Readings & Reflections: Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter & St. Peter Chanel, April 28,2020
How often are we tempted to say to Jesus, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?” – that is, “How am I supposed to believe in you, Lord, if you don’t do what I say and make all my difficulties go away?” The Lord responds that the Father provides true bread from heaven – Jesus, who is himself “the bread of life.” Thus, even in the midst of Stephen’s persecution and death, Jesus has not abandoned him, for “the heavens opened.” May we have Stephen confidence in Jesus today, even if the only thing we can say is “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
AMDG+
Opening Prayer
Dear Jesus, Give us the grace to be forgiving to those who have sought to discriminate and condemn us. Allow us to forgive those who have hurt and betrayed us. Give us the strength to abide by what is right in your eyes. May You bless us with the burning desire to imitate You and St Stephen as we confront opposition in our work for You. In your Name, we pray. Amen The crowd asks Jesus, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?” The Lord responds that the Father will give them the true bread from heaven. This is the Presence that Stephen sees as “the heavens opened.” It infuriates those who “oppose the Holy Spirit.” We long for the spirit that makes us beg, “Give us this bread always.”
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April 28,2020 Hiligaynon Mass, Jaro City, Philippines
Reading 1
Acts 7:51—8:1a
Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
Now Saul was consenting to his execution.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
John 6:30-35
The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection 1 – “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
When Jesus was dying, one of His last words were, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” As the Jewish crowd stoned Stephen to death because he spoke against the law, he uttered: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
When someone hurts us, persecutes us and gives us a difficult time, do we react the way Stephen did? Do we try to shield our enemies from God’s wrath by interceding for them or do we entertain evil thoughts and wish that one day’s God’s Mighty Hand will be upon them?
One has forgiven those who have sinned against him when he is to able to present to God in prayer those who have hated him and have maltreated him. A man who prays for the good and conversion of his enemies is a man of God and certainly of Christ as he has been transformed into his likeness. He loves those who persecute Him, repays evil with good, forgives all and is even willing to repay with kindness those who have done him harm-his entire disposition all lead this prayer, “”Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
This painful scenario highlights not only the martyrdom of Stephen but it brought us to another young man sitting on the sideline, Saul of Tarsus. We have come to know him as Paul, the greatest missionary of Jesus, our Lord. It is beyond our understanding but that is how God can work out the greatest of deeds even in the worst adversities. Without Stephen, would there have been a Paul?
Lord, do not hold this sin against me. I am indeed sinful, broken and unforgiving. Have mercy on me my God for I am quite far from the model of Jesus! May you bless me the way you blessed and called Saul into your great service!
Direction
When you sincerely commend your life to God, love and forgiveness for your enemy will follow.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, let your face shine upon me and save me in your kindness as I commend my spirit into your hands. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Reflection 2 – Stephen’s prayer
Humorist theologian Frederick Buechner wrote of Stephen’s stoning: “Stoning somebody to death, even somebody as young and healthy as Stephen, isn’t easy. You don’t get the job done with the first few rocks and broken bottles, and even after you have the man down, it’s a long, hot business.” Those stoning would strip to the waist for the dastardly deed. They needed somebody to keep an eye on their clothing and coats while they went about the execution. That somebody in this case was Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who raged against this new sect of Judaism called the Followers of the Way. He saw them as heretics and fanatics.
As Jesus forgave his executioners in the Gospel of Luke, so Stephen does the same in Acts of the Apostles. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). The church owes St. Paul (who held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen) to Stephen’s prayer of forgiveness.
There are many ways to stone others. We don’t have to use actual rocks. We can hit them with the rock of jealousy. We can aim long and hard with the stones of prejudice. We can hit a bull’s eye with the broken bottles of false gossip. How can we gain the strength not to stone others as Stephen was stoned? The answer is in today’s Gospel (Jn 6:30-35).
