Onesimus was a slave of Philemon of Colossae who fled his master and encountered Saint Paul in prison, where he was converted and baptized. Paul sent him back to Philemon with the short New Testament letter that bears Philemon's name, asking that Onesimus be received no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother in Christ. Ancient tradition holds that he later served the Church as a bishop and died a martyr.
Onesimus shows that no past and no station in life places anyone beyond the reach of God's mercy — a runaway slave became a brother, a co-worker of an apostle, and a saint. His story also teaches reconciliation: Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus were all asked to let grace rewrite an old wound into a new bond of love.
Lord Jesus, who through Saint Onesimus turned a runaway into a beloved brother, heal what is broken between us and those we love, and make us useful servants of Your mercy. Amen.