Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 3, 2021 - Wednesday in the 31th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 13:8-10 and Luke 14:25-33]Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. [Romans]
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, ST. MARTIN DE PORRES, O.P.
[Romans 13:8-10 and Luke 14:25-33. These scriptures will vary at Dominican locations. St. Martin de Porres is an important figure for us.]
St. Martin De Porres OP was a Dominican brother who lived in Lima, Peru at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. He was the son of a Spanish soldier and a freed African slave. His lowly social status meant he was trained in a trade as a barber, which meant also a doctor in those days of medicine. Once he was trained his father brought him to the Dominican priory in Lima to be admitted. He became famous as the doorkeeper (porter) of the priory and lived in what amounted to a broom closet at the foot of the stairs leading up into the priory. In his position, he took care of whoever might come to the front door, poor and rich. He is portrayed often with a broom in his hand and mice at his feet, the latter referring to a legend of his practice of feeding the mice out in the yard to keep them out of the house! His influence extended far and wide. I have seen a statue of him in an African-American protestant church! He is the patron saint of all who work for social justice and racial harmony. Lord knows, we need him more than ever.
Once, when he had brought a man who was suffering from a wound to his room, his prior, who had forbidden him to do such things, tried to correct him. He replied that the law of charity was more important than the vow of obedience. He personified the words of St. Paul in today's first scripture. We Dominicans of St. Martin De Porres Province (Southern Dominican Province USA), have him as our patron. AMEN