Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, a Native American saint who converted to Christianity due to the influence of French Jesuit missionaries. Christianity’s influence in the New World is a murky topic because its spread in earlier centuries was tied up in colonial projects. Some of these efforts were not carried out in a Christian manner. Some were baptized “under the shadow of the sword,” meaning that Christianity was imposed on Natives violently or with a threat of violence in some instances. The Church has realized that such compelled proselytization and involuntary conversion denies a person their dignity, culture, and freedom. However, some did – perhaps rarely – voluntarily choose to become Christian despite the persecution and ridicule one would receive from their own people. St. Kateri was one of these people. She converted to Christianity and had to leave her tribe to find a supportive community for her new way of life. She left everything behind, like how Jacob’s family does in today’s First Reading (Genesis 46). She fled to another town when faced with struggles in her own community, as Jesus also says in today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:23). Yet this sort of persecution she faced should come as no surprise, as Jesus said it would come with accepting the Gospel. However, persecution for its own sake is evil – not good. Christians should refrain from violence and coercion. If we are hated because we are oppressive and bullying, then we are not blessed. Instead, when we genuinely choose to follow Christ and do good and are hated for it as St. Kateri did, then we are sanctified. In the past, some European Christians did not treat most Native peoples well. However, with St. Kateri’s intercession, we can forge a path forward to create a future for our Church that is brighter than any past.