Dominican Sisters

"Just as Christ came into this world only once, clothed in our flesh, He is also ready to come again, at any moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts with the profusion of His graces, as long as we do not resist Him.” – St Charles Borromeo, whose feast is today (4 Nov). flic.kr/p/2sKSo5d 📷 Photo of the relic of the heart of St Charles in the basilica of Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso, in Rome.

Today, 3 November, the @Dominican_Order rejoices on the feast of St Martin de Porres: "Martin was born in Lima, Peru in 1579, the son of a Spanish nobleman named Juan and a black freedwoman, Anna Velasquez. Among all the saints, he bears witness to the sufferings and oppression of the black peoples in the New World. He was a barber’s assistant until he sought to be associated with Saint Dominic’s Order and was enrolled among the laity of the Priory of Our Lady of the Rosary in Lima, where in 1603 he was admitted to solemn vows. Endowed with marvellous simplicity, innocence and faith, he gained a reputation for his humble gifts, and indeed was exalted by God with heavenly gifts and charisms. With a burning piety for the eucharist and the passion of our Redeemer, he lived a life fully devoted to the poor through works of love, and especially the sick, and even to animals. He has worthily been designated the heavenly patron of co-operator brothers. He loved fasting, the harshest penance, and prayer, especially at night, after the example of Jesus, drawing from that shining light in a marvellous way the principles of Christian doctrine. Martin died at Lima on 3 November 1639, was beatified by Gregory XVI in 1837 and canonised by John XXIII on 6 May 1962. He draws to himself the souls of all inhabitants of America, both North and South, not only on account of his remarkable humility, attractive though that is in itself, but because he was in his own person a signal leading people to holiness." – hagiography drawn from the Dominican Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours. flic.kr/p/2sKLXRW 📷 Statue of St Martin from the Dominican church in Cordoba, Argentina.

"Pour out on us, we pray, O Lord, the spirit with which you so remarkably endowed Saint Margaret Mary, so that we may come to know that love of Christ which surpasses all understanding and be utterly filled with your fullness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever." – Collect for the memorial of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (16 Oct). flic.kr/p/2sGs2Sv 📷 Detail from a painting in Antwerp Cathedral.