Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest

 Lectionary: 439

Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours....
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.

Saint Luke offers little consolation to those who live far above the common experience of most people; and less to those who aspire to live that way. The poor are those who neither have nor crave wealth; they have heard the Lord's promise and take Him at his word. That decision, made repeatedly throughout our lives, is better than money in the bank.

Saint Paul describes the Holy Spirit as future wealth, a down payment on eternity, in three verses of his letters:

• Ephesians 1:13-14: In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,l which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
• 2 Corinthians 1:22: he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
• 2 Corinthians 5:5-7 Now the one who has prepared us for this very thing is God,d who has given us the Spirit as a first installment. So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Those who invest cleverly in the financial world today should understand these verses better than most of us. They live and deal with "futures" and, from what I hear, make astonishing wealth with them. It's some sort of gamble with nothing to lose except the money that was never theirs in the first place. And when they do lose it, they simply start over. No problem! They fear losing more than poverty.

Except they neglect the Word of God and ignore his promises, which the faithful know are far more satisfying and reassuring than anything this world's financial markets can offer. While wealthy worry about losing what they have, the faithful enjoy God's abiding Spirit; they hear his word, receive his comfort, and sleep easily with the way things are. Their future is not in futures but in God's word. 

Saint Peter Claver invested heavily in the naked slaves he welcomed to America, although they could offer nothing in return. He knew the Lord and that knowledge was all the assurance he needed toward endless bliss.