Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me. (Jn 10:27)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110323.cfm
The Lord always calls his own as he called Martin de Porres (1579-1639). Matin was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman. Martin was of mixed race: his mother was a freed African slave of Native descent. They were abandoned by the father and under Peruvian law, being mulatto, Martin had no rights. He was finally accepted by the Dominicans who gave him menial tasks to perform. He worked in the infirmary and was known as a healer. I remember when he was canonized in 1962. My mom was working at Blessed Martin de Porres Hospital (a Black maternity hospital run by the Sisters of Mercy). After the canonization the hospital was renamed, Saint Martin de Porres. The shiny new “saint” letters stood out on the hospital sign!
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
