Today is the memorial for Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo. He was born in Spain in the 16th century and became a brilliant scholar of the law. When he was 42, King Philip of Spain asked him to go to Lima, Peru to become Archbishop. He initially protested since he was a layman but finally consented to the request of the king and Pope Gregory XIII. After being ordained a priest and consecrated a bishop, St. Turibius made the long journey across the world to serve the people of South America.

Have you ever known someone whose faith and trust in God really makes them stand out in the crowd? They have a sense of peace and tranquility that you notice every time you interact with them. After talking to them, you always feel better about yourself than before you had the conversation.  

The Memorial for today is for Saint Frances of Rome. St. Frances was born into a wealthy family in Italy in the 14th century. She was attracted to the religious life as a child, but her parents arranged a marriage for her when she was 12.

Our Gospel today speaks of humility and reminded me of John Howard Griffin. John Griffin was a white journalist from Mansfield, Texas. In 1959 he worked with a dermatologist to temporarily darken his skin so he could pass as an African-American man. He traveled for 6 weeks throughout the segregated south and kept a journal. His 1st hand accounts of discrimination provided material for a book and later a movie called “Black Like Me”.

In leiu of our normal daily readings relfections, this Lent we're promoting daily Gospel reflections from Bishop Robert Barron. We encourage you to check them out daily! You can also subscribe to have them sent right to your email.