St. Peter Orseolo was born in 928 to a noble and wealthy Venetian family. At the early age of 20, he successfully commanded a fleet that conquered a group of pirate ships in the Adriatic Sea.
This feat of daring and courage was one of similar escapades that eventually ended in his being chosen Doge of Venice, a wealthy and prestigious head of a famous city.
Then something curious occurred. Grace touched St. Peter's soul. He recognized his past life of sin and bad actions and decided to abandon all for the life of a monk. He gave up fame, riches and position and exchanged these for simplicity, poverty and seclusion.
Nonetheless, St. Peter remained a fighter--now he would dominate himself rather than others, a much more difficult battle. He became a true hero, a saint. Every saint is a hero but not every hero is a saint for not every hero is willing to fight his defects to the last and to give all the honor of his conquest to God.
in the first part of St. Peter's life, he fought to eradicate the pirates who were capturing Christians who would be subject to Muslim atrocities.
Therefore he fought the enemies of the Church.
In the second part of his life, St. Peter fought against his own defects. Let us pray that St. Peter help us to follow his example by having the courage to fight both the enemies of God and defects of our souls.
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