Canonization of the Blessed Nuno de Santa Maria – D. Nuno Álvares Pereira
Issue Date: 2009/04/26
"Nuno Álvares Pereira (1360-1431) is a non-circumventable character for understanding the history and identity of Portugal. Therefore, his canonization by Pope Benedict XVI is a reason for pride to all the Portuguese.
Educated according to the noblest ideals of chivalry, he grew up amidst military orders and the Portuguese court. His skills made him an eminent military leader. He never faltered or lost hope, even when facing the most serious adversities. As the supreme commander of the Kingdom, he was decisive for the consolidation and future of Portugal.
His personal virtues and the way he exerted charity were plain to everyone, including his foes, as a chronicler of the time describes: “owing to the good manners which the Count displayed, both towards his enemies as well as towards farmers and plain people, he was loved by everyone and they prayed to God for him” (Fernão Lopes, Crónica de D. João I, Parte II). His Portuguese identity was inseparable from his love of Christ and of the Church. And he committed his life to that.
King John I bequeathed him with many assets and deserved titles, however after becoming a widower and after the death of his daughter, the Supreme Commander put down his sword and stripped himself of all his possessions in order to devote himself entirely to God. His nobleness was of a different descent, much greater than the honours and praises of the world. He made himself poor for the love of Christ and entered the Carmo Convent, in Lisbon, which construction he had ordered himself, taking his vows as a porter monk under the name of Friar Nuno de Santa Maria. The man who deserved to be served ended his days serving.
Six hundred years later, Nuno Álvares Pereira is pointed out as a role-model for everyone to follow. A model of humanity and of the exercise of freedom, because he took life so seriously and knew how to offer it. His relevance is explained by the fact that holiness is not an impossible dream, but an ideal closely tied to our lives, deeply rooted in the circumstances of the reality we cultivate daily and which involves our freedom.
The canonization of Nuno de Santa Maria is like a lighthouse pointing out to men and women, particularly in Portugal, the huge possibilities that the human beings have at their disposal." in ctt.pt
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