Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. (Lk 6:1-6)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090924.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.
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
