St. Rose of Lima - When You Need Strength to Carry Your Cross & Turn Suffering Into Love
Feast Day: August 30
Are you going through a season of suffering that you wish God would simply take away?
Do you feel misunderstood, lonely, discouraged, or burdened by a cross that seems to have no purpose?
Meet St. Rose of Lima, the first canonized saint of the Americas.
St. Rose teaches us something difficult but beautiful: suffering offered to Jesus is never wasted.
We can ask God to remove our crosses. But when He permits them to remain, we can also ask Him to transform them into something holy.
Her Story
St. Rose was born Isabel Flores de Oliva in Lima, Peru, in 1586. According to tradition, she became known as Rose after someone saw her face appearing extraordinarily beautiful, like a rose.
From childhood, Rose had a remarkable desire to belong completely to Jesus.
She admired St. Catherine of Siena and eventually became a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic. Although she desired a life devoted entirely to God, much of her holiness developed right at home.
Her family experienced financial difficulties, so Rose worked to help support them, including through needlework and growing flowers.
She also cared for the poor and sick, sometimes bringing suffering people into her family's home so she could tend to them herself.
Behind her ordinary life was an extraordinary interior life of prayer, sacrifice, and love for Our Lord.
Rose died in 1617 at only thirty-one years old.
In 1671, Pope Clement X canonized her, making her the first canonized saint born in the Americas.
The Rose and the Cross
We often want the rose.
We do not want the thorns.
St. Rose understood that following Jesus means accepting both.
She is traditionally associated with the spiritual lesson that there is no rose without a thorn and no path to Heaven without the Cross.
This does not mean Catholics should seek unnecessary suffering or refuse legitimate help when we are sick or struggling.
It means that when suffering cannot be avoided, we do not have to waste it.
Give it to Jesus.
Your illness.
Your disappointment.
Your loneliness.
Your difficult day.
Your unanswered prayer.
Your sacrifice that nobody notices.
Your grief.
Your frustration.
Place it beside the Cross of Christ and say:
“Jesus, I offer this to Thee.”
When Should You Turn to St. Rose?
Ask St. Rose of Lima to pray for you when you need:
Strength during suffering
Patience with a difficult cross
Help accepting God's will
Greater love for Jesus
Courage when you feel misunderstood
Purity of heart
Strength against temptation
Help with family difficulties
Perseverance in prayer
Greater charity toward the poor
Help turning everyday sacrifices into prayer
The grace to see meaning in suffering
Courage to choose God when others do not understand
She is also a beautiful intercessor for the Americas, her native Peru, and those who care for the poor and sick.
A Life Hidden With Jesus
St. Rose did not need the world to understand her in order to love God.
That can be an important lesson for us.
Sometimes other people will not understand why you go to Mass.
Why you pray the Rosary.
Why you want to live differently.
Why you make sacrifices.
Why your Catholic Faith matters so much to you.
You do not need everyone's approval to become a saint.
You need God's grace and the courage to remain faithful.
Ask St. Rose to help you when following Jesus makes you feel different or alone.
Testimonies of Her Holiness
St. Rose's reputation for holiness became widespread even during her lifetime.
People sought her prayers, and accounts surrounding her life describe extraordinary mystical graces and favors attributed to her intercession.
After her death, devotion to her spread rapidly.
Her funeral drew enormous crowds, and reports of favors associated with her intercession contributed to the growth of her cause.
But perhaps one of the strongest testimonies to St. Rose is what she did while she was alive.
She saw Jesus in suffering people.
She fed the hungry.
She cared for the sick.
She helped support her family.
She prayed.
She sacrificed.
She took the ordinary circumstances God gave her and turned them into opportunities to love Him.
That is a miracle we can imitate.
Prayer to St. Rose of Lima
O glorious St. Rose of Lima,
beautiful flower of holiness,
thou didst love Our Lord Jesus Christ above all things
and willingly offer thy sacrifices to Him.
I ask for thy intercession today.
Thou knewest suffering, misunderstanding, sacrifice, and hidden crosses.
Help me carry the cross God has permitted in my own life.
I especially place before thee:
[Mention your intention.]
If it be God's will, pray that this burden may be removed.
But if I must carry it longer,
obtain for me courage, patience, and perseverance.
Help me never to waste my suffering.
Teach me to unite every sorrow, disappointment, and sacrifice
to the Sacred Passion of Jesus Christ.
Help me love the poor,
serve those around me,
remain pure of heart,
and seek God's approval above the approval of the world.
May the thorns of this life draw me ever closer to Jesus
until I may one day rejoice with Him and all the saints in Heaven.
St. Rose of Lima, pray for us.
Amen.
Turn Today's Suffering Into an Offering
You do not have to wait for a tremendous cross to imitate St. Rose.
Begin with today's little ones.
When something does not go your way:
“Jesus, I offer this to Thee.”
When someone irritates you:
“Jesus, I offer this for someone who needs Thy grace.”
When you are tired but still have duties to finish:
“Jesus, I give this to Thee with love.”
When you are suffering and nobody seems to notice:
“Jesus, Thou seest me. Let this suffering bring me closer to Thee.”
Small sacrifices offered with love can become beautiful prayers.
Learn More About St. Rose of Lima
Would you like to know St. Rose more deeply?
Visit our parish bookstore to see our books about the saints and the spiritual life.
Her life is especially encouraging for anyone trying to become holy while living an ordinary life filled with family responsibilities, work, sacrifice, and unexpected crosses.
When Life Gives You Thorns
St. Rose's name gives us a beautiful image for the Christian life.
We all want the flowers.
But sometimes God permits the thorns.
When He does, do not carry them alone.
Give them to Jesus.
Ask Our Lady to remain beside you.
Ask St. Rose to pray for you.
And remember that God can bring something beautiful even from the suffering we would never have chosen for ourselves.
Do not waste your cross. Give it to Jesus.
One day, when we see what God has done with every prayer, sacrifice, tear, and act of love, perhaps we will finally understand how He was growing roses among the thorns.
St. Rose of Lima, pray for us!
