Dear Fellow Parishioners, It is Ordinary Time in the Church calendar, but we are living in extraordinary times in our nation. It is Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and I am thinking of all my travels throughout our country as I “Walked in the Spirit of MLK.” I visited Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Lorraine Hotel, which is now a museum, the Rosa Parks Museum, the MLK Library and burial site; you get picture. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet people who knew Martin.
When the Deacon of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama found out I was a Catholic priest he invited me into the sanctuary and sat me down in the chair where MLK sat at the funeral for the four girls were killed by the bomb blast. He asked if he could pray over me and of course I was honored. He prayed that the Holy Spirit that led brother Martin to walk in nonviolence and peace would fill my heart and soul. He prayed that I would be strong in the face of adversity and always seek to listen attentively to the way God speaks through the least, the lost and the last. I felt so empowered and will never forget the words, peace, and unity with the least, last and lost.
I needed to be reminded of the nonviolent civil rights movement, even when attack dogs, fire hoses, guns and clubs were used to prevent the cry for justice and the same rights white people have. I needed to hear the voice of Christ “Peace I leave you; peace is my farewell gift to you.” I needed to hear the voice of reason after I watched a mob of Americans attack the capitol.
I am struggling still to process the events of January 6th (the actual Feast of Epiphany) as are most of you. I have to preach this weekend and it is a challenge as I know there are people on both sides of the political spectrum. Epiphany is an event that brings about an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure. January 6th 2021 has brought to light that words matter. Speaking words of peace, justice and unity, as did MLK, made a difference in obtaining the goals of the civil rights movement. Repeating misinformation over and over again, inciting violence, shouting words of division, and refusing to accept a legitimate election prevents meaningful progress for the common good . We need to now recognize what we have become and decide whose voice and whose message we want to listen to.
I am praying that in these extraordinary times, we walk in the truth, build bridges, and work toward a spirit of peace and unity.