Word to the Wise
Monday, November 3, 2014 - Monday in the 31th Week in Ordinary Time
[Phil 2:1-4 and Luke 14:12-14]Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. [Luke]
I belong to the Southern Dominican Province in the U.S.A., but the official title of the province is the Province of St. Martin De Porres in the U.S.A.. He is our patron! The gospel which will be read at non-Dominican locations is the one given above from the Gospel of Luke, but it fits Martin completely. He was noted for his care for the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
He is also a patron saint of those who fight for social justice and an end to racial discrimination. Because his father was a Spanish soldier and his mother a former slave, he was considered a "half-caste" and suffered discrimination not only in public but also within the Dominican order! He was trained as a barber/physician and was the infirmarian of the Dominican house, but he also served as front door porter and in that capacity he developed the program of feeding the poor and anyone who came for help to the front door. One of his symbols is a broom! Another symbol is a staircase, because he lived in a small cell in a stairwell!
On this feast day, I pray for all those who work to overcome racial discrimination of all kinds. I pray, too, for our Province of St. Martin De Porres that we will always be sensitive to the needs of the poor, especially in our preaching. I hope you will join me in those intentions. AMEN
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