"Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness."
Reflecting on historical figures can help us make sense of our current lives. Saint Martin De Porres’ life is a fascinating example of how someone might respond to a time of need and far exceed the expectations of their birth.
Saint Martin was from Lima Per: the illegitimate son of an occupying nobleman and a freed slave. He grew up in a time when he was judged by the circumstances of his birth and, by law, was barred from full engagement in society, including within religious orders.
But Saint Martin was not constrained by this and devoted himself to a life of service.
Amongst other things, he is the Patron saint of Public Health workers. He was trained as both a barber, a surgeon, and an herbalist. Those might sound like three distinctly different roles but, at the time, they were all considered the same job.
He devoted his life to his faith and the service of others. He served others during the routine struggles of life but also during times of crisis such as an epidemic of measles.
Saint Martin De Porres tackled problems with three approaches:
- Care for the individual, regardless of background or status.
- Use of the most modern medicine available; and
- Prayer and obedience to God
All three methods are interwoven into the story of his life, from his early life as an apprentice barber/surgeon/pharmacist patching up locals who had been beaten in the street to ministering to the needs of his religious community and people of high authority.
Saint Martin De Porres’ life is remembered and celebrated on the 3rd of November and thinking about his life story resonates with many of the projects of acet UK and our international partners.
Firstly, founded as a compassionate Christian response to the HIV pandemic over 35 years ago, we have seen up close the damage caused to individuals and communities when assumptions are made by the circumstances of someone's birth. Our work always looks to contribute to the breaking down of the stereotypes and prejudices that people living with HIV may suffer.
Secondly, we celebrate and share the knowledge of modern medicine in regard to HIV. Compared to when acet UK was founded, the medical options have been revolutionized beyond recognition. What was once a disease of inevitable fatal decline has been transformed into a manageable medical condition.
Like diabetes or asthma, HIV is still a serious medical condition. A condition that can be deadly without appropriate medical care. Yet this knowledge is often not understood by everyone today.
People hold on to prejudices and myths, based on information about HIV, that is decades out of date. To help combat this we are launching a new HIV lesson for our Esteem school RSE educators this month.
Thirdly, as a Christian-based charity, our faith motivates us to serve, to pray and to follow God’s guidance.
This looks different in different aspects of our work. Our schools’ work is not religious in content but we are motivated to care for young people by our faith. Some of our international projects provide direct care for people living with HIV or at risk of coming into contact with HIV, such as women trapped in the commercial sex industry.
At other times in the UK and overseas, we may speak in churches and at religious festivals, supporting and challenging Christians to follow the example of Christians before us. Christians who have stepped up to care for the very practical, physical needs of people right across the social structure.
When challenged on his care for the poor and sick, Saint Martin De Porres was challenged that he was becoming dirty from the work. His response was simple and cutting, “Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness.”
Such accusations still fly today, directed at our projects in the UK and the work of our partners around the world: talking about sex, porn, HIV, and the biological challenges of life and love being seen by some as a corruption of faith. That, as a charity, we endanger the purity of our staff by dealing with the messy realities of sex, life, and death.
We see things differently, we choose compassion, and if others see that as uncleanliness, we pray they never face the issues they avoid, in case others take their lead, and they are left alone and without support in their time of need.