Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest
Where did you come from? Paul is reminding the Colossians of who they were before they became new again through Christ. Why did Paul feel he had to remind them of this? The past is the past, right? Maybe it’s to show them that they have grown in their faith. Maybe it’s that he wants to reinforce to them that they are different persons now, this is what I’d like to focus on. Friends, through our baptism, we become somebody else, we are different and take on a new identity, it’s Christ’s identity. Everything that we do should mirror what Christ would do. This is what makes us Christians, Christians. We don’t do what the rest of the world would do, we do what Christ would do.
Today we honor the memory of St. Peter Claver. He ministered to slaves arriving in the New World from Africa. Most people at that time would have thought he was crazy doing this. If Peter Claver operated in “world mood” he never would have ministered to the slaves. Instead, he operated in “Jesus mood” and acted as Christ would have. St. Peter Claver, pray for us.
Reflection by Fr. Macario Martinez, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections