Author Archives: Tereza Ma

What we owe America’s farmworkers

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GUEST column
(Catholic News Service provides a regular sampling of current commentary from around the Catholic press. Following is an unsigned editorial from the Dec. 25 issue of America magazine, a national Catholic weekly magazine published by the Jesuits.)
U.S. agriculture is facing a silent crisis. The Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants has sown fear among farmworker communities, making workers harder to find than ever. Farm owners across the country are anxious about meeting their labor needs. Millions of dollars’ worth of crops are at the risk of rotting.
The present labor shortage reveals U.S. society’s dependence on farmworkers. The hands that pick what Americans eat are hands the country relies on. And with almost no native-born Americans willing to do the job, Latino immigrants have become indispensable. Even in the midst of the severe fires in California, farmworkers could not stop working lest harvests be lost.
Yet the nation’s collective reliance on farmworkers is not reflected in the way they are treated. In California, which produces two-thirds of the nation’s fruits, rates of food insecurity for farmworkers and their families range from 40 percent to 70 percent. Farmworkers’ low wages directly contribute to growers’ profit, but farmworkers regularly cannot afford to buy the food they pick.
Working conditions for farmworkers can be harsh. Even under the best conditions, a day of work is one of hard manual labor, with long hours and often high temperatures. The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of a pesticide known to be harmful to human beings. Farmworkers have already gotten sick on the job as a result.
Society’s failures toward farmworkers extend beyond poor working conditions. The children of migrant farmworkers endure seasonal displacement that can make staying in school difficult. Social mobility is weak for those born into farmworker communities, creating a generational cycle of poverty. State and local governments resist attempts by farmworkers to organize for greater protections. And despite being dependent on farmworker labor, many local communities are openly hostile to migrant workers.
It does not have to be this way. In 2016, California recognized the right of farmworkers to equal overtime pay. In Florida, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers secured commitments from fast-food chains to buy only from agricultural sources that meet improved standards on pay and work conditions. That model of direct pressure on major companies is spreading. In Vermont, immigrant dairy workers just claimed victory in an agreement with the ice cream maker Ben and Jerry’s.
It is curious that so many Americans care about eating ethically (vegan, vegetarian, organic or free range) but do not think as much about the poverty and exploitation among the largely Latino farmworkers who are making their meals possible. Labeling programs, including the Equitable Food Initiative label, the Food Justice Certified label and the United Farm Workers Union label, support the fair treatment of farmworkers, but there is little indication that products carrying those labels are sought out by consumers.
The United States must do more to treat farmworkers with justice. A huge step would be to lift the threat of deportation that looms over many farmworkers by passing comprehensive immigration reform that recognizes both the need for labor in the United States and those laborers’ right to dignity and opportunity. Rectifying the injustice of the 1930s – when farmworkers were excluded from new federal labor standards – and finally offering farmworkers the same labor protections as other workers is also necessary. Farm work, like all work, carries an inherent dignity and should be a viable path for immigrant families into the American middle class.
The common thread in all the challenges farmworkers face is a lack of urgency. Perhaps every time Americans say grace before a meal, they could spare a moment to remember those who make that meal possible.

Turning the tide on apathy

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Kneading faith

Fran Lavelle is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson

By Fran Lavelle
If you are like me, you are not only fatigued by the endless cycle of retail-driven holiday hysteria (yes, I said it, it is unnatural to see Easter bunnies before Epiphany) but I am also fatigued by the endless political news cycle that slings and flings divisive prose faster than a moth to a light bulb at night. I must admit I have not always felt this way about politics. It’s time for confession, well not exactly confession rather an exercise in transparency.
My first love was politics. From an early age I showed great interest in politics and the political process. When it came time to declare a major in college I had several fields that interested me, but I chose political science because, well, it was my first love after all. My political career was off to a great start. By the age of 26 I was working in Washington D.C. as a lobbyist for the American Association of Port Authorities and handled issues of international transportation and trade. Going to Capitol Hill to sit in on hearings, contributing testimony that resides at the Library of Congress, and watching our democracy live up to the ideals of our founding fathers was a wonderful experience.
In 1993, my Dad had a fatal heart attack and in the months and few years after that defining event I started searching for greater meaning in my life. In 1996, I launched my official entrance into ministry, leaving behind the force that had driven my life up until that time.
I have kept a reasonable interest in politics over the years, as all citizens should. I recognize that my passion for democratic governance – not necessarily partisan politics – will be something that I will always value. I credit my years in Washington for helping form the passion that I now have for ministry. But let’s face it folks, the political landscape as we now know it is less than ideal and even less effective. If you find yourself wanting to shy away from anything that looks like the political process, I completely understand. There’s an old saying that laws are like sausages, it is better not to see either of them being made. Regrettably, turning away from the problem does not make it go away.
Apathy is a lot like a cozy comforter. When enough of us get wrapped up in it, we normalize it. As Catholics we cannot allow apathy to get in the way of effectively living out our faith and proclaiming the gospel values set forth by Jesus. These are not liberal values or conservative values; they are rooted in our faith of both the Old and New Testament and have been affirmed and promoted for centuries.
As Catholics we are called to advocate for the seven principals of Catholic Social Teaching. They are:
Life and dignity of the human person —”The good Samaritan recognized the dignity in the other and cared for his life.” Luke 10:25-37;
Call to family, community and participation — “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12-17;
Rights and responsibilities –“Just as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me.” Matthew 25: 31-46;
Option for the poor and vulnerable — “True worship is to work for justice and care for the poor and oppressed.” Isaiah 58:5-7;
Dignity of work and the rights of workers — “All workers should be paid a just and living wage” Matthew 20:1-16;
Solidarity — “Above all, clothe yourself with love and let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts. Colossians 3:9-17;
Care for God’s creation — “God made the heavens and the earth, and it was good.” Genesis 1:1-31.
It is easy to say that our voice does not matter. It is easy to think that we alone cannot make a difference. It is not just about writing letters or visiting our representatives in local, state or national offices. There are many ways to convey Catholic social teaching in our public discourse (including social media), by our actions and how we pass those values along to the next generation. One way to exercise our concern for the people of Mississippi is joining Catholics from around the state for the Catholic Day at the Capitol on January 17th. This year our focus is on the tragic and unnecessary mental health crisis in Mississippi and the urgent need to enact legislation that will bring about needed change. Please consider registering for this important event. For more info or to register contact: Sue Allen, coordinator of social justice ministry, Catholic Charities Jackson or email sue.allen@catholiccharitiesjackson.org 601-383-3849.

