Responsorial Psalm Ps 148:1bc-2, 11-13a, 13c-14
R. (see 12a and 13a) Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men, too, and maidens,
old men and boys,
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted.
R. Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has lifted up the horn of his people.
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones;
from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia.
R. Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.
REFLECTION
"Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord."
There are 5 saints from Peru. Three of them were contemporaries: Saint Rosa of Lima, Saint Martin of Porres, and St. Toribio of Mogrovejo. Saint Juan Macias and Saint Francisco Solano also lived in the 16th/17th century in Peru.
Saint Rose of Lima was from a well to do family. From an early age she wanted to emulate Saint Catherine of Siena and would secretly fast and mortify herself several times a week. She eventually became a Tertiary in the Order of Saint Dominic, so, she was not a nun, but a lay person living a consecrated life in her home.
Tradition maintains that Santa Rosa left her hermitage to go to the church of the Virgen del Rosario to attend to the sick and slaves.
In these tasks she would have been accompanied by Saint Martin of Porres, who became her friend. Lima was a small walled city, so it is very likely that they actually met. (1)
Both Saint Rose and Saint Martin of Porres were confirmed by the Bishop Saint Toribio of Mogrovejo, as well as Saint Juan Macias. (2)
The times of the viceroyalty in Latin America were not great for the native people, or the slaves brought in from Africa. And yet, during those times when people's dignities were trampled over, great Saints arise to help those in need.
When I see the injustices of those times, and see how in the middle of that chaos these great Saints came to be, I am reminded of Saint Paul's quote: "Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more" (Rm 5:20)
In PAPA we have found friends, we have found family. What is it that has brought us together? We do pray, and also act: PAPA Joe, PAPA For Life.
As a family we share this journey, and help each other. And hopefully, we can learn from these Saints that lived and helped each other during times of war, pestilence, and social injustices.
God bless y'all!
(1) https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/datos-de-santa-rosa-de-lima-que-tal-vez-no-conocias-36933
(2) https://www.corazones.org/santos/toribio.htm
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