In John’s Gospel today we hear Jesus speak of the manna from heaven that satisfies all hunger, “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (Jn 6:33). As the discourse goes on, it becomes clear that he is speaking of his own body broken and blood out poured out first on the cross and then in the Eucharist.
A Eucharistic people ought not to stone others. May the bread of life be our defense against the temptation to stone and the sure fulfillment of the prayer of Stephen: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Source: Timothy J. Cronin, Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, April 28, 2009).
Reflection 3 – I am the bread of life
Do you hunger for the bread of life? The Jews had always regarded the manna in the wilderness as the bread of God (Psalm 78:24, Exodus 16:15). There was a strong Rabbinic belief that when the Messiah came he would give manna from heaven. This was the supreme work of Moses. Now the Jewish leaders were demanding that Jesus produce manna from heaven as proof to his claim to be the Messiah. Jesus responds by telling them that it was not Moses who gave the manna, but God. And the manna given to Moses and the people was not the real bread from heaven, but only a symbol of the bread to come.
Jesus then makes the claim which only God can make: I am the bread of life. The bread which Jesus offers is none else than the very life of God. This is the true bread which can truly satisfy the hunger in our hearts. The manna from heaven prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper which Jesus gave to his disciples on the eve of his sacrifice. The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. It could not produce eternal life for the Israelites. The bread which Jesus offers his disciples sustains us not only on our journey to the heavenly paradise, it gives us the abundant supernatural life of God which sustains us both now and for all eternity. When we receive from the Lord’s table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood and partakers of his divine life. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the “one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ” (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward. Do you hunger for God and for the food which produces everlasting life?
“Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life. You alone can satisfy the hunger in my heart. May I always find in you, the true bread from heaven, the source of life and nourishment I need to sustain me on my journey to the promised land of heaven.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2020/apr28.htm
Reflection 4 – Whoever believes in me will never thirst
So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert… So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
The miracle of the loaves was a very big miracle. But based on the reaction of the crowd, it looks like that was not enough for them. They still demand for a sign: “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?” They quote Scripture at him: “He gave them bread from heaven to eat” (Exod 16:4-5; Numbers 11:7-9; Ps 78:24).
Undoubtedly, they had in mind what happened during the time of Moses. In their judgment, Jesus has done little compared to Moses. For forty years in the desert, Moses gave the entire nation with manna, “the bread from heaven”. On the other hand, Jesus fed the people with ordinary bread only, and on two occasions only: the first is 5,000 men with five bread and two fish (Mt 14, Mk 6, Lk 9 and Jn 6); the second is 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and fish (Mt 15 and Mk 8).
But Jesus does not entertain their demand for a sign. Instead he makes them realize that it was not Moses who gave them bread, but the heavenly Father. In fact, the manna was not the real bread from God; it was only a sign or symbol. It fed the body but not the spirit. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
This statement whetted their interest: “Sir, give us this bread always.” Obviously they were thinking in a materialistic sense. One may recall the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well who asked for the water that He offers so that she would never be thirsty again and thus, would not need to fetch water from the well every day. She was thinking of water only in a materialistic sense.
While Jesus was talking about spiritual realities, His listeners were thinking of something material and ephemeral. So He had to speak to them in a more straightforward way: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Perhaps we can resonate with this unbelieving crowd. Living in this world inevitably inundates us with the values of materialism and consumerism. This makes most of us insensitive and not attuned to matters of the Spirit. That is why the hunger and thirst for material things are insatiable. “It is not wrong to want to live better,” says Pope St. John Paul II. “What is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed toward ‘having’ rather than ‘being.’” (Centesimus Annus). The consequence of this culture of “having” and “accumulating”, rooted on selfishness and greed, is more misery, injustice and pain to more people, especially the poor and needy.
St. Augustine reminds us of the bitter fruit of the lethal combination of materialism and greed: “You have found that you were more secure before you accumulated so much. See what greed has imposed on you: You have filled your house and now you fear burglars. You have hoarded money and lost sleep. See what greed has commanded you: “Do this!” And you did it.”
