[Music] saints [Music] saint martin de porres was born in lima peru on december 9 1519 to don juan de porres a spanish nobleman and adventurer and anna velasquez a freed daughter of slaves from panama anna was probably black but it is also possible that she belonged to the indigenous people lima martin had a younger sister named juana as well martin inherited the features and dark complexion of his mother that irked his father and he abandoned the family when martin was very young he was raised by his mother in extreme poverty as she worked in a
laundry stories of martin's remarkable generosity apparently began to surround him even in childhood even as a child martin would give the family scarce resources to the beggars whom he saw as less fortunate than himself by the time he was 10 he was spending several hours 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 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
character don juan de porres acknowledged that he was martin's father a remarkable admission at the time at the age of 12 martin began an apprenticeship with a barber named marcel de rivero a barber's work during the 16th century involved more than just cutting hair it involved administering medicines dressing wounds and drawing blood he proved extremely skillful at this trade and soon customers who at first were skeptical of the young colored boy came to prefer and ask for him as martin grew older he experienced a great deal of ridicule for being of mixed race at 15
martin decided to devote himself to the religious life he applied to join the covenant of the rosary in lima a dominican ministry racial restrictions during the time did not allow colored people to become members of religious order instead he was offered the position of lay helper which he happily accepted martin was allowed to wear the habit and live within the religious community his medical skills proved useful and he was put in charge of the monastery infirmary he was also given the monasteries basic chores such as cleaning cooking and doing the laundry his relationship with his
brothers was tinged by their curiosity and occasional pranks sometimes just before the meal was to be served the brothers would hide the potholders martin would search for it everywhere and since it was meal time he would have to lift the scalding pots with his bare hands yet never once did his fingers get burned there are numerous incidents that portrayed his self-denial a monk approached him and asked whether he might not prefer the life at the splendid offices of church elsewhere martin responded quoting psalm 83 i have chosen to be an abject in the house of
my god rather than to dwell in the tabernacle of sinners [Music] he remarked that he was not referring to the people in high offices as sinners but rather simply that he himself preferred menial tasks martin often challenged his brothers on their racial attitudes in one story martin saw an indian sweeping the floor under the watchful eye of one of the dominican brothers when told that they were cleaning to repay a meal they had received martin pointed out that the brother had fed some white people the previous day without forcing them to clean after martin's firm
but gentle challenge the brother took up the broom himself [Music] he always wore robes until they fell apart refusing the luxury of new ones the report of martin's skill as a surgeon and healer soon spread abroad as much by his prayers as through medical knowledge he cured the most frightening diseases bringing from near death a priest who had a badly infected leg and healing the fingers of a young student great as his healing faculty was martin is probably best remembered for the legend of the rats it is told that the prior who objected to rats
ordered martin to set out poison for them martin did as he was told but he was very sorry for the rats he went out into the garden and called softly and out came the rats he reprimanded them for their bad habits telling them about the poison he further assured them that he would feed them every day in the garden if they would refrain from annoying the prior this agreed upon he dismissed the rats and forever after so the stories go there was no more trouble with rats in addition to the gift of healing he was
endowed with that of bilocation he was seen in mexico and japan by people who knew him well whereas he had never been out of lima since entering the order he passed through locked doors by some means that was known only to himself and god he appeared at the bedside of sufferers without being asked and always soothed the sick even when he did not completely cure them even sick animals came to him for healing 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 ten years later after he had been presented with the religious habit of a lay brother martin was assigned to the infirmary where he would remain in charge until his death martin's spiritual practices were legendary he would often fast for extensive periods of time on bread and water he loved all night vigils frequently praying by laying down as if crucified sometimes kneeling but miraculously a foot or more off the floor however it is saint martin's charity that made him the patron saint of social justice martin fed sheltered and doctored hundreds of
families he also provided the requisite dowry to enable a poor young woman to marry last but not least he established the orphanage and school of the holy cross which took in boys and girls of all classes and taught them trades or homemaking skills he died surrounded by his brothers and reciting the credo his life ending with the words at homo factus est [Music] saint martin died on november 3rd 1639 by the time he died he was widely known and accepted talks of his miracles in medicine and caring for the sick were everywhere after his death
the miracles received when he was invoked in such greatness that when he was exhumed 25 years later his body exhaled a splendid fragrance and he was still intact in our own day the miracles continue he lived a life of almost constant prayer and he practiced unbelievable austerities he worked at hard and menial tasks without ever losing a moment of union with god his charity humility and obedience were extraordinary pope john xiii raised martin de porres to the altar of the church on may 5th 1962. [Music] saints [Music] you
