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The beyond….. Read: Luke 6:27-38 |
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The son of a Catalonian farmer, was born at Verdu, in 1581; he died 8 September, 1654. He obtained his first degrees at the University of Barcelona. At the age of twenty he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Tarragona. While he was studying philosophy at Majorca in 1605, Alphonsus Rodriguez, the saintly door-keeper of the college, learned from God the future mission of his young associate, and thenceforth never ceased exhorting him to set out to evangelize the Spanish possessions in America. Peter obeyed, and in 1610 landed at Cartagena, where for forty-four years he was the Apostle of the negro slaves. Early in the seventeenth century the masters of Central and South America afforded the spectacle of one of those social crimes which are entered upon so lightly. They needed labourers to cultivate the soil which they had conquered and to exploit the gold mines. The natives being physically incapable of enduring the labours of the mines, it was determined to replace them with negroes brought from Africa. The coasts of Guinea, the Congo,and Angola became the market for slave dealers
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Today’s scripture readings present some challenging standards for us as Christians. On first blush, they are not very reassuring. In fact, kind of discouraging. In Corinthians, Paul says to eat whatever you want… as long as it doesn’t cause your neighbor to stumble. C’mon, Paul. I want things black and white. You are saying even choosing what we eat can be grey? The psalmist proclaims, "O Lord, you have probed me and you know me." So, no secrets from God. Nowhere to hide. And in Luke, Jesus says to love your enemies, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and stop judging others. Some pretty tall (seemingly impossible?) commands. On a recent Sunday, some members of my family and members from my church participated in an event called Step Out and Serve. This is an event where a group of local churches go out into the community to work on various service projects and is billed as an opportunity to practically demonstrate our love for Jesus and the people in our city. We look funny as we all wear bright purple t-shirts. Our project was working with Abide Ministries, an inner city mission. And I mean inner city. My first reaction was, we do not want to be in this neighborhood after dark. When the sun goes down, the drugs and guns come out. Abide had purchased an abandoned house and wanted to renovate it for use by a needy family. My second reaction was, are you kidding? This house is beyond restoration. It would be better to just knock it down and start over. Vandalized inside and out, neglect, all sorts of damage and the smell. Oh, my goodness. Even the drug dealers wouldn’t use this house. Do you really think this thing can be salvaged? A young man, the son of the leader of Abide Ministries, must have perceived what all of us were thinking. He stepped forward to encourage us. I immediately recognized him as a recent graduate and basketball player from Creighton. He told the story of a vacant lot in the neighborhood. As you can imagine, it was covered with trash and overgrown with weeds. He undertook cleaning it up. As he was mowing, an elderly neighbor woman came out and asked him, "why are you doing this?" The city just hasn’t gotten it cleaned up yet he replied. "But, why are you doing this?" she persisted. Well, it really needs it. She still persisted with her question. It will make the neighborhood a little better. And still she persisted. He thought for a moment and replied, "because it’s what Jesus wants me to do." She smiled and walked away with tears in her eyes. |
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Reflection:
It’s hard to look past the hurt, But it’s even harder not to take revenge and forgive. But with God, everything is possible.
Come Holy Spirit, release our hearts from the bondage of anger. |
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TODAYS SAINT: St. Peter Claver |
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Today’s Bible Reading :
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Reading 1
Responsorial Psalm
Reading 2
Gospel: |
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to whom native petty kings sold their subjects and their prisoners. By its position in the Caribbean Sea, Cartagena became the chief slave-mart of the New World. A thousand slaves landed there each month. They were bought for two, and sold for 200 écus. Though half the cargo might die, the trade remained profitable. Neither the repeated censures of the pope, nor those of Catholic moralists could prevail against this cupidity. The missionaries could not suppress slavery, but only alleviate it, and no one worked more heroically than Peter Claver. Trained in the school of Père Alfonso de Sandoval, a wonderful missionary, Peter declared himself "the slave of the negroes forever", and thenceforth his life was one that confounds egotism by its superhuman charity. Although timid and lacking in self-confidence, he became a daring and ingenious organizer. Every month when the arrival of the negroes was signalled, Claver went out to meet them on the pilot's boat, carrying food and delicacies. The negroes, cooped up in the hold, arrived crazed and brutalized by suffering and fear. Claver went to each, cared for him, and showed him kindness, and made him understand that henceforth he was his defender and father. He thus won theirgood will. To instruct so many speaking different dialects, Claver assembled at Cartagena a group of interpreters of various nationalities, of whom he made catechists. While the slaves were penned up at Cartagena waiting to be purchased and dispersed, Claver instructed and baptized them in the Faith. On Sundays during Lent he assembled them, inquired concerning their needs, and defended them against their oppressors. This work caused Claver severe trials, and the slave merchants were not his only enemies. The Apostle was accused of indiscreet zeal, and of having profaned the Sacraments by giving them to creatures who scarcely possessed a soul. Fashionable women of Cartagena refused to enter the churches where Father Claver assembled his negroes. The saint's superiors were often influenced by the many criticisms which reached them. Nevertheless, Claver continued his heroic career, accepting all humiliations and adding rigorous penances to his works of charity. Lacking the support of men, the strength of God was given him. He became the prophet and miracle worker of New Granada, the oracle of Cartagena, and all were convinced that often God would not have spared the city save for him. During his life he baptized and instructed in the Faith more than 300,000 negroes. He was beatified 16 July, 1850, Pius IX, and canonized 15 January, 1888, by Leo XIII. His feast is celebrated on the ninth of September. On 7 July, 1896, he was proclaimed the special patron of all the Catholic missions among the negroes. Alphonsus Rodriguez was canonized on the same day as Peter Claver.
Email to: mojcounselor@missionofjesus.com or mojcounselor@gmail.com or mojcounselor@hotmail.com or mojcounselor@yahoo.com
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DAILY HIGHLIGHTS |
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“But love your enemies and do good to them.” Luke 6:35 |
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As we worked on the house I began to notice neat things about the house. Wood floors. Big windows. Tall ceilings. In its day, this must have been a beautiful home. Maybe it does have the potential to be, if not beautiful, at least useful again. I thought about how I’m a little like this old house. As the psalmist says, wonderfully made. Yet people, things, events and circumstances come into my heart that leave scars and trash. I wonder what our hearts look like to God. Has he ever viewed us as beyond salvage? Obviously not or there would not have been the offer to allow Jesus into our hearts. Today’s culture always says it’s about me. Citizens of this world view others as second rate and beyond repair. As citizens of God’s kingdom we are called by Christ to be second. To put others first. Even those we may not like. A tall order, but one that can reap rewards beyond our imagination. My prayer today is for those of us who look at something or someone as beyond salvage. That we would allow Christ, the Master Carpenter, into our hearts for a restoration project. |