The Lord now urges us to focus our lives on Him: “Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” To ‘come to Jesus’ means more than just going to Church and receiving Holy Communion. Rather, it implies being intimately one with Jesus, to let His Spirit penetrate our being, and to assimilate His way of life as our own.
It is always helpful to remember St. Teresa of Avila’s motto: “Solo Dios basta” (God alone suffices.). St. Teresa of Kolkata articulates this further: “To me – Jesus is my God. Jesus is my Spouse. Jesus is my Life. Jesus is my only Love. Jesus is my All in All. Jesus is my Everything.”
That is what Pope St. John Paul II points out in his admonition: “Christ alone can free man from what enslaves him to evil and selfishness: from the frantic search for material possessions, from the thirst for power and control over others and over things, from the illusion of easy success, from the frenzy of consumerism and hedonism which ultimately destroy the human being.” (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Amsterdam St., Capitol Park Homes, Matandang Balara, Quezon City 1119).
Reflection 5 – Demand of signs
The reasons people give for not believing God often boil down to something they want God to do to prove Himself. Sadly, in making “to do” lists for God, we miss seeing the countless things He has already done.
Even people who lived near Jesus and who witnessed His miracles asked for more proof. Comparing Jesus to Moses, they asked, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?…Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (Jn 6:30-31).
The startling thing about their request is that just one day earlier Jesus had indeed given them bread. He had fed 5,000 of them with the bread from one boy’ lunch!
Had we been in Jesus’ place, we may have replied, “What about the bread I fed you yesterday?” But Jesus used the moment to teach them, “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35). Instead of waiting in doubt and disappointment for God to do the one thing we demand of Him, let’s take the time to look at everything God has already done.
If you’re waiting for a sign from heaven, I’m afraid you may be disappointed; God has given us the perfect witness – Jesus Christ, the One He has anointed. Do you believe in Him as the bread of life? How I can I share Jesus as bread of life?
Look at Jesus when He was dying, one of His last words, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” When Stephen was stoned to death because he spoke against the law, he uttered, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When someone hurts us, persecutes us and gives us a difficult time, do we react the way Stephen did?
We are made to realize the truth that the joy of being one with Christ always culminates in our sharing of His cross. We are reminded that if we receive Jesus in our hearts, live with Him and in Him, we will never grow hungry or thirsty as we commend our spirit into His hands. We may suffer and die with Him on the cross yet the promise of Resurrection will bring us eternal joy that knows no bounds.
As we journey back to our true home with the Father, we are all made aware that the way to share in Christ’s cross in our present day life is to be His disciple and servant who serves anonymously and dies to self, all for God’s greater glory.
When we sincerely commend our life to God, love and forgiveness for our enemy will follow.
Reflection 6 – Come To Me
I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger. —John 6:35
When Jesus lived on this earth, He invited people to come to Him, and He still does today (John 6:35). But what do He and His Father in heaven have that we need?
Salvation. Jesus is the only way to have forgiveness of sin and the promise of heaven. “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:15).
Purpose. We are to give all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength to following Jesus. “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34).
Comfort. In trial or sorrow, the “God of all comfort . . . comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Wisdom. We need wisdom beyond our own for making decisions. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, . . . and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
Strength. When we’re weary, “the Lord will give strength to His people” (Psalm 29:11).
Abundant Life. The fullest life is found in a relationship with Jesus. “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). Come!
— Anne Cetas
Jesus is calling to those who are weary,
And He is calling the thirsty ones too;
If for the Bread of Life you now hunger,
Hear His sweet voice saying, “Come.” —Hess
Jesus invites us to come to Him for life (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).
Reflection 7 – Signs are not enough
Film director Woody Allen has been quoted as saying, “If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.”
The reasons people give for not believing God often boil down to something they want God to do to prove Himself. Sadly, in making “to do” lists for God, we miss seeing the countless things He has already done.
