Peter Claver

One of the joys of being a Catholic is discovering new saints--that is to say, saints you'd never heard of before. St Peter Claver was born in Spain and became a Jesuit missionary to the new world. He came in 1610 to Cartegena in what is now the country of Columbia, and he embarked on his mission to the wretched slaves who were being brought from Africa to work in the mines and plantations.

Claver called himself 'the slave of the slaves', and as soon as a slaving ship arrived he went on board and began ministering to the slaves. They were kept in the most appalling conditions, half starved, frightened, diseased, naked and alone. He learned their native languages, catechized them and baptized hundreds of thousands over his thirty three year ministry. He visited them in prison and followed them to the mines and plantations where he was reviled and persecuted for his work by the rich and powerful.

In the last four years of his life he was half paralyzed and left alone in a room--neglected by the servant who was supposed to care for him. He never complained.

Stories of saints like this remind me to stand on my head. In the worlds' terms what a failure he was. The world we think is so normal and ordinary is a world gone mad, and it is men and women who have gone mad in the service of God and the poor who suddenly look sane.  "There never was such a fool who could fail--pulling the whole sky over him with one smile." We turn things upside down and see that Peter Claver became a slave of the slaves only because he was walking in the way of St Paul, who also called himself 'the slave' of those he served, and St Paul himself was only walking in the way of Christ who "though he had the form of God did not consider this something to be clung to, but lowered himself and took the form of a slave that he might save some."

If we dare to do this we stoop to conquer, and the grim news is that this is not 'a way' to heaven. It is the only way to heaven. Sooner or later we must follow Christ, and that means to take up the cross and learn from him how to serve. To echo an earlier post we must stoop or be stupid. Stoop and become wise. Put yourself on top and become stupid.