Saint Louis Bertrand, or San Luis Beltrán, is one of the better-known patrons of the country of Colombia. Born in Spain in 1526, he arrived in Cartagena as a friar preacher in 1562.
What is going on in Colombia today? Presently, it produces most of our heroin. Drug trafficking is the primary economy in many areas of Colombia, and it is often controlled by violent Marxist organizations. Since 2016, when its government signed an accord with the official rebel organization, the FARC, a decades-long conflict has technically ended, but drugs and violence are a long-ingrained way of life and continue to plague Colombia.
Colombia is suffering under sin. It is by no means a godless country, and is in fact quite devout. The legacy of St. Louis and those who brought the Gospel continues to bear fruit there. It is home to an astounding sanctuary dedicated to the appearance of Our Lady of Las Lajas, where many continue to seek the intercession of the Mother of God. It is a place of light and joy in this vale of tears.
Saint Louis preached a kingdom not of this world. The current sufferings of Colombia show us that this world is under the power of darkness (see Lk 22:53). Although this is an unseen power, sometimes we catch a glimpse of it in the powerful world of guns and drugs and lies. We know that the Gospel is indeed “a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises” (2 Pt 1:19).
In some images of St. Louis Bertrand, we see a strange part of his iconography. We are told that the preacher once enraged someone and found himself at gunpoint. He blessed the gun, and the barrel became a crucifix. One instrument of death was transformed into another; a dark and murderous act gave way to the Crucifixion, a dark-yet-luminous death that brings life. May God give us the grace to be preachers of his Passion, and to disarm the weapons of this present age.
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Photo by Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)
