Devasahayam Pillai was an eighteenth-century official of the Indian kingdom of Travancore who converted and was martyred; he is the first Indian layman to be canonized.
Life
Devasahayam Pillai was born in 1712 into a Hindu family in the southern Indian kingdom of Travancore (today in Tamil Nadu). He was an official at the royal court, and through a Dutch-born military officer serving the kingdom he came to know Christianity. He was baptized in 1745 and took the name Lazarus; his Tamil name Devasahayam means God is my help.
After his conversion he treated all people as equals, beyond the divisions of caste, and this stirred hostility that led to his arrest. He endured years of imprisonment and humiliation and, according to tradition, was shot near Aralvaimozhi in 1752. He was beatified in 2012 and canonized in 2022.
Spirituality
Devasahayam’s spirituality is rooted in the conviction that all people are equal as children of God. He chose Christ over high rank and security, and through long suffering he kept his faith with patience and prayer. True to his new name, he leaned on God’s help in every circumstance.
Reflection
Saint Devasahayam treated everyone as a brother or sister across the walls of caste. What unseen walls still remain in my heart and in our community, and where might I find the courage to cross them?