St. Martin de Porres – November 5th
Martin was the son of a Spanish knight and a Negro woman who had been freed from slavery. He himself looked like his mother. His father at first left Martin and his mother and sister alone in Peru. They were very poor and people looked down on them, but Martin grew up good and devout anyway. He was sent to learn the trade of a barber, and he also learned how to cure many diseases according to the practices of those days. Martin’s father finally decided to take care of his son’s education, but Martin had now decided he wanted to give himself to God as a Dominican brother.
Brother Martin soon proved to be a wonderful religious. No one was kinder or more obedient or holy. Before long, he began to work miracles, too. He cured so many sick people that everyone in the city of Lima would send for Brother Martin when there was sickness. He would go to them all, Negroes and whites alike, for he loved all men as his brothers in Christ. Great sums of money were given to this good, lovable Brother for his charities, because people saw how well he could organize works of charity.
Not even animals were forgotten by this kindhearted Saint. He excused the comings and goings of rats and mice by saying, “The poor little things don’t have enough to eat.” In his sister’s house, moreover, he kept a “home for wandering cats and dogs”!
Despite his fame in Lima, St. Martin always had a very low opinion of himself. His name for himself was, in fact, “Brother Broom.” And once, when his community owed a lot of money and could not pay it, Brother Martin said, “I’m the property of the Order-sell me!” When he died, this beloved Saint was carried to his tomb by bishops and noblemen, who wanted to honor the humble and holy Brother.
We are all children of God. God has no regard for the color of a man’s skin, but looks instead into his heart. He rewards everyone who is good and punishes everyone who is bad.
