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| Peter of Alcantara en.wikipedia.org |
IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
By Larry Peterson
Peter of Alcantara was born in 1499 in the Province of
Caceres in Extremadura,
Spain. He was named after his father, Peter Gravita, who was the governor of Alacantara.
His mom was from a noble family who came from Sanabia. Already as a child,
Peter displayed an exceptional gift of prayer, and at times he was so absorbed
it was if he was in a trance. During
those times, neither his parents nor their servants would be able to get the
boy to respond to them.
When Peter was sixteen, he had already decided to be a
Franciscan. It was during this time that his father sent him off to the
University in Salamanca. Peter, deeply devout and pious even as a teenager, was
seriously tempted during his early days at the university. The opportunity to
lead a life of comfort and pleasure was in front of him.
He had to choose which it would be; humility, prayer,
and penance or the things of the world. His answer was given to him as he was
on his way to the monastery at Monjaresz. Peter came to a stream that had been
swollen with floodwaters from the heavy rains. He had no way to cross to the
other side, so he knelt down and asked God for help.
With his eyes closed in prayer, Peter prayed and
prayed. When he opened his eyes he was on the other side of the rushing river.
Peter knew that he had been given a sign that he must follow his vocation. The
young man was thrilled because this event erased any doubt he may have had
about what God wanted him to do. He distributed whatever inheritance he had to
the poor and became a Franciscan friar. He was twenty-two years old.
Once he became part of the order, he gave himself up
completely to God. He began to develop a life of daily mortification, penance,
and frequent fasting. In fact, he monitored his natural senses and desires so
carefully that when asked what the inside of his church looked like, he did not
know. Peter was sent to found a new community at Badajoz.
He was ordained a priest in 1524, and the following
year was appointed a Guardian at St. Mary of the Angels in Old Castile. The
self-sacrifice and mortification he was practicing were intense. He wore an
iron belt with sharp points that pierced his flesh. He refused to sleep more
than an hour and a half a day and would do this while sitting on the floor.
On April 14, 1562, Peter wrote a letter to Teresa of
Avila. He knew in his heart that God had chosen her for great things and he
advised her to found her first monastery at Avila. Theresa responded to Peter
and the monastery was established on August 24, 1562. Much of what is known
about Peter of Alcantara has been taken from the writings of Teresa of Avila.
She even confirmed that Peter would only eat once every three days. She wrote
that he sometimes would go a week without eating. His regimen of offering
himself to God was extraordinary, to say the least.
Teresa and Peter became close friends, and the priest
became her mentor and counsel. She knew that he was also of God, and she wrote
that the gift of miracles and prophecy he possessed were heaven-sent. She credits Peter with her success in the
reformation of the Carmelite
Order.
Peter also had another gift; he was a great
preacher. He loved to preach to the poor, and they loved to listen because he
had a unique way of expressing compassion and understanding to the lives they
were enduring. None other than St.
Francis Borgia wrote to him, “You remarkable success
(as a Preacher) is a special comfort to me.”
Peter of Alcantara, in his efforts to please and
imitate his Savior, lived a life of intense poverty and austerity. He traveled
throughout Spain preaching the Gospel while eating and drinking a bare minimum
to stay functioning. He wrote a Treatise
on Prayer and Meditation which
is considered a masterpiece by both St. Teresa of Avila and St. Francis de Sales. He was often seen
levitating and in ecstasy while in prayer.
Lastly, Peter of Alcantara is the Patron Saint of Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament. On his deathbed, he was asked if he
wanted some water. He responded, “Even my Lord Jesus Christ thirsted on the
Cross.”
On October 18, 1562, he died while praying. He was
canonized a saint by Pope Clement IX on April 18,1622.
Saint Peter of Alcantara, please pray for us.
copyright©Larry Peterson 2019
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