You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. He brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross; despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them, leading them away in triumph by it. (Col 2:6-15)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090925.cfm
Saint Peter Claver (1580-1654) sought to do good and to save life. He was a Jesuit missionary to the New World who found himself in Cartagena, Colombia, which was a center of the Atlantic slave trade. He dedicated his life to ministry to those who had been enslaved. He personally baptized over 300,000 slaves. His feast day, September 9, is the National Day of Human Rights in Colombia. https://youtu.be/Jbe7OruLk8I?si=H6eaFBzXSu09ceSL
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Peter Claver, presbyter, September 9
