Anyone who has worked in loneliness, with great adaptation required and
with little apparent success, will find a kindred spirit in Peter
Chanel.
As
a young priest he revived a parish in a "bad" district by the simple
method of showing great devotion to the sick. Wanting to be a
missionary, he joined the Society of Mary (Marists) at 28. Obediently,
he taught in the seminary for five years. Then, as superior of seven
Marists, he traveled to Western Oceania where he was entrusted with a
vicariate. The bishop accompanying the missionaries left Peter and a
brother on Futuna Island in the New Hebrides, promising to return in
six months. The interval lasted five years.
Meanwhile he
struggled with this new language and mastered it, making the difficult
adjustment to life with whalers, traders and warring natives. Despite
little apparent success and severe want, he maintained a serene and
gentle spirit and endless patience and courage. A few natives had been
baptized, a few more were being instructed. When the chieftain's son
asked to be baptized, persecution by the chieftain reached a climax.
Father Chanel was clubbed to death, his body cut to pieces.
Within
two years after his death, the whole island became Catholic and has
remained so. Peter Chanel is the first martyr of Oceania and its
patron.
Comment:
Suffering
for Christ means suffering because we are like Christ. Very often the
opposition we meet is the result of our own selfishness or imprudence.
We are not martyrs when we are "persecuted" by those who merely treat
us as we treat them. A Christian martyr is one who, like Christ, is
simply a witness to God's love, and brings out of human hearts the good
or evil that is already there.
Quote:"No one is a martyr for a conclusion, no one is a martyr for an opinion; it is faith that makes martyrs" (Cardinal Newman, Discourses to Mixed Congregations).
Prayer:
Lord, you sent St. Peter Chanel to bring the light of faith to the
peoples of Oceania and gave him the crown of martyrdom. May our
celebration of Christ's death and resurrection make us faithful
witnesses to the new life He offers, for He lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
God of all mercy, you choose what is weak in the world to bring to
nothing what is strong. Accept our gifts and hear our prayer that, like
your servant Peter Chanel, we may prove unshakable in the face of
adversity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Heavenly Father, all powerful and ever loving, God we do well always
and everywhere to give you thanks, to adore and bless your goodness to
us through Jesus Christ our Lord. From the first companions of the
Society of Mary you appointed St. Peter Chanel to minister and witness
to the Gospel, sending him to our islands. Here, with great endurance,
hardships and afflictions, he gave oustanding testimony to Christ by
his words, his life and the shedding of his blood. And now, with all
the angels and saints, we praise you forever and ever. Amen.
Lord, we
have shared in this meal of joy and salvation. Strengthen us to press
eagerly forward in the steps of St. Peter Chanel, proclaiming the
Gospel of peace and truth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.