Martin de Porres returns to speed up his beatification

Summary:

Martin, born in Lima on December 9, 1579, was the illegitimate son of a noble Spanish officer, Don Juan de Porras y de la Peña, and Ana Velázquez, a freed slave of African and Native descent. He was still very young when his father abandoned him, his mother and his sister, leaving his darker-skinned family in poverty.

Although he suffered from poverty and his condition as a mulatto, Martin overcame his misfortunes and put himself at the service of those more unfortunate than himself, helping old people without families, abandoned slaves who could no longer work, the sick, orphans, the infirm and animals in distress. His unceasing charity was soon accompanied by miraculous powers of healing, the fruit of time spent in prayer, prostrate before the crucifix, absorbed in an intimate dialogue with the suffering Christ that brought tears to his eyes...

At the age of fifteen, he joined the Dominicans first as a servant boy, because under Peruvian law, descendants of Africans and Native Americans were barred from becoming full members of religious orders. He then became almoner, and also did barbering, kitchen work, laundry, and cleaning. Appointed as a nurse, he devoted himself day and night to his patients, who were amazed to see that if they needed anything in the middle of the night, all they had to do was think of Martin and he would be at their bedside, even if the door to the room was locked and his cell far away. He was able to pass through the walls!

For anyone who needed help - whether a wounded dog, a mule that had fallen into a well, a rat in danger of being killed - Martin was there to help. He brought dying people back to life, resurrected the dead, saved those condemned to death, predicted the future and read people's minds. He was seen in China, Vietnam, Algeria and France, countries he never should have been able to visit, but about which he spoke as if he had, possessing an extraordinary gift of bilocation. 

His life is woven of prodigies, miracles and marvels, and this is well known - the recipients of these graces couldn't keep them secret - but Martin refused to receive glory for things that came from God's doing. This is why he demanded that those close to him to keep silent about the extraordinary events they witnessed. Brother Juan Vasquez - a young Spanish emigrant whom he took in as a child after the death of his parents, when he was homeless, and who was his assistant for four years - was one of them: he was very intent on remembering everything but never to talk about it. He saw some strange things, such as the magnificent light that filled Brother Martin's cell at night while in ecstasy, or the levitations that lifted him more than a metre off the ground so that he could reach the height of the crucifix and kiss its wounds. In the end, all this seemed normal to him, as it did to all the Dominicans in the house, who were aware that they were living with a saint.

Juan left Lima in the early 1630s, to be sent to a convent in Spain. On saying goodbye, Martin said to him: "Farewell, my dear child, we shall not meet again in this world, or you will not believe your eyes." Put on the list of witnesses for the cause of beatification of Brother Martin, he was questioned, but did not say much, sharing only what was strictly necessary in order to keep his promise of discretion. This silence, regarding important events that could have hastened the positive outcome of the canonical enquiry, caused delays and left gaping holes in the biography of the Servant of God. Juan did not understand this, convinced that he was doing the right thing.

Shortly after giving this incomplete account, while praying in his room overlooking the street, Juan heard a voice distinctly calling him through the window. Astonished, he looked out and saw two Dominicans, silently saying their rosary. Convinced that he had been dreaming, Juan resumed his prayers when the voice called him again. Wanting to find out for sure, he went outside to the friars and asked them if they had called him and why. Then one of them, removing his capuce, reproachfully asked him: "What! You, Juan Vasquez, do not recognise me!" Stunned, Juan recognised Brother Martin, who had died fifteen years earlier in Peru! Brother Martin said to him: "Brother, why were you so reserved when you gave your testimony about my life? Go back and tell them everything you've seen and heard, everything you know!"

Juan didn't dare revealing everything and didn't do what his friend asked. He barely agreed to receive a canonical investigator, Brother Bernard de Medina, and hand over certain documents in his possession. Convinced that Juan still had a lot to tell, Brother Bernard urged him to gather his memories and pass them on to him. The year was 1668: the cause had been officially introduced in Rome, making this crucial testimony urgent. Juan knew, but uncertainty paralysed him. Would they believe him when he would tell these extravagant stories? Would he be accused of lying? Wouldn't it be better to keep quiet? But what if he died without having told the whole truth? At this thought, Juan decided to talk. It took him three years to think about it, since it was February 1671.

A little later, while his decision was still uncertain, Juan walked down the street. It was broad daylight, and there was no darkness to mislead him. A Dominican met him and, this time, he didn't hesitate to identify him: it was Martin again, who said sternly: "Juan, why have you paid so little heed to my orders? Go now, and tell everything you know!"This was more than thirty years after Brother Martin's death. Juan Vasquez then went to Bernard de Medina and gave him such a complete and detailed account that it was used to write the "expert biography" needed to bring the case to a successful conclusion, and which is still the authority on the subject.

Going further:

St. Martin De Porres: Apostle of Charity (Cross and Crown Series of Spirituality) by Giuliana Cavallini,  TAN Books; Illustrated edition (January 1, 1942)

More information:

• Saint Martin de Porres Speaks - Book 1 Kindle Edition by Marie-Josée Thibault, Abba Books LLC (August 6, 2023)

• Son of an Unknown Father: A Story about Martin de Porres by Maeve McMahon OP, Paulist Press (November 3, 2023)