The Daily Prayer
SUNDAY, November 3, 2019
Martin de Porres (December 9, 1579 – November 3, 1639)
The illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman in sixteenth-century Peru, Martin de Porres bore the complexion of his black mother. He presented himself at fifteen as someone who could sweep the floors at a Dominican monastery, but his talents, especially in the art of healing, were soon recognized. As head of the monastery’s infirmary, Martin not only treated the brothers but went out into the streets of Peru and brought in the poor, even offering his own bed for them to sleep in. When Martin was made a saint in 1962, Pope John XXIII named him patron of all who work for social justice.
A contemporary of Martin de Porres testified, “He was a man of great charity, who being in charge of the infirmary not only healed his brother religious when they were sick but also assisted in the larger duty of spreading the Great Love of the world. For this they knew him as their father and consolation, calling him father of the poor.”
Lord, when we open our hands and hearts to the poor, your kingdom is at hand. Remind us that there is always enough to give to those who are in need. Make us generous today with the goods you have entrusted to us. Amen.
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