Today, April 26, is the memorial of Saint Rafael Arnáiz Barón.
Patron saint of diabetics.
Rafael was born in 1911 in Burgos, Spain. His mother was born in Manila, Philippines while his father was a Spaniard.
An artistic young man, he studied architecture in Madrid, Spain. He then felt that the Lord was calling him to enter the religious life. Thus, in 1934, Rafael became an oblate friar of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappist).
Rafael suffered from acute diabetes, a condition that forced him to leave the monastery three times. Each time, as soon as he was sufficiently well, he returned to the monastic life. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he was supposed to become a soldier. The armed forces rejected him as he was unhealthy for active duty. Although he suffered setbacks, he remained faithful to God in the face of contradictions, uncertainties, and apparent failure.
Rafael died in 1938. Pope St. John Paul beatified him in 1992. Pope Benedict XVI canonized Rafael in 2009.