Even people who lived near Jesus and who witnessed His miracles asked for more proof. Comparing Jesus to Moses, they asked, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?… Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (Jn 6:30-31).
The startling thing about their request is that just one day earlier Jesus had indeed given them bread. He had fed 5,000 of them with the bread from one boy’s lunch!
Had we been in Jesus’ place, we may have replied, “What about the bread I fed you yesterday?” But Jesus used the moment to teach them, “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35).
Instead of waiting in doubt and disappointment for God to do the one thing we demand of Him, let’s take the time to look at everything God has done.
If you’re waiting for a sign from heaven,
I’m afraid you may be disappointed;
God has given us the perfect witness –
Jesus Christ, the One He has anointed.
What we know of God encourages us to trust Him in all we don’t know (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).
Reflection 8 – The courage to face persecution
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Saint Stephen was the first person to die for Christ. His story, which today’s first reading introduces, happened in Jerusalem around the year 35 A.D. He was probably a Greek-speaking Jew, and an enthusiastic member of the “New Way” (as Christianity was called at the time). He was ordained by the Apostles to become one of the first deacons, and he preached the truth about Jesus so boldly that it cost him his life.
His courage to proceed in his ministry no matter what earthly dangers he faced came from staying focused on heaven and on his beloved Savior. Obviously, he overcame his natural desire to protect himself from the wrath of non-believers. His focus on Christ enabled him to love his enemies. Despite the intense pain of being stoned, he prayed, “Lord, forgive them,” which impacted a zealous persecutor named Saul.
Not long after that, Saul met Christ and experienced a complete conversion, becoming Saint Paul. As a result of Stephen’s courage, Paul traveled extensively to start many churches. When do others see your courage for living and sharing your faith? You’re probably underestimating how far-reaching your witness has been.
Relics of Saint Stephen were discovered in the year 415 by a priest named Lucian. The priest was awakened one night by the apparition of a man clothed in white. The vision called him by name and asked him to go to Jerusalem to tell the bishop to open his tomb and the tombs of several other servants of God. This, according to the apparition, would lead many to conversion.
Identifying himself as Gamaliel, “the one who instructed Paul,” he told Lucian that the body of St. Stephen would be found outside the city beyond the northern gate. His body had been left exposed a day and a night, he said, without being touched, and then the faithful had carried it away secretly at night to his home in the country. The bodies of Nicodemus and other early believers would also be found.
Lucian feared that the vision was false and that if he made it known he would be ridiculed and persecuted. He prayed that if this message had come from God it would be repeated. So Gamaliel appeared to him again. Still Lucian hesitated, until a third message came. Finally, he obeyed. He found three coffins. Greek engravings identified them as Stephen, Nicodemus, and Abibas. News of the discovery attracted a large number of people, including the bishop. When they opened Stephen’s coffin, a sweet fragrance filled the air. Many miracles and conversions occurred there.
Whenever we fear being ridiculed and persecuted, we should proceed, forgive, and pray, as Jesus did on the cross: “Into your hands, O Lord, I entrust my spirit” (from Psalm 31). Then it no longer matters what others do to us or think about us. Our focus is on heaven. – Read the source: http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2019-05-07
Reflection 9 – The healing power of the Eucharist
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In the Gospel reading today, Jesus makes himself known as the “bread of life”. What does it mean to be bread? And how does that affect life?
The practicalities of providing communion to large congregations make it necessary to use little flat wafers of bread for the paschal meal, but they don’t seem very bread-like. In the early years, Christians celebrated the Lord’s Supper with bread that looked like bread and they broke off their own pieces after it became the Body of Christ. We’ve forgotten some of the rich meaning behind sharing the “breadness” of the Eucharist.
During the consecration prayers, Jesus comes to us fully, with all his humanity and divinity, in a form that we can touch. We can hold him. We can kiss him. We can consume him into our physical beings, and by uniting ourselves to him, we are consumed by him and our lives become his life (if we don’t reject that life the moment we walk out the door). Such an encounter with God should change us every time!
