September 09, 2021

St. Peter Claver, SJ

Col 3: 12-17 

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Putting our Hearts where our Mouths Are 

Sometimes in our fast-paced society, it is easy to say one thing and do another. It is much easier for someone to identify as a Christian than it is to act as one. Today’s reading calls us to remember that we must not just say that we love the Lord; we must follow in his footsteps. Saint Peter Claver’s feast day is the perfect day for us to remember this, as he once said, “We must speak to them with our hands before we speak to them with our lips.” 

As Christians, we should not strive to imitate the Pharisees, who preached one thing and did another. We should strive to imitate Christ, to lead with love. This is not always an easy task; our pride or our impatience gets in the way. Through God’s love and the example of the saints, we can, however, start to grow into everyday examples of Christ’s love and generosity. 

—David Hart is a senior at Loyola University Chicago and a communications intern for the Midwest Jesuits. He is also an alumnus of Jesuit High School of New Orleans.  

 

Prayer

Prayer for Generosity

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will. 

—St. Ignatius of Loyola

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