Your Circumstances Are Not an Excuse | St. Rose of Lima

About this sermon

St. Rose of Lima wanted to become a nun, but her parents refused to let her enter a convent. She could have spent her life complaining that her vocation had been ruined. Instead, she became the first canonized saint born in the Americas. This sermon begins with Saints Felix and Adauctus, early Roman martyrs. As St. Felix was led to execution, an unknown Christian courageously joined him and accepted martyrdom. Because he had been “added” to Felix, he became known as Adauctus. The principal reflection then turns to St. Rose. Born in Peru in 1586, she consecrated her virginity to God and resisted years of pressure to marry. Eventually permitted to become a Third Order Dominican, she created a small religious cell in her family’s garden. Rose prayed, fasted, sewed and embroidered to support her family, sold flowers for the poor, and transformed a room into a small clinic for the sick and homeless. Her extreme penances also demonstrate why zeal requires prudent spiritual direction. Physical austerity alone does not prove holiness. True sanctity is revealed above all through charity, obedience, humility, and doing the right thing for the right reason. St. Rose’s greatest lesson may be that circumstances beyond our control cannot prevent holiness. A lost vocation, difficult marriage, closed convent, rejected application, illness, or shattered plan does not place sanctity beyond our reach. God has not abandoned us. He asks us to reject self-pity, trust His providence, and respond with generosity, courage, and faith. St. Rose of Lima, pray for us! 00:00 St. Rose of Lima 00:36 First canonized saint of the Americas 00:44 Saints Felix and Adauctus 00:52 St. Felix confronts pagan worship 01:16 A stranger voluntarily joins his martyrdom 01:33 Why he was named Adauctus 01:50 Returning to St. Rose of Lima 01:58 Her birth and original name 02:23 Vowing her chastity to God 02:32 Pepper, short hair, and physical beauty 02:40 Zeal and excess 03:05 Ten years fighting for her vocation 03:30 The need for spiritual direction 03:53 A rose bush requiring careful pruning 04:09 Forbidden to enter a convent 04:18 Becoming a Third Order Dominican 04:41 Her garden hermitage 04:50 Patron saint of gardeners 05:00 Prayer and service to the poor 05:15 Supporting her family through work 05:22 Her small clinic for the sick 05:31 Selling flowers to help the poor 05:47 Sacrificing sleep for prayer 06:03 Fasting and the silver crown of thorns 06:21 Severe bodily penances 06:38 Why convents and spiritual directors matter 07:01 The physical and spiritual dangers 07:18 Austerity does not prove sanctity 08:04 Charity and obedience reveal grace 08:20 The right action, time, and reason 08:38 Ridicule and the Inquisition 09:02 Saints also face discouragement 09:28 Why holiness attracts opposition 09:53 Her early death 10:09 Lima filled with the scent of roses 10:23 Her patronages 11:02 St. Rose removes our excuses 11:10 “If only my circumstances were different” 11:42 Living her vocation outside the convent 12:39 What should we do after loss? 12:55 Closed convents and lost vocations 13:21 God knows what lies beyond our control 13:28 Rejecting self-pity 13:52 Making the best of bad circumstances 14:01 The problem within our attitude 14:16 “I have no excuse” 14:37 Accepting God’s will 14:54 Asking for generosity and courage 15:08 God has not abandoned you 15:17 Final prayer and blessing 15:25 Support Sensus Fidelium #SaintRoseOfLima #CatholicSermon #CatholicSaints #WillOfGod #TrustGod #NoMoreExcuses #ChristianVocation #ThirdOrderDominican #CatholicFaith #SpiritualDirection #ChristianCourage #DivineProvidence #SaintsFelixAndAdauctus #LivesOfTheSaints #SensusFidelium Please remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