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Gospel: Luke 6: 6-11
On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up and stand before us.”
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
“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?”
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
“Stretch out your hand.”
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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When we consider some of the bigger challenges facing our world, like poverty, hunger, unpredictable weather, and gun violence, it’s easy to throw our hands up and say these problems are almost too big to be solved.
But that’s not what Christians are called to do.
Even if we can only make a splash, a tiny difference in the life of another person, we should do it.
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Consider the life of Father Peter Claver, a Spanish priest from the 17th century, whose feast day we celebrate today.
Distraught over the injustice of the slave trade, he moved from Spain to Cartagena, Colombia, and vowed to become, “a slave to slaves forever.”
For 33 years, Father Claver woke up every morning and went to the shipping docks, where men, women, and children were being unloaded after being separated from their communities, enduring harrowing journeys across the Atlantic, and sold into slavery.
While he couldn’t stop this horrific practice, Father Claver courageously welcomed them with food and water, while preaching the Gospel. He sought to, “save life, rather than destroy it,”as Jesus says today.
Father Claver was a flicker of light – the face of Christ – in what was an otherwise dark and scary time. By the end of his life, he baptized over 300,000 people, giving them something to hope for – a new life to come.
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While we may not resolve every challenge facing our world today, Father Claver reminds us that we can make a difference; there is always something we can do.
Bring a cup of water to the thirsty; a word of love to the lonely; a blanket to the homeless; or the Gospel to someone who’s never heard it.
As Mother Teresa once said, “We can do no great things… only small things with great love.”
What’s something small that you can do to bring comfort to your neighbor today?
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Father Peter Claver, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) (2) Saint Peter Claver, SJ, Jesuits.org (3) The Catholic Company