Statue from the Dominican church of Nuestra Señora de Atocha in Madrid
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Everyone's brother
Sometimes, faced with a patient who was visibly terminally ill, to everyone's surprise, Martinho would announce that this soul would not die and would be cured.
In other cases, when he looked at someone who was visibly healthy, he could categorically state that he would die soon and therefore recommended that he try to straighten out and put his life in order as quickly as possible and seek the holy sacraments.
Martin used to fast so that food would be left over for the poor. Few people paid attention to his virtue. Sometimes, he would eat leftover bread, but always in a very discreet way so that no one would notice his penances.
Many wealthy citizens, touched by his example, willingly donated large amounts so that the friar could distribute among those most in need.
And so Martinho went through life, dedicating himself to charity, healing and relieving the sick, giving alms to Spaniards, Indians, and black people without distinction as they were all his brothers.
This painting of the saint, properly attired in the habit of a 'donatus' of the Order, is in the Dominican priory in London - Image Source
Once, when he was sick, the bishop of La Paz, on the verge of death, decided to appear there at the Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary in Lima and asked in distress to call Martinho to cure him. When Martin appeared and placed his hand on the bishop, the illness disappeared, and the bishop was immediately fixed.
Holiness
His reputation for holiness spread with such force that an increasing number of people flocked to the Convent in search of Martin's help and miracles, and this began to interfere with the tranquility of the monks' contemplative life. At this time, the superior of the Order, Prior João de Lorenzana, seeking to reestablish the silence conducive to the friars' prayer and meditation, even banned Martin from performing his wonders there.
The fact is that Martin, once again showing humility, obeyed and stopped performing his miracles. A fascinating case that is recorded in his official biography occurred when Martinho, while passing in front of a construction site, witnessed one of the workers, a bricklayer, fall from scaffolding high above the wall that was being built to his certain death.
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Then Martinho, making gestures with his hands, exclaimed: Be careful, brother, don't fall! And it is said that the man stopped falling at this moment and remained still in the air, as if he were floating at a considerable height, to the astonishment of all the other workers and passers-by. Martinho was left with a great dilemma between saving that man's life or obeying his superior, who had forbidden him from doing such miracles.
He immediately ran to the Monastery to ask permission to save the falling man. The superior, moved by this event, went to the place, saw a large crowd gathered there, and witnessed that man who remained extraordinarily suspended in the air.
Then, he immediately authorized Martinho to help him get down. The man then began slowly descending, floating in the air like a feather until he reached the ground gently and safely. This episode reverberated deep in the people's hearts who began to praise God loudly.
Saint Martin’s Room of Convent Santo Domingo Lima - Image Source
After this, Martinho's superior had to go back on his ban, mainly because, in those days, an epidemic had spread throughout the city, and many friars were sick. Martinho had a vegetable garden where he cultivated various plants that he used for his medicines, and combining his knowledge of herbs with his unshakable faith, he cured all those sick people one by one.
For his immense charity, Martin also brought countless sick people into the Convent to be cured until his superior again forbade him to continue doing this for fear of contagion. At this time, Martinho's sister, Lady Joana, offered her own house to welcome those in need who could no longer fit into the Convent.
Martinho found a poor Indian on the street who was bleeding to death because he had been stabbed, and without thinking twice, he took him to his room. The Prior of the Convent, upon learning of this, became furious and reprimanded Martinho but then changed his mood after hearing the following response from Martinho:
Lord, forgive my mistake, and please give me instruction, as I did not know that obedience is greater than the precept of Charity.
From that day on, Martinho obtained permission to fully follow his inspirations in acts of mercy without limits imposed on him.
Statue in the garden of the Dominican priory of St Albert the Great in Oakland, CA - Image Source
to be continued...
Don't miss the following chapters in the life of this great saint soon!
Bibliography; Martin de Porres: A Saint of the Americas by Brian J. Pierce
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