Collect taken from the memorial of St. Peter Claver, priest.
Collect: O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves and strengthened him with wonderful charity and patience as he came to their help, grant, through his intercession, that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ, we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ…
“O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves and strengthened him with wonderful charity and patience as he came to their help,”
– We praise the gift of God that enabled Peter Claver to take seriously Christ’s teaching that the greatest should be the slave of all. This is an expression of his charity, but we also acknowledge the great patience God developed in him because he endured so much suffering for what he did.
“grant, through his intercession, that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ, we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth.“
– We do pray to love our neighbor, but only through seeking the things of Jesus Christ. In other words, we ask that out love of God reach its full flowering in love of neighbor as expressed through our actions towards them.
Questions & Advice: Do you take Christ’s teaching about service and humility seriously? Do you love your neighbor more than God or because you love God? Are you willing to suffer in order to love your neighbor in deed?
Read about authentic love and human communion in the Catechism (1928-48). Spend some of your daily prayer time reflecting on how you love the least of our brethren. We may not have shiploads of slaves coming to our shores, but there is something comparable to the way many illegal immigrants are treated. Meditate upon Christs words in Scripture about service as an act of greatness and then look for a way to put that into practice today.
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| Sancte Petre, ora pro nobis! |