Why then doesn’t every Catholic who receives Communion leave Mass transformed? Since we’ve received the fullness of Jesus himself, it seems that no matter how little we’ve paid attention, we should be holier than when we came in.
Before Jesus distributed the Passover bread to his disciples, he broke it. It was the broken bread that he gave when he said, “Take and eat. This is my body, which will be given up for you.” We are, in fact, transformed when we become aware that we are uniting ourselves to the brokenness of Christ.
It was in Christ’s brokenness that he delivered us from evil. Therefore, it is in our brokenness that our humility unites us to Christ, it is in our brokenness that we become free from the power of evil. A broken spirit is ready to depend on God instead of self. A broken heart needs the love that no human, other than the divine Jesus, is perfect enough to give. A broken family is forever wounded unless Jesus becomes the center of each person’s life, and when we want reconciliation but the other person refuses, we give our broken hearts to the perfect love of the only One who can heal us.
Recognizing our brokenness is what begins change within us. Accepting the blessing of our brokenness is what empowers the change. And offering our brokenness to the Lord — to be used in loving service for others, like Jesus — is what completes the transformation.
This is what it means to truly receive Jesus, the bread of our life, in the Eucharist. – Read the source: https://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2020-04-28
For more on this or to teach this to others as a catechist, please visit Catholic Digital Resources: catholicdr.com/powerpoint-packages/christs-true-presence/
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Reflection 10 – St. Peter Chanel (1803-1841 A.D.)
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. The bishop accompanying the missionaries left Peter and a brother on Futuna Island (northeast of Fiji), promising to return in six months. He was gone five years.
Meanwhile, Peter 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, plus 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.
Within two years after his death, the whole island became Catholicand 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).
Patron Saint of: Oceania
Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1367
SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. Click here to receive Saint of the Day in your email.
| SAINT PETER CHANEL | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| PROTOMARTYR OF OCEANIA | |
| BORN | 12 July 1803 Montrevel-en-Bresse, Ain, France |
| DIED | 28 April 1841 (aged 37) Futuna Island |
| VENERATED IN | The Catholic Church |
| BEATIFIED | 17 November 1889, Rome byPope Leo XIII |
| CANONIZED | 12 June 1954, Rome by Pope Pius XII |
| MAJOR SHRINE | Futuna |
| FEAST | 28 April |
| ATTRIBUTES | Gentle, Kind, Encouraging |
| PATRONAGE | Oceania |
Saint Peter Chanel (12 July 1803 – 28 April 1841), born Pierre Louis Marie Chanel, was a Catholic priest,missionary, and martyr.
Contents
[hide]
Life[edit]
Early years[edit]
Chanel was born in 1803 in the hamlet of La Potière near Cuet in the area of Belley, Ain département, France. Son of Claude-François Chanel and Marie-Anne Sibellas he was the fifth of eight children. From about the age of 7 to 12 he worked as a shepherd. The local parish priest persuaded his parents to allow Peter to attend a small school the priest had started. After some schooling at a local school Saint-Didier-d’Aussiat his piety and intelligence attracted the attention of a visiting priest from Cras, Fr. Trompier, and he was put into Church-sponsored education at Cras in the autumn of 1814. He made his first communion on 23 March 1817.[1]
It was from that time that his attraction for the missions abroad began. His interest was the result of reading letters from missionaries sent back by Bishop DuBourg from America. He later said, “It was that year that I formed the idea of going to the foreign missions.” In 1819 he entered the minor seminary at Meximieux where he won several awards and class prizes in Latin, Christian doctrine and speech, he went to Belley in 1823, and the major seminary at Brou in 1824.
