Although today is also the feast of St. Isidore of Seville, (the doctor of the Church, not the farmer) we are going to go with St. Benedict the Black (died 1589). This interesting man was the freeborn son of African slaves living in Italy. They took the name of their owner as a surname, a practice even followed in this country. Anyway, why couldn't Mr. Manasseri have set the parents free as well, eh?
Well, though Benedict was freeborn, he was still discriminated against for his race. One day some bigoted neighbors were mocking and insulting him while a Franciscan hermit by the name of Lanzi was walking by. He heard Benedict's gentle replies and, after the neighbors were gone, complimented him on his character and invited him to join them (the Franciscans). Benedict went home, sold his few possessions, and joined the group of hermits, loosely based on the rule of St. Francis. At Lanzi's death, Benedict became prior, much against his will. When Pope Pius IV put an end to wandering (or otherwise unorganized) hermits, Benedict chose to join the Franciscans for real.
As a humble lay-brother, he accepted a position as cook, but even there, he could not long remain in obscurity. Even in the kitchen, he had many opportunities to practice little acts of kindness; it was appropriate that he could multiply foods. More than that, his face literally shone when he was in adoration in church, and he more than once healed folks and could read souls. He later became spiritual director of a group of nuns and was a wise and discerning superior. He declined to have people kiss his ring, and often hid his identity by wearing his hood and traveling by night. He was an ascetic, but he said the best mortification when it came to food was not to decline it altogether but to eat what was set before you, as a token of gratitude and to give pleasure to the donors. Wise St. Benedict the Black, pray for us.
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