From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

July 7th - Bl. Peter To Rot, Martyr
(1912-1945)

When a pope beatifies a holy person in St. Peter's, Rome, the rite
followed is governed by age-old rubrics. When the ceremony takes place
in some other country, however, it is likely to be modified according
to the customs of that land.

An illustration: the beatification of Peter To Rot on January 17,
1995. He was the first native =E2=80=9Cblessed=E2=80=9D of the nation of Pa= pua New
Guinea (a member of the British Commonwealth in Oceania, half-a-world
away from Rome).

The papal Mass took place in a stadium at Port Moresby, the nation'=
s
capital. Heading the entrance procession were Tolai warriors carrying
spears. Peter's relics were borne in to be deposited near the altar=
in
a hut made of banana leaves. Following the relics to this destination
was the martyr's 49-year-old daughter, her face painted white, the
traditional Papuan symbol of mourning. The Pope, of course, came at
the end of the march, but in a humbler version of the =E2=80=9Cpopemobile.= =E2=80=9D He
rode under a yellow canopy on the back of a white pickup truck. As the
truck circled the field, he was greeted at intervals by bare-chested
dancers from three national ethnic groups. The only European-like
touch was the uniformed brass band of the Port Moresby Police.

Despite the quaint adaptations made in his rite of beatification, Bl.
Peter To Rot was a martyr in the grand tradition. As the Pope said in
homily, =E2=80=9CMartyrdom has always been a part of the pilgrimage of the people of God.=E2=80=9D

Who was this man from Papua New Guinea whom we now welcome to the
church calendar?

Peter was a lay catechist: a married man and a father engaged in
teaching the faith and assisting the priests. According to his
biographer, he and his wife Paula, in the early years of their
marriage, had the usual matrimonial disagreements. Paula, who died in
1993, frankly admitted that he had even given her a =E2=80=9Csolid beating.= =E2=80=9D
But she hastened to say that this was only once; and she blamed
herself for it because she had been notional and uncooperative.

As the years passed the couple grew in grace. They nourished their
strong mutual love by praying together each dawn and dusk. Peter was
most conscientious about his church duties. He studied doctrine
carefully, and when he failed to understand something he sought the
advice of the =E2=80=9Cbig holy men.=E2=80=9D He was, said the Pope, =E2=80= =9Ca loving father
and a dedicated catechist, known for his kindness, gentleness and compassion.=E2=80=9D

Early in World War II, the Japanese seized control of much of Papua
New Guinea, especially the large island of New Britain where Peter
lived and worked. They imprisoned all the priests, so the catechist
had to try to substitute for them as best he could, not only by
visiting the sick but by witnessing marriages and conferring baptism. Eventually, the invaders called a halt to all his church work.
Becoming increasingly oppressive, they issued laws legalizing
polygamy, and even sought to encourage men to take plural wives.

Shocked at this threat to the whole Christian concept of marriage and matrimonial fidelity, Peter felt obliged to condemn as immoral the
Japanese laws regarding marriage. For his courageous stance, To Rot
was torn away from his pregnant wife and his children and clapped into
a concentration camp. Because he would not accept the laws, he was
condemned to death and executed by a lethal injection. The manner of
execution was modern and =E2=80=9Cscientific=E2=80=9D; but Peter died for t=
he same
cause that St. John the Baptist had died ' the sanctity of marriage=
..

At the beatification the people sang a hymn to Blessed Peter composed
for the occasion. The text, in Pidgin English (a trade language widely
used in the South Pacific) hailed him: =E2=80=9CYu strong na yu tru.=E2=80=
=9D By his
supreme sacrifice, Peter had more than compensated for the faults of
his youth. He was indeed =E2=80=9Cstrong and true.=E2=80=9D
'Father Robert


Bible Quote
Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being. Do it for the Lord ..[Colossians 3:23]

REFLECTION -=E2=80=9CWe do not cease praying so long as we continue to do
good. The prayer of the heart and of good deeds has more value than
the prayer of the lips.=E2=80=9D
--St Augustine

<><><><>
PRAYER
' Dear God, move me to make a morning offering to You with total
sincerity each day and then grant that all my deeds may be a devout continuation of that prayer. Open my eyes to those who need me in any
way, let me see as You do and do as You do. Blessed Peter To Rot, you
never failed to help each and every person in whatever way you could,
you defended the Church and the Faith and your neighbour, please pray
for us all, amen.

--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)