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Gospel: Luke 6:20-26
Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
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.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.
But 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.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There’s an African proverb, “When you pray, move your feet.”
While God plays a role in this world, so do we.
We are all responsible for making it a better place to live.
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Today we celebrate the life of Father Peter Claver, a priest from the 17th century, who not only prayed for the world to change; he also moved his feet.
Distraught over the injustice of the slave trade, he moved from Spain to Cartagena, Colombia, vowing to become, “a slave to slaves forever.”
Every morning for 33 years, Father Peter went down to the shipping docks, where men, women, and children were unloaded after harrowing journeys across the Atlantic and sold into slavery.
While he couldn’t end that horrific practice, he courageously welcomed our brothers and sisters with food and water while preaching on themes from the Gospel – love, forgiveness, and eternal life.
By his death, he baptized over 300,000 people – and was the face of Christ for even more.
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Father Peter reminds us not to wait for someone else.
“When you pray, move your feet.”
Be the change you want to see today.
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Image credits: (1) br.pinterest.com (2) holymanna.blog (3) freepik.com