Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest

Today's Mass Readings

Today the Church commemorates a Spanish missionary who is known for his untiring ministry to Africans as they arrived in slave ships on the shores of Cartagena in 17th century Colombia. For almost forty years, Pedro Claver, “slave of the slaves forever,” as he called himself, cared for their bodily and spiritual needs. It is estimated that he baptized 300,000 African souls in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Certainly, the Beatitudes, which we hear today, apply to this man, but perhaps San Pedro would rather have us reflect on the Beatitudes as they apply to the enslaved people he served.

Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” (Luke 6:20) Think of the countless men, women, and children whose lives were made destitute by the Transatlantic slave trade. From the 16th to the 19th century, about 12 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic as commodities for labor on land which itself had been exploited. Millions more never made it across, dying in transit, captivity, or during raids and revolts. Surely the kingdom of God is now theirs.

“Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.” (Luke 6:21a) Part of what fueled such an inhumane enterprise was the production of goods in the New World, which was transported to Europe, in repayment for goods sold to African kingdoms who supplied the labor force in the Americas. This triangular trade, which lasted about 400 years, might never have ended, if it were not for the sensibilities of religious and political men, and also for the continual rebellion and riot of the slaves themselves. But today many of our Afro-American brothers and sisters are still hungry for justice and equality.

“Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.” (Luke 6:21b) So many tears must have been shed for the abuse and devastation wreaked upon the African race during the Slave Trade. It is comforting, though, that several countries who were involved have issued apologies, including the United States. Yet, there is so much more that could be done. One researcher found a silver-lining amid this tragic past, stating that the African Diaspora has enriched the world with the unique contribution of black culture, arts, and spirituality. So, after centuries of oppression, perhaps today this mighty race is on the way up to its full and lasting redemption.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.” (Luke 6:22) It is amazing to me, a white Euro-American, how fitting these words of Jesus apply to Afro-Americans today. And at the same time, it saddens me that they do. I know that Jesus was not addressing a people that was being persecuted on account of their race, but this is precisely the power of the Word of God: it is alive, it is active, and can speak anew in many conditions in which the human race finds itself.

Now it is our turn to be a people of the Beatitudes.

Reflection by Br. Luke Kral, OSB

Sources:
• “Atlantic slave trade.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Aug. 2020, 19:57 (UTC). Accessed 31 Aug. 2020.
• Lewis, Thomas. “Transatlantic slave trade.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 06 Apr. 2020, Britannica. Accessed 31 Aug. 2020.
• Segal, Ronald. The Black Diaspora: Five Centuries of the Black Experience Outside Africa. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995.