Feast of Saint Martin de Porres

Good morning. One only needs to be a parent to appreciate the words of today’s readings. In the first reading from Romans we are reminded that we do not live for ourselves, and in the Gospel reading we read the parable of the lost sheep. As parents we are reminded that we do not live for ourselves, our lives are not for our own benefit but that of our children so they might grow to be good God fearing adults. Ultimately we attend to our children for the Glory of God. We are not our own masters; rather God is the master of our lives and we are given the responsibility of attending to the immortal souls of those children He has entrusted to us. It is out of our love for God that we come to accept life and it is out of this love that we accept the responsibility of parenting and attending to our children’s well being. Much like the shepherd in the parable from today’s Gospel we do all that we are able to do for our children. We need only look to the Holy Family to understand this relationship with God and our children. As Pope Benedict XVI notes in Deus Caritas Est our love and care for our children is an extension of our own encounter with God. We likewise find in our Saint for today, Saint Martin de Porres, a wonderful example of the life of love we are called to. Love only becomes love when we give it away. Give some away today. Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Saint Martin de Porres. “He loved men and because he honestly looked on them as God’s children and as his own brothers and sisters. Such was his humility that he loved them even more than himself…” from the homily of Blessed Pope John XXIII given at the canonization of Saint Martin de Porres.