St Rose of Lima: A Severe Beauty

St Rose of Lima was a very beautiful and unusual woman. She practiced very, VERY severe penances even from an early age. Her parents wanted her to marry, and she was a beautiful girl. She was worried that her beauty would attract unwanted attention and become an obstacle to her walk with Jesus, so she rubbed pepper on her face to produce blemishes and be less attractive.

She wanted to enter religious life, but her parents refused to let her. So she lived at home, but in a little hut that she made near their house. She slept only a couple hours per night on a hard bed, and practiced fasting and other severe penances her entire life. Because of her holiness, many people sought her out for advice and prayer. She reached out to the poor in her village and even brought some to her little hut to care for them. You can read more about her here.

The book In Caelo et in Terra makes the point that while we admire and respect saints, we don't always want to emulate their penances. And if you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know that I usually suggest that we don't go LOOKING for suffering, or intentionally CAUSE suffering, but that we allow the suffering that comes in our lives to be used for our sanctification. BUT. I think that there is missing in modern spirituality some of the seriousness that is found in the penances of saints like Rose of Lima. I think sometimes we make our lives a little too comfortable and easy as we walk with Jesus... and a little bit stricter fasting or denying ourselves some pleasures would probably help us to be better followers of Jesus.

God, thanks for the unusual example of this beautiful and severe woman. St Rose of Lima, pray for us.