San Lázaro Bendito
Feast Day Reflections
On this sacred feast day, we honor San Lázaro Bendito, a miraculous healer and a figure of humility, endurance, and mercy.
In our lineage, San Lázaro is synchronized with Babalú Ayé and Viejo Legba. His feast draws our attention to the crossroads of illness and healing, age and limitation, faith tested through hardship, and the quiet dignity of those who endure with devotion.
San Lázaro teaches not through ease, but through perseverance — and through faith that remains steady even when the body or circumstances falter.
San Lázaro: Miraculous Healer, Shaped by Endurance
San Lázaro is a powerful healing spirit whose works have cultivated devotion across many cultures, practices, and religions throughout the world. In Cuba, his following is immense. Each year on his feast day, pilgrims travel to El Rincón Sanctuary, where many crawl, walk on their knees, or drag heavy stones for kilometers to honor San Lázaro, fulfill promises, give thanks, or petition for healing.
This pilgrimage is a profound display of sacrifice and faith. Devotees often wear sackcloth or purple, performing penances as prayers for cures from illness, relief from hardship, and restoration of life.
My padrino tells stories of San Lázaro helping people walk again. In my own work, I have experienced his healing power alongside Gede Nibo, ensuring the safety of both mother and child during a birth where severe medical complications placed both lives at risk. These works remind us that San Lázaro’s miracles are not distant — they are lived, present, and deeply personal.
In Catholic tradition, San Lázaro is depicted as an afflicted elder man, clothed in rags, supported by crutches, often accompanied by dogs. This image is not meant to inspire fear or pity, but recognition. San Lázaro reminds us that suffering does not erase dignity, and that spiritual elevation is often revealed through humility.
His story centers on faith that persists — not because circumstances are easy, but because devotion remains.
Babalú Ayé: Illness, Healing, Humility, and Divine Balance
Babalú Ayé governs disease, physical affliction, and healing. He is the Orisha of the Earth who stands between life and death, capable of both causing and curing illness. Humble, compassionate, and wise, Babalú Ayé teaches lessons of social responsibility and the consequences of neglecting the vulnerable.
Feared and revered for his dual nature as both bringer of disease and ultimate healer, Babalú Ayé reminds us of life’s fragility, the necessity of compassion, and the discipline required to restore spiritual balance.
Through the patakí (sacred stories), his teachings become clear:
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Illness and Healing as Two Sides of the Same Coin
Babalú Ayé holds the power to inflict disease (as the feared Sopona) and to cure it. These stories teach that physical suffering is a central part of the human experience, and that divine power is required to move from limitation back into health. -
Humility and Forgiveness
In one key story, Babalú Ayé — lame and covered in sores — is mocked by other Orishas for his inability to dance at a celebration. In anger, he attempts to infect them, an act that leads to his exile. This teaches that pride and a lack of compassion cause suffering, and that true strength lies in humility and forgiveness. -
Exile, Movement, and Redemption
Cast out, he wanders the earth accompanied only by dogs. Through isolation, guidance from Orula, and healing from Changó, he transforms, returns to society, and ultimately becomes a king. These stories remind us that exile and hardship can lead to profound transformation when one is willing to listen, change, and grow. -
Respect for Mortality
As the embodiment of mortality itself, Babalú Ayé teaches reverence for life. Because death’s timing is unknown, we are urged to live meaningfully, act responsibly, and value the present moment.
Ultimately, Babalú Ayé’s greatest lesson is cyclical: suffering may lead to isolation, but through humility, divine wisdom, and transformation, healing and restoration are possible.
Babalú Ayé responds to sincerity, cleanliness of spirit, and humility, and traditionally enjoys offerings such as popcorn, beans, rice, palm oil, cigars, and rum.
Viejo Legba: Ancient Wisdom at the Crossroads
Viejo Legba is the oldest manifestation of Legba. Known in Haitian Vodou as Vye Legba or Aribin Legba, he is the ancient gatekeeper who guards the crossroads and the threshold between the human and spirit worlds.
Having crossed many roads in his lifetime and always prepared for the next stage, Viejo Legba is regarded as a wise, paternal, and deeply helpful spirit. Marked by age, patience, and authority, he governs access, communication, and transition. He is essential for opening the roads to healing, blessings, prosperity, and spiritual progress — and when displeased, he can hold a door closed just as easily as he can open it.
His presence on this feast day reminds us that wisdom is carried by elders, that limitation is not failure, and that every stage of life holds spiritual authority.
Legba’s colors are red and black, and he traditionally enjoys cigars, black coffee, and rum.
Honoring San Lázaro Today
Devotion to San Lázaro is traditionally simple and heartfelt:
- Light a purple, yellow, or brown candle
- Offer water, bread, grains, or modest food
- Pray for the sick, elderly, and those in need
- Clean your home and altar space
- Practice charity or service where possible
San Lázaro receives offerings made with humility, sincerity, and faith.
Closing Prayer
San Lázaro Bendito,
intercessor for the afflicted and weary,
strengthen faith where the body is tired
and restore hope where endurance is required.
May healing come according to God’s will.
May mercy reach those most in need.
San Lázaro bendito, ruega por nosotros.
🩼💜
Written with love and devotion,
Mambo Jae Ashé | www.thehouseofashe.com