ஆண்டவருடைய விண்ணேற்றம் மே 12 ஞாயிறு

 † Saint of the Day †

(September 18)

✠ St. John Macias ✠

Dominican Friar and Lay Brother:

Born: March 2, 1585

Ribera del Fresno, Extremadura, Spain

Died: September 16, 1645

Lima, Viceroyalty of Peru, New Spain

Venerated in: Catholic Church

Beatified: 1837

Pope Gregory XVI

Canonized: 1975

Pope Paul VI

Major shrine:

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Lima, Peru

Feast : September 18

Saint John Macias, was a Spanish-born Dominican Friar who evangelized in Peru in 1620. He was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI. His main image is located at the main altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Lima and is venerated by the local laity in Peru. A church was built in his honor in 1970 in San Luis, Lima, Peru.

Have you ever heard of Saint John Macias? No? Well, you may have heard of his best friend – Saint Martin de Porres. Both were Dominicans and lived in the city of Lima, in Peru, although in different Dominican monasteries. These two were very close friends, sharing a great love for Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, manifested in both their lives as a tremendous love of prayer and kindness towards others which reflected the very love of Christ. In 1837, both were solemnly beatified by Pope Gregory XVI. Saint Martin was declared a Saint in 1962, while Saint John was canonized by Pope Paul VI on 28 September 1975.

Here are some of the stories from the life of Saint John, a man who knew in his lifetime as the ‘Father of The Poor’, a name given to him because of his great similarity to his Master, Jesus Christ.

John was born not in Lima but in Spain, in a small town called Rivera, on 2 March 1585, into a very poor family. Although poor in the eyes of the world, the family had a burning love of God and neighbour. John’s mother was Agnes Sanchez, his father Peter d’Arcos.

Supernatural events surrounded John throughout his life, beginning at the age of four when he was visited by his patron, Saint John the Evangelist. Saint John promised the young boy that throughout his life, he would be his special protector. This was the help he was soon to have need of, for the following year both of his parents died within a very short space of time. And so John and his sister were placed in the care of their uncle. From this time onward, John was sent to work as a shepherd on the hills. Around this time he developed the noteworthy habit of saying each day three Rosaries – for himself, for the conversion of sinners and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Indeed, the young boy spent most of his time in prayer whilst on the lonely hills, and he was often visited by his heavenly protector, who revealed to him the Truths of the Faith. Saint John also explained the Rosary to John in great detail, imbuing him with a great love of the beads, a love he would never relinquish but which would grow and develop and become almost a trademark of the man he would become.

Saint John the Evangelist was not his only heavenly visitor. On a number of occasions, the Blessed Virgin Mary also appeared to the boy to guide, instruct and console him. When, after these visits, he went to thank neighboring shepherds for having guarded his sheep, they would often reply that they had done no such thing, since a beautiful young Lady had watched over them.

One day, John went to a deep well to allow the sheep a drink. He took water from the well and put it into a nearby trough. Suddenly, one of the sheep fell into the well. The water was too low for John to reach in to grab the sheep – it seemed that the poor animal would drown. John immediately fell to his knees and began to pray his Rosary that God might work a miracle and help the poor creature, which by now was thrashing around wildly in the water far below. John looked into the well – he saw the water level rising and the sheep quite calm now. As the water reached the top of the well, John arose and lifted out the sheep; the waters began to return to their former level. Once more, John knelt down and prayed his beads – this time to thank God for His great kindness.

One day, when John was twenty-three years old, Saint John appeared again and told the young man that he was to leave Spain – his destiny lay elsewhere. John went to Jerez, near the border of Portugal, where he took up residence near a Dominican monastery. Seeing the holiness of the young man's life, the Dominicans offered to take him in and clothe him in their habit. However, John felt that he was being led toward South America, so he refused the offer.