He was ordained on 15 July 1827[2] and spent a brief time as an assistant priest at Ambérieu-en-Bugey. At Ambérieu he also read letters from a former curate from that parish who was at that time a missionary in India. There he met Claude Bret, who was to become his friend and also one of the first Marist Missionaries. The following year, Chanel applied to the Bishop of Belley for permission to go to the missions. His application was not accepted and instead he was appointed for the next three years as parish priest of the parish of Crozet, which he revitalized in that short time.[1]
His zeal was widely respected, and his care, particularly of those in the parish that were sick,[3] won the hearts of the locals. During this time, Chanel heard of a group of Diocesan Priests who were hopeful of starting a religious order to be dedicated to Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
Marist and missionary[edit]
Statue of Saint Peter Chanel
In 1831, at the age of twenty-eight, Chanel joined the forming Society of Mary (Marists),[1] who would concentrate on local missions and foreign missionary work. Instead of selecting him as a missionary, however, the Marists used his talents as the spiritual director at the Seminary of Belley, where he stayed for five years.[3] In 1833, he accompanied Fr. Jean-Claude Colin to Rome to seek approval of the nascent Society. In 1836, the Marists, finally formally approved by Pope Gregory XVI, were asked to send missionaries to the territory of the South West Pacific.[4] Chanel, professed a Marist on 24 September 1836, was made the superior of a band of seven Marist missionaries that set out on 24 December from Le Havre. They were accompanied by Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier who was to become the first Bishop of New Zealand.
Chanel traveled first to the Canary Islands (8 January 1837), where his friend, Fr. Claude Bret caught a flu-like virus which led to his death at sea (20 March 1837. Next, Chanel traveled to Valparaíso(28 June), where the French Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (“Picpus Fathers”), who had care of the Apostolic Vicariate of Eastern Oceania, had their base. His third and fourth stops were in the Gambier Islands (13 September) and in Tahiti (21 September), where the group transferred to the Raiatea. In that ship they set sail (23 October) to drop off two missionaries at Wallis, the main seat of the mission in Tonga. The missionaries arrived at Vava’u but weren’t welcome and thus continued their journey to Futuna.[5]Pierre Chanel went to neighboring Futuna, accompanied by a French lay brother Marie-Nizier Delorme. They arrived on 8 November 1837 with an English Protestant layman named Thomas Boag, who had been resident on the island and had joined them at Tonga seeking passage to Futuna.
Martyrdom[edit]
The group was initially well received by Futuna’s king, Niuliki. Fr. Peter struggled to learn the language and mastered it. Despite little apparent success and severe want, he maintained endless patience and courage. It was a difficult mission, coping with isolation, different foods and customs, but eventually beginning to bear some fruit.[6] A few natives had been baptized while a few more were being instructed.[3] King Niuliki believed that Christianity would undermine his authority as high priest and king. When his son, Meitala, sought to be baptized, the king sent a favoured warrior, his son-in-law, Musumusu, to “do whatever was necessary” to resolve the problem. Musumusu initially went to Meitala and the two fought. Musumusu, injured in the fracas, went to Chanel feigning need of medical attention. While Chanel tended him, a group of others ransacked his house. Musumusu took an axe and clubbed Chanel to death. Chanel died on April 28, 1841.
News of Chanel’s death took months to reach the outside world. It was almost a year before Marists in France learned of it; for those in New Zealand, it took half that time. Two weeks after the killing, the William Hamilton, a passing American trading ship, took Br. Marie-Nizier, Boag and others to Wallis (arriving 18 May 1841) and safety. In time, the news made it to Kororāreka (now Russell, New Zealand), where, Marie Nizier told Jean Baptiste Pompallier’s deputy, Jean-Baptiste Épalle, that Peter Chanel had been murdered.
Relics[edit]
Pierre Chanel (Petelō Saineha), window of the Catholic Church of Lapaha, Tonga
Bishop Pompallier heard of the death of Chanel on 4 November 1841 while he was at Akaroa and arranged for a French naval corvette commanded by the Comte du Bouzet, L’Allier, to accompany the Mission schooner Sancta Maria and sail on 19 November for Wallis and Futuna, taking with him Philippe Viard. The two vessels arrived at ʻUvea on 30 December 1841. The Bishop sent Viard to Futuna, where he landed on 18 January 1842. A chief named Maligi, who had not agreed to Chanel’s murder, agreed to disinter Chanel’s body, and brought it to the L’Allier the next day, wrapped in several local mats.
