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May 6th: Saint Peter Nolasco, religious
Gospel text
Mt 25:31-40
Mt 25:31-40
Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory (…), and all the nations will be assembled before him (…). And the king will say to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
Gospel's Commentary
Today we celebrate Saint Peter Nolasco (c. 1180–1256), founder of the Mercedarians. He saw that Christ was truly present in the captives of his time. Peter did not limit himself to feeling compassion. A merchant by profession, he became closely acquainted with the plight of so many Christians deprived of their freedom and taken as slaves to Muslim territories, where they were in danger of losing their faith. Moved by mercy, Peter began using his own possessions to ransom them. When these resources ran out, he begged for alms on their behalf and committed his entire life to this mission. Our needy neighbour is not a stranger, but Christ who comes to visit us.
—The thought and life of Saint Peter Nolasco could be summed up in the logic of the Mercedarians: to visit, to set free and, if necessary, to give one’s own life.