Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest
In today’s gospel reading, we hear, “Jesus said to them [the Pharisees], ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?’” Our saint today, St. Peter Claver, believed in this philosophy to save life rather than to destroy it. St. Peter would minister to the African slaves and saw each and every single one of them as a child of God and not as some object forced to do work. I truly believe that society today is treating more and more people as objects rather than human beings. We see it a lot in the entertainment industry, especially with pornography, using someone to get a high then being brought low to the dust. Satan wants us to believe that this pleasure is a great thing, but what it actually does it focuses more on him and less on God. Fr. Vincent Lampert an exorcist in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis says in his book “Exorcism, The Battle Against Satan and His Demons” puts it like this when it comes to the entertainment industry
“Do we see others as created in the image and likeness of God or simply as ‘things’ that need to be eliminated or destroyed? Action shows need to be tempered with our Christian beliefs. If families elect to watch these shows that are often filled with violence [and filth], parents should seize the opportunity to discuss with their children why what they are viewing is either consistent or inconsistent with the behavior God expects of us.”
Like St. Peter Claver, let us see that every person is a gift from God. Let us thank God for the talents and gifts that God has bestowed on the person who may seem insignificant in our eyes but is holy in the eyes of God. Let us thank God for the gifts and talents he has given us, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to us.
Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections