Homily on the Memorial of St. Peter Claver; 9 September 2026 (Osmeña Day, Wed, 23rd Wk in OT), DBPH Chapel, Talamban
Today in Cebu is a non-working holiday because it is Osmena Day. Who is Sergio Osmena, by the way? Siya mao ang ika-upat nga Presidente sa Pilipinas. Ug siya ang unang bisaya nga nahimong Presidente. He served as the fourth President of the Philippines from 1944 – 1946. Prior to that, he served as Governor of Cebu; next, as speaker of the House of Representatives for 13 years, and then as Senator for another 13 years, within which he also served as Senate President. He became the Vice-President twice in 1935 and 1941, as the running mate of President Manuel L. Quezon. After World War II, when Quezon died, he became the President of the commonwealth and helped the country to recover from the ravages of war. It is so fitting, therefore, that today be marked as a holiday in his honor.
I-ampo nato sa Misa karon nga madawat na unta ni former President Sergio Osmena ang iyang ganti sa langit tungod sa iyang takus nga pagserbisyo sa atong nasud. Ug i-ampo sad nato karon nga kitang tanan magtinabangay aron mawala na ang korupsyon ug ang uban pa nga mga sakit ug mga kalamidad sa atong nasud.
Today, we gather in church to celebrate the memorial of St Peter Claver, a Jesuit Priest who went as a missionary to Colombia in South America and did a lot of good for the welfare of slaves. That is why he is known today as the patron saint of slaves, and more importantly, the patron saint of the Republic of Colombia.
Peter Claver was born in 1580 to a very Catholic and devout family of well-to-do farmers in Spain. During that time, however, human trafficking was already being practiced and has reached its heights as hundreds of black African slaves were being sold and used like commodities. I guess Peter as a teen-ager became aware of what was happening around him. And so, he started to feel compassion for those victims of oppression.
At one point in his life, he might have been enlightened and moved by what Jesus taught in the gospel particularly the passage we have heard today “Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, …Blessed are you who are now weeping,.… Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you…” (see Luke 6:20-26).
One day, inspired and moved most probably by these Gospel verses, Peter wrote in his journal a kind of vision-mission in life “I must dedicate myself to the service of God until death, on the understanding that I am like a slave.”
Thereafter, at the age of 20 anyos Peter entered the seminary and became a Jesuit. And he volunteered to work in the missions of South America where thousands of black Africans were being sold to slavery. He ministered to their needs, preached the Gospel to them, taught them catechism and even fought for their rights. It was said that after 40 years of missionary work St Peter Claver was able to reach out to 300,000 slaves. He catechized them and baptized them all for the glory of God and for the salvation of their souls.
Towards the end of his life Peter became very ill that he had to be confined in his room. For four years he experienced being forgotten and neglected. And sad to say, he was even physically abused and starved by the nurse, an ex-slave hired by his Superior to take care for him. Yet in all these Peter never complained. He never talked about his being maltreated. He freely accepted it as a just punishment for his sins as though he too were a slave. For he believed in what St. Paul taught in today’s First Reading: “Time is running out… Let those weeping act as not weeping, …those buying, as not owning. For the world in its present form is passing away” (see 1 Cor 7:25-31).
St Peter died on 8 September 1654 at 74 yrs old. He was canonized a saint 200 years later in 1888.
In this Mass let us pray that we may be inspired by the example of St. Peter Claver and that this Gospel passage we have heard today may move us to become heroes for society and saints for the Church. May we be enlightened on how we can be of greater service to the poor and the underprivileged, to the oppressed and the exploited, even if it means going out and leaving our comfort zone. GiGsss!