At length, he arrived in New Granada. he was convinced he was to go to Lima in Peru, but how was he to get there? Lima was more than a thousand miles away – and John had no money for transport. So he decided he would walk there. The journey took more than six months but despite all the risks to which John was exposed, no harm befell him.

After his arrival, he took up work as a shepherd once more, continuing his devotion to prayer and allowing him to save money. Also at this time, he finally decided exactly where his future lay. He divided his money – giving half to a local Church and sending the other half to his sister in Spain. Then he went to one of the Dominican Priories, dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene and was allowed entry. At long last, he knew he had come to the place where God wanted him.

Seeing the graces given to him by God, the Dominicans allowed John to forego the usual process of preparation, allowing him to join the Order almost immediately. In January of 1623, John took his perpetual vows, after only twelve months of postulancy.

One of the most notable features of his life was his deep and genuine humility – he sincerely believed himself to be the most unworthy member of the Community and the most undeserving of any consideration. This remarkable humility was shared by a fellow religious, Martin de Porres, also a Dominican, who was living in the Priory of the Holy Rosary, on the other side of Lima. Both were the Porters of their Priories, waiting at the door and providing food and clothing for any of the poor who came to the Priories. Each week, John gave out vast quantities of food to the poor – to the extent that his superiors could not understand where the food had come from, or who had provided it all.

John’s reputation for saintliness grew throughout Lima; people would often come to the Priory to ask his advice and to seek his prayers. He was renowned also for his great patience; on one occasion he had to undergo an operation – anesthetics were not in existence at this time so an operation was a terrifying experience at the best of times. John submitted quietly to the scalpel, uttering not a single cry and showing no sign of pain. Afterward, the surgeon asked John to explain his great patience; John replied that the pain had not been so bad when he imagined that he was before the throne of Judgement and that he had borne the pain in penance for his sins.

Penance was another of the gifts with which Brother John was blessed. He barely slept – never more than three hours each night – so that he could devote himself more fully to prayer. When he did sleep, it was in a kneeling position before a picture of the Blessed Virgin. Since he thought of himself as the least of the brothers, he allowed himself to eat only the scraps left by the others or the parts of vegetables which no-one else would eat, such as the roots and the peelings. Eventually, his superiors became concerned by his devotion to physical penance; they insisted that he relax his severity toward himself, but they did allow him to continue to wear a hairshirt and a thick iron chain which had been around his waist for many years. He considered these chains to be friends, as they had been with him for so long. They caused him great pain – tearing at his flesh in the intense heat of summer and chaffing him in the cold winters.

John’s love for the Holy Eucharist was outstanding; he was allowed to approach the altar twice each week in recognition of his holiness. Before receiving Holy Communion, he would spend the full night in prayer. Often, his body would be levitated – other members of the Community remarked that John was sometimes so high in the air that they were able to walk beneath him and that even stretching as high as they could, they were unable to touch him.

The other great love in his life was – naturally – the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. No matter where John was or what he was doing, there was always a Rosary in his hands. He would often tell those who came to him that as we cannot honour the Son without honouring His Mother, so we cannot honour the Mother without honouring Her Son. he had a great devotion to the name of Mary (which he could not even say without being profoundly moved); indeed, John was instrumental in the establishing of the feast of the Holy Name of Mary in Lima.

In his cell was a painting of the Blessed Virgin – the only item he would allow himself other than his clothing and Rosary beads. Often he would speak to her in front of the painting, asking Her help for the poor and the needy. Often, She would reply to him, naming people who would help him by providing food or clothing for the poor, on whose behalf he was praying. He always followed Her direction and received the help he required.

The poor were John’s special concern and his love of them was immense – just like his Master’s love for them. No person who sought his help was ever refused or turned away. Each morning he would receive people who needed his help – on average there were two hundred people waiting to see him daily. John would pray with these people then give out food. His poor never failed to receive what they needed, but again no-one could understand or explain where the food and clothing had come from. John held in his arms a large wooden bowl, containing enough food to feed around seven people. As each person approached they were given as much food as they requested.. yet the bowl never left John’s hands – and it never seemed to become empty. After all those present had been fed, the bowl was still half full. Amazing as it seems, this remarkable event occurred daily for nearly seventeen years.

