The virtues of Santa Rosa de Lima are considered, in many cases, examples of dedication to the faith and the most disadvantaged. Humility, charity, prayer and excessive penance are four of its most salient aspects.
Santa Rosa de Lima was born in Peru on April 20, 1586 and died on August 24, 1617, at the age of 31. She was baptized with the name of Isabel, and called Rosa by her mother, who perceived her face as a rose.
At her confirmation, at age 12, Archbishop Toribio de Mogrovejo reaffirmed Rosa's name for her, leaving Isabel forever forgotten. From a very young age she admired Saint Catherine of Siena, whom she took as a model. She did not live in a convent, but she was part of the Dominican Order.
Main virtues of Santa Rosa de Lima
Charity
Santa Rosa de Lima was characterized by being a defender of the poor and sick. She begged for alms to care for the underprivileged, visited the sick in their homes, cured them, bathed, dressed and comforted, without giving importance to the risks of contagion.
In his last years of life, he set up a space in his own house, where he received sick people, the elderly and helpless children, who lived on the streets.
These actions by Santa Rosa de Lima are thought to be the antecedents of the charities in Lima.
Humility
Among the virtues of Santa Rosa de Lima, its simplicity and modesty stand out. It is said that she was a very beautiful woman. However, she was not presumptuous or conceited, on the contrary, she even came to despise her own beauty.
He was willing to approach the most helpless, those with infectious diseases isolated from society, or destitute people, and he treated them with great humility.
He lived a precarious life, without any luxury, and used what little he had to help the needy people he saw around him. He was able to give up his own clothes and food to offer to those in greatest need.
Fast
In the Christian tradition, fasting is considered a virtue in that it involves sacrifice, acting in moderation, and renouncing pleasures. According to Christian precepts, earthly sacrifice will translate into eternal happiness after death.
It is said that Santa Rosa de Lima, since she was a child, abstained from eating tasty fruits. At the age of five, she began fasting three times a week, eating only bread and water.
In his teens, at age 15, he decided to stop eating meat. And when she was forced to eat other foods, because of the concern of her mother or her doctors, Santa Rosa de Lima wanted these foods to be bitter and very unpleasant on the palate.
Sentence
Santa Rosa de Lima used prayer as an element that gave her strength to withstand the sacrifices and flagellations to which she submitted herself.
She began to pray from a very young age, dedicating many hours to it and renouncing the common activities of people her age.
It is said that one of the most intense requests in Santa Rosa de Lima was in relation to those who considered that they were in "mortal sin." She believed that, through her sacrifices, she could achieve the redemption of those who, for her, were sinners.
Job
As a result of economic problems generated in her family, Santa Rosa de Lima dedicated herself to working vehemently.
She carried out chores in her home garden, took care of doing many sewing arrangements (including beautiful elaborate embroidery), and carried out housework around her house.
In addition to these tasks aimed at helping her parents, Santa Rosa de Lima also visited the sick in hospital centers, where she attended and consoled them.
It is said that Santa Rosa de Lima rested just two hours a day, prayed for twelve hours and allocated ten hours for her work.
Evangelizing
Despite the fact that many of her actions took place in isolation, such as prayer and penances, Santa Rosa de Lima was also characterized as a fervent evangelizer of Christian precepts.
He attached more importance to preaching than to the study of theology, because he said that the main and ultimate objective of Christian doctrine was to transmit these teachings.
At that time, Santa Rosa de Lima preached in the communities and sought to dissuade those she considered heretics or distant from Christian practices.
Penance
According to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, penance refers to the act of contrition made by a person considered a sinner. Through penance, people acknowledge their faults and show repentance.
Santa Rosa de Lima is known for its practices, sometimes excessive, of physical penance and mortification. This is one of the most controversial facets of this saint's life.
She used instruments made of chains, some of her own construction, with which she beat herself daily, until she injured herself so badly that even her confessors were concerned and told her to reduce the intensity of her acts of penance.
Santa Rosa de Lima built a kind of cell in the garden of her house, in which she locked herself up and dedicated herself to praying and self-flogging, sometimes depriving herself of water and food for whole days.
On some occasions, her penances were so excessively harsh that they even brought her to the brink of death.
Faith
Santa Rosa de Lima professed an unconditional faith towards God, and in the name of that faith she came to forget herself and attend to the interests of her fellow men before her own.
This saint believed fervently in the doctrine of the Church, and also believed in the redemption of sins through sacrifice and total dedication to those most in need.
Santa Rosa de Lima recognized herself as a Christian and maintained a blind faith in God, despite the strong attacks to which she was subjected, and the situation of helplessness of the people around her.
References
- "Saint Rose of Lima" in Franciscan Media. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from Franciscan Media: franciscanmedia.org.
- Faber, F. "The life of Saint Rose of Lima" in Catholic Apologetics Information. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from Catholic Apologetics Information: catholicapologetics.info.
- “Catholic Essencials” at Parish Cluster of St. Rose of Lima, St. Anthony of Padua, & Immaculate Conception. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from Parish Cluster of St. Rose of Lima, St. Anthony of Padua, & Immaculate Conception: st-rose.org.
- "Patron Saints for Girls - The Life of Saint Rose of Lima" in Catholic Saints. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from Catholic Saints: catholicsaints.info.
- "Studies on the life of Santa Rosa de Lima" in Francisco Bilbao. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from Francisco Bilbao: franciscobilbao.cl.
- "Santa Rosa de Lima. Biography, Miracles, History, Life, Image, Virtues ”in Traditional Catholic. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from Traditional Catholic: traditionalcatholic.info
- "Saint Rose of Lima, virgin" in Claretian Missionaries. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from Claretian Missionaries: claret.org.
- "Santa Rosa de Lima is an example of humility and true charity" (August 31, 2012) in El Impulso. Retrieved on August 16, 2017 from El Impulso: elimpulso.com.