Sep 9 – Memorial for St. Peter Claver, Priest
St Peter Claver was born in Catalonia and studied at the University of Barcelona. He became a Jesuit; and while he was studying philosophy in Mallorca, the door-keeper of the college, Alfonso Rodríguez, saw that his true vocation was to evangelize the New World, and encouraged him to fulfil that vocation. (Rodríguez was later canonized on the same day as Peter Claver himself).
He arrived in Cartagena (in what is now Colombia) in 1610, and after his ordination six years later, he became ‘the slave of the Negroes forever’, labouring on their behalf for 33 years, attending to both their spiritual and material needs. The slave trade was repeatedly condemned by the Popes; but it was too profitable to be stopped and, on the whole, the local church hierarchy kept quiet about it, much as they did in North America in the 19th century.
He brought fresh food to the slave ships as they arrived, instructed the slaves and baptized them in the faith, followed their progress and kept track of them, even when they were sent to the mines and plantations, defending them as well as he could from oppressive slave owners. He organized teams of catechists who spoke the many languages spoken by the slaves. He worked in hospitals also, looking after lepers among others, and in prisons.
Naturally he made himself unpopular by his work. As his superior said, ‘unfortunately for himself, he is a Catalan — pig-headed and difficult’. Opposition came from both within the Church and outside it, but there were always exceptions. For instance, while many fashionable ladies refused to enter his city churches because they had been profaned by the presence of the blacks, a few, such as Doña Isabel de Urbina, became his strong and lifelong supporters.
At the end of his life, he fell ill with a degenerative disease and, for four years, he was treated neglectfully and brutally by the servant whose task it was to look after him. He did not complain but accepted his sufferings as a penance for his sins.
– Universalis
1 Cor 5:1-8
Lk 6:6-11
“…is it against the law of Sabbath to do good, or to do evil…”
At the recent Paris Olympics, there was a blue, naked ‘Papa Smurf’ singing and dancing in the opening ceremony. There were male performers in drag ‘celebrating’ the Feast of Dionysus (Greek god of wine and ecstasy), which strangely resembled Da Vinci’s portrait of the Last Supper. The official response, as a result of the outcry from various quarters, was that they represent inclusivity, diversity and love, especially for the LGBT community. These are the values which the 2024 Paris Olympics chose to celebrate.
Before the People’s Revolution, France was known as the ‘Eldest Daughter of the Church’. For 1300 years, Catholic values and beliefs held sway. Sadly, the French revolution in 1787 marked the dechristianisation of France. For many years, the Catholic faith suffered a period of intense persecution and ridicule, with thousands of clergy hanged and all church properties seized. Thereafter, liberal pagan culture held sway. Indeed in 2015, the French President even named an ambassador with an alternative lifestyle to the Vatican, which was rejected.
If St Paul were alive today, he would be profoundly disheartened to meet this ‘eldest daughter’. It would be similar to the Christians in Corinth, whom he admonished in today’s first reading. The Corinth church tolerated notorious levels of sexual immorality and other acts in direct contradiction to what he taught. He wrote unequivocally that Christians should reject all such behaviour and to cast people who refuse to change out of the church. Is this drastic and merciless? YES, especially in light of today’s focus on inclusivity.
Indeed, St Paul was very clear. Those who call themselves Christians must honour Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb who sacrificed himself to save mankind. Therefore, they must strive to be pure and reject the practices of “pagan culture”. St Paul further warned that the unrighteous WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God. These include the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, those who practice homosexuality, the greedy and drunkards.
Presently, the Catholic Church under Pope Francis has promulgated a different direction (from St Paul) with the emphasis on acceptance, forgiveness and welcoming all to the church. This is in line with the love and mercy of God. Unfortunately, this approach has encouraged many Christians and Catholics to de-emphasise the consequence of sin, and the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indeed, the common refrain now is that only God can judge each person, so we should just love and accept everyone’s belief. Hence the acceptance of ‘pagan behaviour’, which St Paul warned about as the new normal (e.g., the Paris Olympics opening act in France).
Brothers and sisters, when we make an assumption, it means we have a certain expectation without proof. The modern Christian view is that many assume they will go to heaven because God is merciful and will forgive all our sins. Few expect to go to hell. Let’s hope that is not a false assumption!
(Today’s OXYGEN by Andrew Sia)
Prayer: Lord, help me not to sin again, but to love you with all my heart.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord, for the gift of St Paul, for bringing the faith to the Gentiles so that I can love you too.
OXYGEN 
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