These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Saint Martin de Porres, religious, November 3

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. (Rom 13:8-10)

As often as “Love your neighbor” appears in the Scriptures, you would think that we would have learned the lesson by now. Thank goodness for Saint Martin de Porres! Saint Martin teaches us that caring for others, no matter their race, is what love is all about.