Remembering St Peter Claver

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Luke's gospel today gives his version of the Beatitudes which are to be the source and centre of the life of those who believe in Jesus. But they begin in a way that frightens many off. For the first Lucan Beatitude is ''Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." How can we apply those words to the people in Palestine who have lost their homes and all their means of survival and live in constant fear of more attacks? The Aramaic word that Jesus used originally mean those who are literally poor but it gradually came to mean a person who though he is poor and humble has perfect trust in God. The first Beatitude is teaching us that true wealth does not consist in having as much wealth as possible but from a complete surrender to God.

 

Today we celebrate the life of a saint who dedicated himself totally to bringing the values of the kingdom to the poorest of the poor who were dispossessed of their land, family, freedom and forced into slavery. Peter Claver was born in Spain in 1581 but left his homeland forever in 1610 to go as a missionary to Cartagena in Colombia, a port which was the main centre of the slave trade in the Americas. As soon as a slave ship arrived in port from West Africa, Peter went on board bringing food and medicines to those passengers who had survived the trip in totally miserable conditions. He spent the next 40 years with them showing them that were worthy of dignity as God's beloved children. He certainly did not say put up with your suffering and you will be rewarded in heaven. He would often say, ''We must speak with our hands before we try to speak to them with our lips.'' He was canonized in 1888 and named patron of slaves, Colombia and of the ministry to Afro-Americans. St Peter, help to find effective ways to continue your work today.