The ship’s doctor, M. Rault, was able to verify the identity of the remains, bearing in mind the description of the manner of Chanel’s death given previously by Brother Marie-Nizier. The doctor undertook to embalm the remains, so that they could be kept, wrapping them in linen and placing them in a cask. The schooner Sancta Mariatransported the body back to Kororāreka, New Zealand, arriving on 3 May 1842.
The relics remained in the Bay of Islands until 1849, when they were accompanied by Fr. Petitjean to Auckland – most likely early in April 1849. They left New Zealand on 15 April 1849 by the ship Maukin, and arrived in Sydney, Australia on 4 May. Fr. Rocher received the container that held the bones and took it to the Procure Chapel at Gladesville in Sydney on 7 May. Fr. Rocher was very careful in making the decision as to when to send the container on to England and France. He looked for a trustworthy captain, and a reliable person in London to receive the consignment, attend to the Customs, and have it sent on to Lyon. Early in 1850, Fr. Bernin, pro-vicar for Bishop Douarre, vicar-apostolic of New Caledonia, had to leave for France. He left Sydney for London on the Waterlooon 1 February 1850, taking Peter Chanel’s remains with him. On June 1, 1850, the remains arrived at the Mother House of the Society of Mary in Lyon. The relics were returned to Futuna in 1977. The skull was returned to Futuna in 1985.
Conversions in Futuna[edit]
Bishop Pompallier sent Frs. Catherin Servant, François Roulleaux-Dubignon and Br. Marie Nizier to return to the Island. They arrived on 9 June 1842. Eventually, most on the island converted to Catholicism. Musumusu himself converted and, as he lay dying, expressed the desire that he be buried outside the church at Poi, so that those who came to revere Peter Chanel in the Church would walk over his grave to get to it.
As a kind of penitence, a special action song and dance, known as the eke, was created by the people of Futuna shortly after Chanel’s death. The dance is still performed in Tonga.
Veneration[edit]
Chanel was declared a martyr and beatified in 1889.[6] He was canonized on 12 June 1954 by Pope Pius XII.[2] St Peter Chanel is recognized as the protomartyr and Patron Saint of Oceania.[6] His feast day is 28 April.
Legacy[edit]
Marist priests and brothers working in Oceania cover a territory as big as Western Europe. The area includes six independent nations, and two French territories. The Marist Oceania province is the largest in the Society of Mary.[2]
Fact and fiction[edit]
In an effort to make his life more attractive, more heroic-sounding, some early accounts of his life on Futuna tended to be somewhat fanciful to fill out a biography which inevitably had to be rather slim. The rigorous scrutiny demanded by Chanel’s Beatification as a martyr in 1889, and even more by his canonization in 1954, sifted out some exaggerations and embellished piety. Two of the three notebooks containing his Futuna diary survived, and these provide a solid reference point in assessing his character as a missionary.[7] It is equally regrettable that many of the errors made in earlier biographies abound and can be found on websites elsewhere. Mistakes in geography including statements that Chanel went to the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) or that Futuna is part of that island group are also frequent. (In fact there is another island as part of the Vanuatu group called Futuna but the two islands should not be confused.)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Stevens, Rev. Clifford. “The One Year Book of Saints”, OSV Publishing, Huntington, Indiana
- ^ Jump up to:a b c St. Peter Chanel SM
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Foley OFM, Leonard. Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessons, and Feast, (revised by Pat McC;oskey, OFM), Franciscan Media, ISBN 978-0-86716-887-7
- Jump up^ “St. Peter-Louis-Marie Chanel.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 2 Apr. 2013
- Jump up^ St. Peter Chanel College of Kelana
- ^ Jump up to:a b c