August 23rd honor St. Rose of Lima
Her beauty was breathtaking, but it was her heart that was awe-inspiring. Researching her you will discover she was known for self-imposed acts of penance like fasting, sequestering herself, and even chopping her hair and rubbing pepper into her face in an effort to diminish her striking good looks.
She was born in Peru as Isabel Flores de Olivia in 1586, but was called Rose or Rosa because of her beauty. Writers note she was so pretty people would stop in their tracks in awe of her. As a toddler, her mother would place a crown of flowers on her head to compliment her radiance.
Throughout her childhood she declared she wanted to become a nun and devote herself to Jesus. She had her own retreat space (some biographers refer to it as a hut, while others note it was an extra room in her parent’s home) that she would go to for solitude and prayer. Her parents wanted her to marry. When she was 20, her parents finally relented, and gave her their blessing to enter the Third Order of Saint Dominic. However, they did not want St. Rose to live at the convent. So as a compromise she secluded herself and resided in the space she had previously set aside for her reflections.
Saint Rose welcomed the poor and sick children and elderly into her humble residence, so she could care for them. She was known for her dedication to the lowly and admired by poor and wealthy alike for as she said, “When we serve the poor and the sick, we serve Jesus.”
The portrait of St. Rose of Lima is by Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs.
