Today, we hear about the aftermath of the martyrdom of Stephen, which was recounted in our first reading from Acts at yesterday’s Mass. We see holy men of faith burying Stephen and lamenting his violent death. We also see Saul, who also had a part in Stephen’s death, actively persecuting Jesus’ followers, having them dragged out of their homes and handed over to the Roman authorities. We know the rest of the story about Saul, how he has a conversion to the Way of Jesus and becomes Paul, one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church.
In this midst of this story from the early Church, we celebrate a very interesting saint from Mexico who was born in the middle of the 17th century: Sister Juana Inez de la Cruz. She was a very intelligent child. Her love for learning led her to become a nun at the young age of 16. She thought that becoming a nun would give her many opportunities to study and learn. She entered the convent of St Jerome in Mexico City. She pursued her studies as a nun with great zeal, becoming a self-taught theologian, poet, and author. She even wrote an essay defending the rights of woman to have access to education. She died after contracting the plague from patients she was nursing. She continues to be a witness to the faith many centuries after her death. May the intercessory prayers and stories of St Juana Inez de la Cruz continue to encourage us to live in faith and in holiness.
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