Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Myles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Monday, November 3rd, and the Gospel reading is Luke 14, 12-14, and the Scripture to reflect on is Luke 14, 14.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
In this day of age, people are always trying to be better than everyone else, but in the parable in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says not to look down on people and to say, oh, look at me, I’m the best.
The only thing that matters is not what others think, but what God thinks.
You are perfect in God’s eyes.
Today’s Saint of the Day is Saint Martin de Porres.
He was born December 9th, 1579, and died November 3rd, 1639.
He is the patron saint of social justice.
Martin grew up in Lima, Peru, with his mother and younger sister.
His father, a Spanish nomad, was not a constant presence.
However, when Martin was eight, his father took him to Ecuador to study.
Back in Peru, four years later, Martin was apprenticed to a barber surgeon and learned how to draw blood and care for wounds.
His mother, Anna, also taught him herbal medicine.
When Martin was 16 years old, Martin joined the Dominicans as a lay helper.
Unfortunately, he was not allowed to take religious vows because he was of mixed race.
Later, however, this rule was changed, and Martin was able to become a professed Dominican brother.
As a young brother, people called him Martin the Charitable because of his gentle concern for everyone, including animals.
His legacy of kindness included politely asking the monastery mice to relocate to the outer courtyard, which they did.
He remained a humble man, even though his life was filled with miraculous cures and unusable phenomena, such as passing through locked doors to visit the sick.
When he was 60 years old, Martin came down with a fever and died as his fellow friars sang the Salve Regina around his bed.
When we do good things to help others, God is pleased.
When we love others the way that he loves us, and God has a reward in store for us that is better than anything that we can imagine.
Martin was friends with two other saints, Rose of Lima and Juan Macias.
One might wonder if holiness was contagious in the 17th century.
Martin’s life shows us the value of developing life-giving relationships of service and love with those around us.
Let’s pray in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help me to love others as you loved all of us.
And help us to be open to your grace and available to all.
St.
Martin de Porres, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!