Flora Cantábrica

Saint Rose of Lima

Tweet

Saint Rose of Lima
(1586-1617)
«Rosa de Lima, the most beautiful rose our continent has ever produced, do not leave a single day without praying to your great friend Jesus Christ,
for this American continent, so supremely in need
of God’s blessings.»
Pope Innocent IX offered this saint admirable praise: «Probably no missionary in America has achieved more conversions with his preaching than Rose of Lima obtained with her prayer and mortifications.»
Born in Lima, Peru, in 1586 (the year of the apparition of the Virgin in Chinquinquirá), she was the first American woman declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
Name Change.
At baptism, she was named Isabel, but her mother, seeing that as the years went by, her face became rosy and beautiful like a rose, began to call her by the name Rosa. And, upon confirming her, the Archbishop gave her that name, by which she is now known throughout the world.
Avoiding Dangers.
From a young age, Rosa had a great inclination toward prayer and meditation. One day, while praying before an image of the Virgin Mary, it seemed to her that the child Jesus was saying to her: «Rosa, consecrate all your love to me.» And from then on, she resolved to live only to love Jesus Christ. And when her brother told her that many men fell madly in love because of the attraction of long hair or beautiful skin, she cut her hair and resolved to cover her face with a veil, so as not to be a source of temptation to anyone. She wanted to dedicate herself solely to loving Jesus Christ.
Renouncing Love.
A young man from a high social class fell in love with Rosa and wanted to marry her. Her parents were very excited because they were poor and this would give the young woman a brilliant future. But even though there were serious disagreements in her family, she declared that she had resolved to love God completely and that she completely renounced all marriage, no matter how brilliant.
Vocation Delayed.
She decided to become an Augustinian nun, but the day she went to kneel before the image of the Blessed Virgin to ask her to enlighten her on whether she should become a nun or not, she felt she could not get up from the floor where she was kneeling. She called her brother to help her get up, but he was unable to move her. Then she realized that God’s will was different and said to Our Lady: «Oh Heavenly Mother, if God does not want me to go to a convent, I give up his idea from now on.» As soon as she uttered these words, she was completely free of paralysis and was able to get up from the floor easily.
A Butterfly Points Out the Color.
She continued asking God to show her which religious association she should join. And suddenly, a black and white butterfly began to arrive near her every day. It fluttered past her eyes. With this, she thought she understood that she should look for an association that had a black and white habit. And she discovered that they were the Dominican tertiaries, women who dressed in white tunics and black mantles and lived like nuns, but lived in their own houses. And she asked to be admitted and was accepted.
Her Patron Saint and Model.
Then she learned that the most famous Dominican tertiary is Saint Catherine of Siena (April 29), and she resolved to study her life and imitate her in every way. And she succeeded admirably. She made herself a white tunic, a black mantle, and a black veil for her head, and so she began to attend the religious meetings at the temple.
Total Confinement.
But it happened that people, amazed by her behavior, began to point at her and call her «the saint.» So, knowing that nothing is as dangerous as vanity, pride, and the desire to be seen, she built herself a small room on the ground floor of the house where she lived, and there she dedicated herself to practicing her meditations, penances, and many prayers for long hours, day and night. She would spend the rest of her life there, only leaving to attend Mass or to assist a sick person.
Earning Bread by Sweat.
Her father failed in a mining business, and the family was left in great poverty. Rosa then devoted several hours each day to cultivating a garden on the ground floor of the house and several hours each night to sewing to help cover the household expenses.
Various Attacks.
The devil attacked her in many different ways. And the impure temptations caused her enormous suffering. In addition, she experienced periods of terrible spiritual aridity, during which anything related to prayer, meditation, or penance filled her with horror and disgust. And besides that, people made fun of her behavior and her own family members considered her way of life to be wrong. Once she lovingly protested to Jesus Christ about all this, saying: «Lord, where are you going when you leave me alone in these terrible storms?» And she heard Jesus say to her: «I have not gone far away. I was directed in your spirit.»
Enviar comentarios