One day a little girl was at the end of the queue. John asked her what she wanted and she replied that she needed a new dress. John knew he had nothing to give to her in the way of clothing, but still, he told her to come into the Priory so that the two of them could look in the storeroom. All the way there, John prayed for a miracle. Upon reaching the storeroom, John was astounded to see a parcel on the table. Opening it, he found inside a dress – exactly the size needed by the young girl standing next to him. The little girl was delighted, needless to say, at the great kindness of the Brother. The Brother was delighted at the great kindness of God – and spent much time thanking Him.

Once, John approached a local trader to request a piece of cloth with which to make clothing for the poor; the trader refused. John simply thanked him and walked off. But from that moment, the traders business began to fall down around him – he was at a loss to understand what was suddenly happening. Seeking the advice of another local man, he noted how the problems had begun the day he refused Brother John help to clothe the poor. In a flash, all became clear. There was nothing to do except to go to Brother John, apologise for the previous refusal and give what had been asked of him. And from that day on, his business regained its former success.

The brothers in the Priory of Saint Mary Magdalene still speak about one particular miracle attributed to Brother John – the miracle of the wood. During the construction of one of the wings of the Priory, one of the carpenters made an error which resulted in the cutting of a wooden beam to a size much smaller than was required. Because of this error, the work on the Priory would be delayed until a new beam could be purchased and cut to the correct size. At that moment, brother John passed by and the carpenter asked for his help. Immediately, John knelt and began to pray – the assembled workmen did likewise. After a while, John arose and smiled, then walked away. The workers measured the beam – and to their amazement, found that now it was exactly the size needed for the task at hand.

On one occasion a sailor called to the Priory. Brother John opened the door to him to allow him entry. Suddenly, he called the man into the tiny office where he spent a large part of the day; taking a Crucifix from the wall, he presented it to the sailor and said – “Gaze on your Crucified Saviour and let the fear of God come into your heart!”. The sailor turned pale and immediately left the Priory. A few days later he was taken seriously ill and sent into Hospital to await death. In the Hospital, he declared publicly what had happened between himself and Brother John; he said he had been a member of a religious community many years before and that he had been ordained to the diaconate. But fearful of committing himself to the priesthood, he had run off to sea, where he spent many years living a life steeped in sin. When Brother John spoke the words to him while holding up the Crucifix, he had experienced remorse for his life and a sense of inner conversion… and a desire to confess his sins. This he did and was received back into the Church. A few days later he died peacefully in Gods friendship.

After a life spent so devotedly in the service of the poor and needy, John was about to be called to Heaven to receive his eternal reward. It was August in the year 1645. John became very unwell and there seemed no hope of a cure – none of the treatments administered to him made any difference whatsoever, although he patiently accepted each despite his assurance that he was soon to die.

Finally, he was confined to the Infirmary. Once there, his chains were discovered once more. Seeing the deep wounds they had caused to his thin and frail body, the infirmarian ordered their removal – John begged to be allowed to keep them until death since they had accompanied him all through life. Permission was given since it was obvious that John would soon be dead.

On 16 September 1645, brother John made a final Confession of his sins and received his God in Holy Communion. Then he told the doctor that he would die the next day. This sad news spread throughout Lima quicker than anyone could have expected and the Priory was besieged by visitors wishing to say goodbye to the man they all knew was a Saint.

On 17 September, while the assembled Community round his bedside began the Salve Regina, Brother Johns face became transfigured, glowing with the light of Heaven. Looking up to Heaven, he commended his soul to God and breathed his last. He was sixty years of age. For three days his coffin remained open, such were the crowds who wished to pay their last respects to this holiest Brother. Finally, the coffin was sealed and buried.