When we hear Jesus’ disciples being criticized for picking grains of wheat on the Sabbath to eta, which the Pharisees would consider work, with work on the Sabbath being prohibited under Jewish law, we might consider how we consecrate the Sabbath in our own lives. When some parishioners tell me that they were unable to attend mass on a weekend because they were traveling, I tell them that they could honor the Sabbath in some other way, such as reflecting on the readings for that day and doing an act of mercy. Sometimes the Pharisees saw the letter of the law as more important as the spirit of the law. How indeed are we honoring the Sabbath in our lives? Unfortunately, many in our society do not worry about keeping the Sabbath holy in any sense.
The saint we celebrate today truly lived out the spirit of Christ’s Gospel message in the reality of his life. He is a saint whom I admire very much. In the age of the explorers and the Spanish conquistadors, many young men were leaving Europe for Asia, Africa, and the Americas in order to seek out a fortune and to become rich in a very material way. Peter Claver, a young Jesuit priest, arrived in Cartegena, a port city in the county of Columbia, in the early 17th century in order to minister to the slaves who were brought there to work in the fields and the mines. When the slave ships entered the port, Claver would go aboard those ships in order to minister to the slaves who were exhausted after having been ill-treated on the long journey from Africa. After they were herded out of the ships and shut up in nearby yards for buyers to inspect them for purchase, Claver would bring them medicines, food, bread, and other items that would help them survive in this new land. With the help of interpreters, he gave the slaves basic instructions in the faith; he assured them of their human dignity and the salvation that awaited them in God's kingdom. During his 40 years of his ministry in Columbia, it is estimated that Claver baptized more 300,000 slaves. Peter Claver also preached missions to many in Cartegena, including the sailors, tradesmen, and those living in the countryside, being a witness for social justice and the values of the Gospel.
What a great example we have in Peter Claver. He is an example of living the spirit and love of Christ’s Gospel without being trapped by the letter of the law.
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