St. Peter To Rot
One
Peter To Rot
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Peter To Rot. Peter is a remarkable modern saint because he was not a priest, bishop, monk, or religious. He was a husband, father, and catechist who gave his life defending the Catholic faith during World War II. He became the first canonized saint from Papua New Guinea, which, if you're like me, you may have had to look up on a map. It's just north of Australia.
Peter's parents were among the first converts to Catholicism in their region. The parish priest thought Peter should become a priest, but his father encouraged him to become a catechist. By the age of twenty-one, he had become a gifted teacher of the faith. At twenty-four, he married Paula, and together they had three children.
I feel a special connection to this saint because I was not called to be a priest either. God called me to dedicate my life to teaching the faith. Back in 1991, as a young man, I looked around and realized that many people, including me, did not really know the Catholic faith. So I left my position in the corporate world, set out to learn my faith more deeply, and dedicated my life to helping others discover its truth and beauty.
Perhaps you feel something similar. Maybe you have a desire to know the faith more deeply and to help your children, family members, friends, or coworkers come to know Christ as well.
Two
Study and Prayer and Joy
In his Beatification Homily for Peter To-Rot John Paul II said there were three things that marked his life as a Catholic: prayer, study, and joy. Peter went to Daily Mass and frequent visits to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, sustained him, gave him wisdom to counsel the disheartened, and courage to persevere until death. Most of all, he prayed for himself, for his family, for his people, and for the Church. He was known as a man of deep prayer.
In order to be an effective evangelizer, Peter To Rot studied hard and sought advice from wise and what he called holy "big men". In very difficult situations, he lived his Christian life so purely and joyfully. These are three fantastic attributes, to be committed to a deep life of prayer, to also be committed to a lifelong study of the Catholic faith, because the more we know God, the better we can love him!
Finally, to live with joy.
Three
Martyrdom
Again John Paul II says of Peter, “During times of persecution the faith of individuals and communities is "tested by fire" (1Pt. 1: 7). But Christ tells us that there is no reason to be afraid. Those persecuted for their faith will be more eloquent than ever, "it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you" (Mt. 10: 20). So it was for Blessed Peter To Rot.”
When his village of Rakunai was occupied during the Second World War by the Japanese military, and after the heroic missionary priests were imprisoned, he assumed responsibility for the spiritual life of the villagers. Not only did he continue to instruct the faithful and visit the sick, but he also baptized, assisted at marriages, and led people in prayer.
When the Japanese legalized and encouraged polygamy, Blessed Peter knew it to be against Christian principles and firmly denounced this practice. Because the Spirit of God dwelt in him, he fearlessly proclaimed the truth about the sanctity of marriage. He refused to take the "easy way" (Cf. ibid. 7: 13) of moral compromise. "I have to fulfil my duty as a Church witness to Jesus Christ", he explained. Fear of suffering and death did not deter him.
On the day of his death, Blessed Peter asked his wife to bring him his catechist’s crucifix. It accompanied him to the end. Condemned without trial, he suffered his martyrdom calmly. Following in the footsteps of his Master, the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn.1: 29), he too was "led like a lamb to the slaughter" (Cf. Is. 53: 7). And yet this "grain of wheat" which fell silently into the earth (Cf. Jn. 12: 24) has produced a harvest of blessings for the Church in Papua New Guinea!
Four
What is needed most
About the same time, Peter To Rot was born. Pope St. Pius X asked a group of Cardinals, “What is the thing we most need, today, to save society?”
“Build Catholic schools,” said one. “No.”
“More churches,” said another. “Still no.”
“Speed up the recruiting of priests,” said a third.
“No, no,” said the Pope, “The MOST necessary thing of all…is to form a group of lay-people who will be virtuous, enlightened, resolute, and truly apostolic.”
In other words, the Church needs more Peter To Rots. Men and women who have a deep friendship with Jesus through prayer. Men and women who know their Catholic faith. Men and women who can help others come to Christ through friendship and good conversation. This is how God renews the Church. This is how He renews the world.
Five
Spiritual War
We are in a spiritual war, and there are two kinds of casualties: People estranged from God and people estranged from each other, isolated and alone. These Daily Rosary Meditations are like the air campaign. They reach people at scale. They form hearts, minds, habits, and desires. But if we want to take more territory, if we want to reach more souls, then someone has to take personal responsibility on the ground. We need ground troops.
Ground troops are ordinary Catholics who already love the people far from God: parents, spouses, siblings, friends, grandparents, coworkers, and neighbors. But these Ground Troops need to be equipped, practiced, and supported so they can help the people God has already placed in their lives. They need training in prayer and the truths of the faith. They need to grow in competence and confidence. They need guided practice in friendship, conversation, listening, asking good questions, invitation, accompaniment, and perseverance.
Jesus and Mary are building a movement of people dedicated to friendship with Jesus and Friendship with others. We call this the Movement of the Holy Family. I am inviting you to join us, be trained, and help bring your loved ones closer to God.