Recently, I was privileged to deliver the invocation at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. interfaith prayer service. The diversity represented in Antioch Missionary Baptist Church that afternoon was a reflection of the great dream Dr. King held for this nation. A dream that we all would one day raise our voices as one, in defense of justice, peace and the human dignity of every person. As I stood before this living mosaic of colors and cultures I commented that if Dr. King were giving the invocation for this day of prayer, he would tell us that our work for justice and human rights is not complete. That even while laws of protection and equality may have been written in the legal books, the law of love still must be inscribed on the hearts of all men and women. Rev. King prophetically outlined the path to fulfillment of his dream when he said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” The love we are called to share with our brothers and sisters is patterned after God’s abundant love for us. God loved us first, and how we love allows the world to experience Him in us. God’s love is limitless, so too our love must not be limited by the letter of the law, but by the Spirit of hope. Pope Francis, who also has been a powerful voice for the poor and those enslaved by hatred, recently said “To all of you, I repeat: Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! Let us not rob others of hope, let us all be bearers of hope.” Hope is born in the mercy, compassion, and respect that we show for all of our brothers and sisters who still are being left behind. With God’s help, we can and must learn from the tragic lessons of the past working to break the chains that enslave all those who seek to be recognized as His children. Our words and our lives must merge in a prayer that motivates us to reach out with understanding and love to all people who feel the pain of bigotry. Let our prayer loosen the bonds of poverty that imprison the poor. May our prayer animate our resolve to comfort the strangers among us for they are our immigrant brothers and sisters who seek a better life and acknowledgement of their human dignity. We must pray for all those whose freedom to live their most deeply held beliefs is threatened. Let our lives be a prayer that joins the struggle to preserve respect for all human life as truly a gift from God and the most fundamental of all human rights. It is important that we never forget the past, but we must also look to the challenges to set free all those who are captives of isolation, indifference, and injustice. I join with the Black Catholic Apostolate in their mission to promote the development of Black Catholic leadership to help make Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream become a reality. May Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, help us shape our society so that our laws and our love conform to God’s will for every human person. satodayscatholic/GustavoBCA_020714.aspx
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 16:13:16 +0000
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