8/16/2013 – Friday of 19th week of Ordinary Time – St Roch – Psalm 136

       “His mercy endures forever.”  We hear this declared in the psalm today, but sometimes it is difficult to understand how God’s mercy works in our world.  Today is the feast day of St Roch, also known as St Rocco, a saint who is from France from the mid-14^th century.  Legend has it that Roch gave all his possessions to the poor and traveled to Italy on pilgrimage to Rome, where he encountered victims of the plague. He ministered to and nursed those who were stricken.  Roch came down with the plague himself and was exiled to the forest outside of town where he had no food or shelter.   A dog from town came to visit him each day, carrying morsels of bread in his mouth and licking his wounds to cure them.  After being healed himself, he is said to have done many miracles of healing.  Legend has it that Roch was subsequently imprisoned in his hometown, as he was not recognized and was accused as a spy, where he died. 

         St Roch became a popular saint in the Medieval period, especially in the late 15^th century when the Black Plague killed such a large percentage of the population in Europe.  His story captured the imagination of the faithful and they believed in the healing miracles attached to him.  God’s mercy endures forever, even in the midst of terrible tragedy.