The Memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, religious
(Romans 12:5-16ab; Luke
14:15-24)
The iconography of St. Martin
de Porres includes a broom and a rat. It
is not that Martin cleaned out rats from houses. Rather he became a friend to them as he went
about his chores. Like his patron, St.
Dominic, Martin’s love embraced all – humans and animals. In this way Martin reflects what St. Paul
teaches in today’s first reading.
The last part of the
Letter to the Romans is an exhortation to readers to put into action its elevated
theology. The letter highlights God’s
love for humans in Jesus Christ. It
demonstrates how Jesus died for all – Greeks as well as Jews – so that all
might know God’s mercy. Moved by this supreme demonstration of love, it
commands, “…love one another with mutual affection.”
This is no easy task. People will readily befriend a
benefactor. But they are most likely to
shun someone who has done them wrong. We
must love them, however, as a way to thank God for sending us Jesus. We do so by showing them respect and
including them in our prayers.
