Homily- Wed of
the 23rd Week of Ord. Time Yr. B/Memorial of St. Peter Claver,
Priest and Religious- Fr. Udoekpo
v 1 Cor 7:25-31
v Ps 45:11-12,14-15, 16-17
v Luke 6:20-26
Loving Our
Neighbors in Deed and Truth as St. Peter Claver!
Yesterday we celebrated the nativity, the birth of Our Mother Mary. Today we
celebrate the memorial of Saint Peter Claver, priests and religious- Jesuit
missionary, who ministered to the poor and African slaves as they arrived at
the South American seaport of Cartagena (1580-1654). Peter devoted his to
feeding the poor, caring for the sick and the dying, preaching the gospel,
baptizing the converts, in fact, practicing charity with patience, in deed and
truth, as we heard in the opening prayer!
Similar messages are
heard in various contexts in the scriptural passages today. In 1 Corinthian 7:25-31,
the first reading, Saint Paul whom we have been hearing from these past weeks,
addressing the church in Corinth on issues of division, boasting and all forms of immorality, zeros –in on issues
of marriage and sexual relation in ancient Corinth. It is a message we can
learn from today.
In the very pericope
we read today, Paul while speaking to the same divided community of Corinth,
focuses on how virgins, that is, betrothed young women (cf. vv.36-37), should
conduct themselves. For Paul it is important to be consistent in our callings,
vocations, married or un- married, for the sake of the Gospel values of the
crucified and risen Lord. For Paul, and in Christ, at the end of time, at the
Parousia, there will be no need at all for materialism, commerce, marriages, anthropocentrism,
ethnocentrism, racism, discrimination, economic competitions and boasting that
were part of the community of Corinth, and even some of our communities today. Yet,
in Paul’s mind, this is not to say that we should not treat our neighbors
charitably, materially, economically well. No, we ought to treat well, the
poor, the needy, the thirsty, those in prison, those who lack food, shelter, sojourners,
just as Peter Claver, the Saint we celebrate today, did.
Similar message
to care for the poor and one another is consistently heard also throughout from the
mouth of the Lukan Jesus, especially in the beatitude/sermon on the plain, in
Luke 6:20-26 (cf. Matt 5:3-12/sermon on the mountain) today.
To the materially
poor, yesterday, during the time of Jesus with his first earthly disciple,
today and forever, Jesus is saying:
“Blessed/Happy are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is your. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. 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… your reward is in Heaven”( Luke 6:20ff).
Those who patiently go through this, Jesus sees them as “the true prophets.” And to those who abuse their wealth and maltreat the poor, he says, “woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But, woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep…” Those who behave this way are not only cursed, but are “the false prophets.”
No matter our
geographical locations, cultures and contexts, or wherever you are, Peter
Claver’s deeds of charity in truth and patience, Paul’s invitation to heavenly
values, and the Lukan Beatitude of Luke 6, invite us all to reevaluate what we
consider important in our Christian journeys, especially in our relationship
with God, our neighbors, the poor, the weak, the planet, other biodiversity and the marginalized.
Reflection
Questions
1.
How do we assist the poor of our
communities?
2.
What do we lack, in ourselves, in
the light of today’s readings and memorial: patience, compassion, sense of
charity or love of ones’ neighbors…?
3.
Are we charitable to those we share
vocations with, married or celibacy?
4.
For those amassing material wealth,
inordinately and abusively, how do we feel when Paul and Christ stress that
these things may not be counted in heaven?
