• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

  • Online Masses
    • Passionist Online Masses and Services
  • 300th Jubilee
    • Opening Mass of the Passionist Jubilee Year
    • Video: 300th Jubilee – English
    • Video: Jubileo Pasionista – Español
    • Jubilee Icon Itinerary
    • Jubilee Resources
    • Jubilee Song
  • Pray
    • Daily Reflections
    • Prayer Request
    • Sunday Homily
    • Passionist Spirituality and Prayer
    • Stations of the Cross
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
  • Grow
    • Journey into the Mystery of Christ Crucified
    • Celebrating the Feast of St. Paul of the Cross
    • Subscribe to E-News
    • Passionist Magazine
      • Passionist Magazine, Spring 2020
    • Passionist Ministries
      • Preaching
      • Hispanic Ministry
      • Haiti
      • Parish Life
      • Earth and Spirit Center
      • Education
      • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Retreat Centers
    • Passionist Solidarity Network
    • Sacred Heart Monastery
      • History of Sacred Heart Monastery
      • A Day in the Life of Senior Passionists
      • “Pillars” of the Community
  • Join
    • Nicholas Divine, CP, Ordination to the Diaconate
    • Are You Being Called?
    • Discerning Your Call
    • Pray With Us
    • Passionist Vocation Directors
    • Lay Partnerships
  • Connect
    • Find a Passionist
    • Passionist Websites
    • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Passionist Alumni Association
      • Reunions
      • 2019 Passionist Alumni Reunion
      • Welcome
      • Letter from the Provincial
        • These Men We Call Our Brothers
      • Mission Statement
      • CrossRoads Bulletin
      • Alumni Enrollment Form
        • Alumni Survey
      • Reunion Photo Gallery
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
    • Leave a Legacy
      • Giving Matters
      • Ways to Give
      • Donor Relations
      • Testimonials
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
    • Privacy Policy Statement
  • Learn
    • Our Founder
    • History
    • The Letters of St. Paul of the Cross
    • The Diary of St. Paul of the Cross
    • Mission and Charism
    • Saints and Blesseds
    • FAQs
    • Find a Passionist
    • STUDIES IN PASSIONIST HISTORY AND SPIRITUALITY
  • Safe Environments

Daily Scripture, September 9, 2017

Memorial of St. Peter Claver

Scripture:

Colossians 1:21-23
Luke 6:1-5

Reflection:

 A Colossian from Cartagena?

Yesterday the Letter to the Colossians spoke in cosmic terms of Jesus, the image of the invisible God, who has reconciled the things of heaven and earth in himself through the blood of the Cross. Today Paul is not ‘cosmic’, rather down to earth. In his mortal body Jesus died; as if we were brides the Bridegroom presents us to the Father. We must be unshaken in our faith, unshaken in our hope promised by the Gospel.

Today as we celebrate the feast day of St. Peter Claver, SJ, Pope Francis is visiting Columbia where Peter arrived in 1610 at the age of 29. As the ‘slave of the slaves forever’, limited by the barrier of language and health problems, he served the continually arriving slave ships at Cartagena, a hub of the slave trade. He tended the sick and baptized the dying among the terrified and poorly treated slaves who had survived the middle passage, often of several months. Peter once said, “We must speak to them with our hands before we speak to them with our lips”. Columbia honors today, having made it yearly celebration of the Day of National Human Rights. In Peter’s day his work was recognized and supported by some officials, others found him bothersome, and there were some who refused to enter the same church or confessional as the slaves Peter was serving. Before his death Peter had been ill and was unable to minister, but at his funeral there was a great celebration for his holiness and work among the people of Cartagena. What he did was not unseen; others besides the slaves heard the work of his hands.

Before Pope Francis concludes his trip he will go to Cartagena tomorrow visiting the shrine of Peter Claver and blessing a homeless shelter. The background of the Pope’s visit is Columbia is the fragile peace that is ending 52 years of civil conflict in which 220,000 have died. Children, one of whom was born while his mother was captive for six years, met the Pope’s plane on arrival, not the usual military honor guard. He has visited Villavicencio, the agricultural region greatly affected by the war where he met with wounded victims. The pope is a spokesperson for peace, social justice and the marginalized by his presence as much as by his words.

Modern day slavery, issues of race, dominance, care for the poor and reaching out to people on the margins need people inspired by the example and basic approach of St. Peter Claver. Today many find a ‘Peter Claver’ bothersome and would not associate themselves with those who resemble the ones he reached out to in tender love. Pope Francis’ visit may be seen as a making visible the words to the Colossians: Jesus reconciles us through the blood of the Cross. This is cosmic but also in our everyday relationships. We must be unshaken in the gospel, in the faith and hope that it gives us. In his mortal body Jesus died. But Paul, Peter Claver, Pope Francis, missionaries and all of us as we follow Jesus proclaim the victory of the Resurrection in Jesus’ death and the reconciliation we strive to live.


Fr. William Murphy, CP is the pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Jamaica, New York.

Footer

Facebook Feed

Support the Passionists

Contact the Passionists

The Passionists of Holy Cross Province
660 Busse Highway | Park Ridge, IL 60068
Tel: 847.518.8844 | Toll-free: 800.295.9048 | Fax: 847.518.0461
Safe Environments | Board Member Portal | Copyright © 2021 | Log in