Feast of St. Peter Faber
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
St. Xavier Church

Ignatius, Peter Faber, Francis Xavier--Each Suggests the Other Two, Said Fr. Nadal.
What Happened to Ignatius at Manresa Happened to Peter Faber at Paris.

            Sunday was the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, whose first two Jesuit brothers were Francis Xavier and Peter Faber.  Today is the feast of St. Peter Faber, who went un-canonized until 2013, when Pope Francis did the honors and officially gave Peter this feast day.
            On May 20, 1521, Peter Faber, who was from France, and only nineteen, went to Paris to continue his studies.  At that same time, a young Spaniard, also nineteen, made his way to Paris.  He was Francis Xavier.  Peter and Francis entered the College Ste. Barbe, and were roommates.  Peter was blond, soft spoken, not sure of himself, bookish, and scrupulous; Francis had black hair and was self-confident, athletic, well built, up-for-adventure, and an outgoing nobleman.
            Peter and Francis studied and lived together until 1529, when they were joined by another roommate, Ignatius Loyola, who had finally realized that he had to study philosophy and theology if he was going to give speeches, do spiritual direction, and preach.  Ignatius was not too good in Greek and so was having a hard time studying Aristotle.  Peter Faber offered to tutor him.  One day, during a tutoring session, Peter revealed to Ignatius what Peter called “the cross of scrupulosity, introspection, self-doubt, indecisiveness, timidity, and extremes of elation and depression, optimism and pessimism” that tortured him and that he tried to hide.  Ignatius revealed his own battles with scrupulosity that had once made Ignatius consider suicide and began immediately to help Peter.  Peter wanted to do the Spiritual Exercises and take the thirty-day retreat, but Ignatius thought Peter needed to do a lot of personal prayer and work before taking such a retreat.  Eventually, he did the exercises, and became, said Ignatius, the most proficient spiritual director, “converting newly Protestant Europe one person at a time.”
            Eventually, Francis, Peter, and Ignatius graduated; and Peter, in 1534, became the first to be ordained.  Twelve years later, he died at the age of forty, exhausted by all the traveling he had to do and all the assignments Ignatius had sent him on.  Looking back on those days when he roomed with Francis and Ignatius, Peter wrote: "Providence decreed I was to be Ignatius’ tutor.  We first discussed secular subjects, then spiritual ones.  We lived in common, sharing the same room, the same table, and the same purse.  As time passed Ignatius became my master in spiritual things and gave me a way [which he had learned from his own personal experience] of understanding myself and raising myself to a knowledge of God's will.  In the end we three became one in desire and will and in resolve to take up that life we lead today--we the members of the Society.  Oh thank God for my friend Ignatius."  A beautiful testimony to friendship.
            Two things.  First, such fortuitous meetings of roommates still happen.  Within the last four years, a group of young men at X.U. founded “the Knights of St. Xavier.”  They pray together and attend Mass daily; and three of them (who graduated in May) will be entering the seminary this month: two for the diocese and one for the Society.  Second, the gospel for St. Peter Faber’s Mass seems very appropriate.  He was said to be “competent, but not original, and certainly not given to climbing.”  With Ignatius’ help, Peter found his own voice and his personal gifts were set free in humble service in those days following the Reformation.  Let us pray that the same happens to us in our day.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam