A late pastor’s post as this week draws to a close. I encourage you to join me in prayer for peace in our world, in our country, and most especially, in our own hearts:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

September 8 – One of the delights within the Catholic liturgical calendar is the variety of feasts – and feasts for all sorts of things! Today we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which makes perfect sense when considering the providence of the Lord in Mary’s immaculate conception in preparation for His eventual invitation for her to be the mother of God. Though what little we know of Mary’s early life comes from the apocryphal gospel of James, this feast is an occasion to celebrate God’s mysterious but wonderful ways! Read more at the Vatican News website.

September 9 – The Office of Readings from today’s memorial of Saint Peter Claver offers a brief passage from one of his letters. In it we see the twofold care he had for slaves: for their physical and spiritual well-being. Despite  the pope’s condemnation of slave-trading (“supreme villainy” Pope Piux IX called it), it continued undeterred during Saint Peter Claver’s lifetime. Following the footsteps of his predecessor, Father Alfonso de Sandoval, Saint Peter Claver dedicated himself to the care of those who the lowest of the low – it is estimated that he instructed and baptized 300,000 (!) slaves. Read more about him at the Vatican News website.

September 12 – If you’ve ever wondering if someone like you could be a saint, perhaps today’s feast of Saint Guy of Anderlecht will offer a bit of encouragement. His life is not remembered for any great works or miracles – he was simply a poor man who dedicated himself to Christ, embracing poverty and service. If some guy can become a saint, any guy (or gal) can!  Read more about him at Dynamic Catholic.

September 13 – Known as ‘Chrysostom’ or ‘golden-mouthed’, today’s saint – Saint John Chrysostom – was known for the quality of his preaching. Even when his words were hard to receive, they were precious and people came from around to hear him. He was eventually made a bishop – albeit reluctantly – and he continued to preach hard truths, especially against worldly wealth and excesses. He so upset the empress that he was exiled not once but twice! Reportedly his last words – offered on the way to his place of exile – were “Glory be to God for all things”. Read more about him at Notre Dame’s FaithND site.