead them to the far end of the garden. Everyday I will bring you food if you leave the wardrobe alone".

This is really something! It's as if he has recovered the obedience of the animals lost through Adam and Eve by his holiness.  Haha!

[Bailey2]

I didn't know much about these two Saints.  Very inspiring in a happy way!  Thanks!

[odhiambo]

'If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.'
St. Charles Borromeo

Very sound advise.

[odhiambo]

November 5
Although this seems to be an old, forgotten feast, I would still like us to remember it.

The Feat of the Holy Relics.

[odhiambo]

The Holy Relics
The Holy Relics are the relics of saints. They include bones, ashes, clothing or personal possessions that are held in reverence by the Church and are sometimes associated with miraculous healings and other acts of God.
Sometimes Non Catholics accuse us of sinning against the First Commandment because of the honor we pay to saints and their relics.
This accusation would be true only if we pay to the saints the divine worship that is due to God alone. We do not!
The honor that Catholics pay Mary , the Blessed Mother of God; the honor paid to the saints and their relics is of an entirely different nature from the Adoration which we give only to God .
The veneration of relics dates back to early Christianity.
After Jesus died, what happened thereafter is actually an account of veneration of relic.
It starts with Joseph of Arimathea asking Pilate for the body of Jesus (Mark 15:43 and John 19:38).
He then donates his own newly hewn tomb as Christ’s resting place. (Matt.27:60)
Nicodemus then donated over a hundred pounds of spices for preparing the body for burial (John 19:39). That amount of spice is said to have been used only for the most honored dead.
Next, after Jesus was buried, Mary Magdalene and another Mary went to reverently visit the tomb. (Matt.28:1) and to further anoint the body with spices even though it had already been sealed inside the tomb. (Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:1)
These acts of reverence were more than the courtesy that is usually shown to the remains of the dead. These were acts of special respect shown to the body of a most holy man., in this case, our Lord Jesus Himself. They were acts of veneration of a relic-the body of Jesus.
Other examples of veneration of relics in the early church include the following:
The Letter of the Smyrnaeans or the Martyrdom of Polycarp in A.D 156
Parts 18:2 and 18:3
The Christians are describing the events following the burning of Polycarp at the stake.
“And so we afterwards took up his bones which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place…”
The Great biblical scholar Saint Jerome declared,
“We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator; but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore him whose martyrs they are”
In deed the highest honor that can be paid to an artist is to praise the work of his hands..
Remember that there is nothing in the relic itself, whether a bone of an apostle or other remains, that has any curative ability.
The Church only says the relics may be the occasion of God’s miracles and in this, the Church follows Scripture.
Read this;
The bones of Elisha brought a dead man to life.
“So Elisha died and they buried him..Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of that year. And , as a man was being buried, lo,a marauding band was seen and the dead man was cast into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet” (kgs 13:20-21)
This is an unequivocal biblical example of a miracle being performed by God through contact with the relics of a saint.
These few examples of biblical veneration of relics will suffice to show that the practice of veneration of relics by the Catholic Church is grounded on ancient biblical practice.
Happy feast of the Holy Relics!

[odhiambo]

When we pray to our Blessed Mother, to the angels and to the saints, we know that whatever they may do for us will not be done of their own power, as though they were divine. Whatever they may do for us will be done for us by God, through their intercession.
If we value the prayers of our friends here on earth and feel that their prayers on our behalf will help us, then surely, we have the right to feel that the prayers of our friends in heaven(the saints) will be even more powerful.
The saints are heroes in the spiritual combat.
It pleases God to encourage our imitation of them and to show His own love for them by dispensing His Graces through their hands; nor does the honor we show to the saints detract in anyway from the honor that is due God.
The saints are God’s masterpieces of grace. When we praise them, it is God, the one who made them what they are, whom we honor most.
The highest honor that can be paid to an artist is to praise the work of his hands!

[odhiambo]

Today, November 5
Is also a Memorial of
Saint Bertilla
Benedictine Abbess.

Saint Bertilla was born in a Christian family near Soissons, France.
As she grew older, she despised the world and wished only to renounce it.
She told her parents of this desire and they did not oppose her.
They took her to Jouarre,a large monastery , some distance from Meaux.
She became a Benedictine religious.
At the monastery, she did whatever duties she was given, with gentleness, courage and humility. She worked so well that she was chosen to be Prioress by the Abbess, to assist her in her administrative duties.
When the Queen of France , Saint Bathilda, wished to build the abbey of Chelles and retire there herself, she asked the Abbess of Jouarre to give her several religious and an Abbess to begin the new foundation. Saint Bertilla was placed in charge of the group; this is how she became the first Abbess of Chelles, and remained in office until her death.
Saint Bertilla died in November of 692. She was buried beside Saint Bathilda in the abbatial church.
She was known for her strict rule and her austerities.
Saint Bertilla,
Pray for us!