Whenever I think about Saint Peter Claver, I am amazed by the great deeds of love he did. He left his own country to come to the Americas. There, for nearly 40 years, he served the poor people who had been torn from their homes in Africa and were forced to come and work as slaves. He persevered despite many kinds of difficulties and challenges. His level of love and compassion might seem impossible for us to imitate.
And yet we have all been baptized with the same Baptism that he received. We receive the same nourishment in the Eucharist. We share in the same Life, so we have a participation in these works. This also means that the great love with which he worked is also available to us. It does not necessarily mean that our work will look like his. But we can certainly do our own work with the same love. He is our brother. Let us ask him to help us live our lives with Christ’s love, as he did.