St. Peter Claver Vespers
Bishop Glen John Provost
Bishop of Lake Charles
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
September 8, 2013
"In your kindness give me life.” Psalm 119:88
Yesterday, September 7, 2013, Pope Francis in Rome led the entire world—not only Catholics but also other Christian believers and non-Christians alike—in prayers for peace—peace in Syria, the Mid-East and the world. He did so in a very characteristically Catholic way, with Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, quiet reflection, the rosary, and Sacred Scripture. Swiss Guard carried into St. Peter’s Square one of the most famous and historic images of Mary in the world—the icon of the Salus populi romani—Mary the protector of the Roman people. It was before this ancient icon of Mary that Pope Francis first prayed when he was elected pope. And it was to Mary, the Queen of Peace, that his prayers and the prayers of many were directed yesterday. The prayer vigil yesterday began in a notable way.
Pope Francis insisted that priests be available to hear confessions, to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, in St. Peter’s Square. This was his specific request because he said, “… true peace springs from a heart that is reconciled with God and one’s brothers and sisters.”
When we hear of appeals for peace in the world, we often ask, “What can I do? I am not a world leader. I am only one small person in a very big world.” This is true, but in discounting our “importance” we miss the point that Pope Francis was trying to make by insisting that confessions were heard at the vigil for peace.
Peace begins with you and with me. Peace begins with my genuine conversion of heart, with a heart, as Pope Francis said, “that is reconciled with God and one’s brothers and sisters.” Jesus knew this too. As a matter of fact, we take our cue from Jesus, who time and time again reminded us that forgiveness is possible, that we were to learn from the Father’s forgiveness which is infinite and forgives not seven times but seventy times seven times.
We see so much hatred and senseless violence in the world. The images of massacres, beheadings, shootings, dismemberments, explosions, and mass murder fill our newspapers, televisions, and computer screens. And the violence and hatred comes not only from the Mid-East but is right here in our own back yard, down the street, and in our own neighborhoods. We cannot fail to mention the violence also that occurs with abortion and euthanasia, sanctioned by our own governments as a right. At times human beings seem bent on their own destruction. What is one to make of it all? The answer is a personal conversion of heart and the forgiveness of injury.
It is for this reason, I think, Pope Francis insisted that the Sacrament of Penance be an integral part of the vigil for peace. He knows that there can be no true peace unless it begins at a personal level.
I think of St. Peter Claver, whose feast we celebrate this evening as our primary patron in the Diocese of Lake Charles. St. Peter Claver spent almost his entire life ministering to African slaves in South America. He baptized them, instructed them, heard their confessions, and tirelessly worked with each and every one of them. He encountered resistance. Many opposed his zeal. One might say he started small but the results were big. For thirty-eight years he labored in God’s vineyard, but not the vineyard of a comfortable parish or an air-conditioned lecture hall. He expended his life working for the least among Christ’s brothers and sisters in filthy slave docks in tropical heat. When he died in 1654, it was estimated that he had baptized over 300,000.
No, what truly transforms begins small, with a personal admission of fault and acceptance of responsibility. Peace begins with you and me, asking forgiveness of God and one another. It begins on our knees, recognizing the harm we have done and realizing that we cannot remove the splinter from our neighbor’s eye without removing the plank from our own. It starts with the consistent and frequent practice of confession, acknowledging the harm we have done and continue to do and asking pardon and doing penance.
We live in a proud world, and pride has been the root of evil and violence since the days of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. To forget this, the root of evil and the largest obstacle to repentance, is to be condemned to a hateful world.
For this reason, I think, Pope Francis began the vigil for peace with confession. The antidote to all this hatred and violence which poisons peace and makes it impossible is the simple act of conversion that the Sacrament of Penance represents, a conversion from selfish pride to selfless love.