Some stuff...

First - St. Martin...
.
Today is the feast of Blessed Martin de Porres, the Dominican lay brother who died in Lima Peru in 1639.  He was friends with St. Rose of Lima and St. John Macias - and all three are my friends.  As a young school boy I was very much attracted to these Dominican saints, especially intrigued by their severe penance and untiring generosity to the poor.  Of course, their mystical graces were especially attractive to me - Rose and John had been blessed with visions of Our Lady and the Child Jesus, whom the Madonna permitted them to hold in their arms.
.
Some details of a saint's life should probably have been kept private however.  Such as Martin's penances.  I read once where he had a servant-man scourge him each day before dawn in the lowest level of the church tower.  In our perverted age, such severe penances are incomprehensible.  Nevertheless Martin was very good, very kind... he even had an animal shelter, and like St. Francis and other holy men and women, enjoyed a certain sovereignty  over these creatures.  I pray he will be kind to me.
.
"Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them."
.
Today's readings at Mass for Tuesday of  the 31st Week apply perfectly to St. Martin.   "Have the same regard for all, do not be haughty but associate with the lowly." (Rom 12:16)  And, "Then the master of the house commanded his servant, 'Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.'" (Luke 14)  This is what the religious orders have always done; from St. Martin, to the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, to the Little Sisters of the Poor, to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and the Missionaries of Charity.  
.
The saints, Martin, Rose, John and Mother Teresa have all been elevated to the altars first and foremost for the greater glory of God, then for our edification and assistance, as well as examples of how we might put into practice the commands of the Gospel in imitation of Christ.  I mention this because I read a disturbing piece on Christopher Hitchen's anti-Catholic calumnies against Bl. Teresa of Calcutta over at WDTPRS.  (Prayer and sacrifce in reparation and for the conversion of sinners is very much needed.)
.
And then...
.
A local newspaper columnist is doing a story on blogs and asked to use an excerpt from one of my posts - I said okay after determining the feature would be a harmless story covering a day in the life of local blogs and bloggers.  The columnist sent a follow up question asking us why we blog, with a request to keep our response concise.  I returned my two line answer immediately:  "For attention.  That's pretty much it." 
.
After all this time blogging, I realized it is what it is.
.
Photo:  Close up of my relics:  The silver reliquary contains 1st class relics of St. Rose of Lima, Martin de Porres, and John Macias.