“Apart from the Cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”

The first canonized saint of the Western Hemisphere, Rose of Lima (1586-1617) might also be considered a type of the special vocation of contemplative-in-the-world. Inspired by the example of St. Catherine of Siena, Rose became a Dominican lay tertiary and devoted herself to works of active charity while living a life of extreme austerity. She longed to evangelize the Indians, not at all discouraged by the thought that they would probably kill her. Saint Martin de Porres and Bl. John Masias were among her friends. She died at the age of 31, praying, “Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase Your love in my heart.”

COLLECT

O Almighty God, from whom every good gift comes, it pleased You that blessed Rose should blossom as a flower of purity and patience in the Indies under the shower of Your heavenly grace. May we, Your servants, follow the fragrance of her sweetness so that we too may become a pleasing offering to Christ; who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

St. Rose was born in April 1586 in Lima, Peru to Oliva and Gaspar Flores. She was the 7th of 11 children. Her birth name was Isabel. However, her mother and friends witnessed a mystical rose descend from the air and light on her face while she was just an infant. From then on she was called Rose.

Rose clearly had a religious calling from an early age. After reading about St. Catherine of Siena, she decided to imitate her. She fasted at least 3 times a week. She found ways to do penance and offer her suffering for the good of others. She understood redemptive suffering from an early age.

St. Rose wished to enter the convent. However, her parents refused to let her. Finally, after ten years of struggle and refusal to marry she became a Third Order Dominican. She lived in her home just as St. Catherine of Siena did. St. Rose received the Blessed Sacrament daily and lived her life in silence and seclusion, enjoying the family garden.

At the age of 31 St. Rose came down with a high fever. She died from the fever and paralysis. A multitude of people attended her funeral.

St. Rose was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671.

“Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of Grace. The gift of Grace increases as the struggle increases.”

“If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men.”

“Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”