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Often when reading the lives of the saints, we can discover a little bit about their own spiritual life and the saints who inspired them during their lives.
St. Rose of Lima, for example, was devoted to St. Bartholomew the apostle.
Painful suffering
Pope Benedict XVI explained why St. Rose of Lima was attracted to St. Bartholomew in a general audience he gave in 2008:
She died at the age of 31 in 1617, after a short life full of deprivations and suffering, on the feast of the Apostle St. Bartholomew, to whom she was deeply devoted because he had suffered a particularly painful martyrdom.
Throughout her life St. Rose would seek out suffering and perform severe penances, such as abstaining from meat for the rest of her life. She also engaged in various kinds of physical mortifications, seeking discomfort in any possible way.
Pope Benedict XVI related one of her popular quotes that helps explain her love of suffering, "If human beings knew what it is to live in grace, no suffering would frighten them and they would gladly suffer any hardship, for grace is the fruit of patience."
She also explains her thoughts in an excerpt of her writing found in the Office of Readings, highlighting a private revelation she had from Jesus:
Our Lord and Savior lifted up his voice and said with incomparable majesty: “Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven.”
Even though St. Rose died on the feast of St. Bartholomew, which is August 24, St. Rose's feast day is on August 23. This allows the Church to celebrate both saints, who were united in their grace-filled suffering.
