I learned about this saint, Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, from the Knights of Columbus magazine. He died on this date, April 2, in 1672. Born in Burgos, Spain in 1627, he was educated by the Jesuits and decided to enter the Jesuit novitiate at the young age of 12. After spending time in Mexico and Guam as a priest, he was sent to the Philippines where he taught theology at the Jesuit university in Manila in the native language of Tagalog. He later transferred to Guam, evangelizing the native Chamorro people there, with great success. However, there were tensions between the missionaries and the native population. He and another priest were killed by a man who was angry that they had baptized his child. Their bodies were dumped in the ocean. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985. He is a great example of faith for us during this holy season of Lent.
Our psalm today states: “The Lord is gracious and merciful.” We can see the grace of God at work in our lives in different ways. Sometimes we see God’s grace and mercy at work in our sufferings and in the crosses we carry, in the way we are able to reach out to others in God’s love and mercy. May God’s grace and mercy be at the forefront of our lives.
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