Opportunities for prayers and actions
This week, many in our nation celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King who spoke out and marched against the evils of bigotry and hatred. Also, a week from today recognition is given to the 43rd ominous anniversary of Roe vs. Wade supporting abortion—but a denial of rights of the unborn in the womb. Next Sat. we will have the walk for life in SF information for signup and buses in the blt. For me our readings for this weekend address all three major aspects of life are what we confront not only this week but all lifelong: Christian unity, racism and bigotry, and seeing all life as sacred in the image of God.
Isaiah tells us “Now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb.” WE are formed in the womb by God, to give witness, to bring light and hope to others. And St. Paul takes us beyond the womb as he states our lives are a call to be holy, sanctified made to matter in Christ Jesus.
And in the gospel St. John the Baptist declares how we are to live holiness and proclaims: “Behold the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sin of the world!”
Sin is the condition in the world into which we are born. In part the biblical explanation of sin in the world is that of the Fall of Adam and Eve, their willful turning away from God and choosing to do life on their own, –their way. In part sin in the world is our continuation to try to do it our way. Look what we have done with the precious gift of our planet from our Creator— abused it. WE wrongly use God’s gifts striving to dominate over all creation. For many have been convinced that dominion means to dominate. To burn up resources, polluting air/water killing off species of animals, plants, and human kind. The word dominion’s Latin base root is dominus—Lord—governance—control as God-like—to care for as God would. We know that natural resources are to be treasured, not exhausted, discarded- disposed.
The great news is that our human goodness far outweighs weakness, blindness and evil choices. All we need to do is look back over our lives; how right choices, even if unpopular, brought about good. Our 150 years of struggles to become church show the beautiful collaboration of God and His people building a diverse faith family. Today we build on that foundation with a wider view of family-seeing that we extend care for the less fortunate, create access to all children for Catholic education, and strive to witness Christ daily. Remember the good you do here, the charity outreach to others, your welcome to all. Remember and celebrate the goodness within us as the creative force and true spiritual Baptism of light in us. However, to do so takes our cooperation to live God’s will. As St. Augustine author of the doctrine on original sin and baptism writes:
“each of Christ’s followers is called to undertake conversion… an opportunity to consider once more in the silence of our hearts the path of history; to recall that we are indeed going towards the Lord ‘not by our footsteps’ but by our love, and God will be all the closer to our hearts for the purer love is drawing us towards him […]. Not by our feet, then, but by the goodness of our lives can we go towards him, … to realize anew that every man and woman, made in God’s image, is walking with us towards a single destiny: a walk to the Kingdom.”
A walk to the Kingdom is a part of the line recited by Martin Luther King Jr. Amongst our many historical icon-like images of him, are the marches for racial integration and freedom and unfortunately his brutal assassination. Some would argue his martyrdom. Often those marches were accompanied by the hymn “We Shall Overcome”. The hymn is one of hope that comes from deep seated experience of unimaginable suffering that is powerfully, at times joyfully, overcome by a deep-seated faith in the Lord. Christ will lead us to a better life—if we follow in his footsteps as we convert to his ways.
Our feelings of helplessness are replaced with hope as we gather in the Lord to light our way together—to seek conversion together, ask forgiveness of one another and God, we reconcile as we pray for each other in our Walk to the Kingdom. For we know that we overcome sin not on our own—but with Christ and one another–relationships that heal.
Walking together needs to lead to sharing our blessings with those in need, eliminating labels and bigoted judgments, ending racism that has murdered, and standing up for the Respect of life. Living the joy of God with us we work for just rights, care for our planet, and remember daily that all of us are children of God not only created in the image but reborn in the likeness of Jesus Christ–every day. Walk to the Kingdom.