(Fran Lavelle is the director of the Department of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson.)

Don’t confess other’s faults, own up to sins, pope says at audience

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By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Fear and the shame of admitting one’s own sins leads to pointing fingers and accusing others rather than recognizing one’s own faults, Pope Francis said.
“It’s difficult to admit being guilty, but it does so much good to confess with sincerity. But you must confess your own sins,” the pope said Jan. 3 at his first general audience of the new year.
“I remember a story an old missionary would tell about a woman who went to confession and she began by telling her husband’s faults, then went on to her mother-in-law’s faults and then the sins of her neighbors. At a certain point, the confessor told her, ‘But ma’am, tell me, are you done?’ ‘No… Yes.’ ‘Great, you have finished with other people’s sins, now start to tell me yours,’” he said.
The pope was continuing his series of audience talks on the Mass, reflecting on the penitential rite.

Pope Francis hears a confession in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, Italy, Aug. 4. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

Recognizing one’s own sins prepares a person to make room in his or her heart for Christ, the pope said. But a person who has a heart “full of himself, of his own success” receives nothing because he is already satiated by his “presumed justice.”
“Listening to the voice of conscience in silence allows us to realize that our thoughts are far from divine thoughts, that our words and our actions are often worldly, guided by choices that are contrary to the Gospel,” the pope said.
Confessing one’s sins to God and the church helps people understand that sin not only “separates us from God but also from our brothers and sisters,” he added.
“Sin cuts. It cuts our relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters, in our family, in society, in the community,” the pope said. “Sin always cuts, separates, divides.”
The penitential rite at Mass also includes asking the intercession of Mary and all the angels and saints, which, he said, is an acknowledgement that Christians seek help from “friends and models of life” who will support them on their journey toward full communion with God.
Christians also can find the courage to “take off their masks” and seek pardon for their sins by following the example of biblical figures such as King David, Zacchaeus, the Samaritan woman and St. Peter.
“To take measure of the fragility of the clay with which we have been formed is an experience that strengthens us,” Pope Francis said. “While making us realize our weakness, it opens our heart to call upon the divine mercy that transforms and converts. And this is what we do in the penitential act at the beginning of Mass.”

(Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju)

Reading resolution? My top ten books from 2017

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IN EXILE

Father Ron Rolheiser

By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Taste is subjective. Keep that in mind as I share with you the ten books that most touched me this past year. That isn’t necessarily a recommendation that you read them. They may leave you cold, or angry at me that I praised them. Be your own critic here and one who isn’t afraid to be critical of my taste. Nobody buys everything that’s advertised in a store.
So, what ten books most touched me this year?
First, I single out some wonderful religious biographies:
• Kate Hennessey’s, Dorothy Day, The World Will be Saved by Beauty. To my mind, this book is a treasure. As Dorothy Day’s granddaughter, Kate Hennessey had a privileged, intimate relationship with Dorothy, but that relationship also had its headaches and heartaches. Dorothy was a complex person who when called a saint, reacted by saying: “I don’t want to be dismissed that lightly!” This book captures both the saint and the woman resistant to that label.
• Jim Forest, At Play in the Lion’s Den – A Biography and Memoir of Daniel Berrigan. A great insight as to who Daniel Berrigan was as a man, as Jesuit, as a friend, and as a prophet. There will be numerous biographies still written on Berrigan, but none, I venture to say, will surpass this one. Forest knows his subject well.
• Suzanne M. Wolfe, The Confessions of X, A Novel. This is fictional biography, a story of St. Augustine’s mistress, Augustine’s love for her, their child, and St. Monica’s role in breaking up that relationship. Not historical, but researched well-enough to make it credible.
Next, some religious autobiographies:
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Coach Wooden and Me, Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court. You may wonder why I list this book as religious autobiography, but it only needs to be read to answer that question. This isn’t a sports book, but a book that reflects deeply on life, meaning, friendship, race, and religion. Raised a Roman Catholic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares very candidly on what prompted his religious move to Islam. There are lessons to be learned here. This is a wonderfully warm story amidst all the pain it shares.
• Macy Halford, My Utmost, A Devotional Memoir. As an Evangelical Christian, Halford grew up with a deep faith, but one that wasn’t strongly challenged in her youth. As a young woman she moved to New York and then later to Paris to become a writer. Surrounded now mostly by friends and colleagues who consider faith a naiveté, she struggled to root her childhood faith more deeply so as to withstand the challenge of the new world she lives in. Her struggle and her eventual solid landing within the faith of her childhood can be a help to all us, regardless of denomination, as we struggle to keep our faith in an overly-adult world.
• Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy, A Story of Justice and Redemption. Bryan Stevenson is a Harvard-educated lawyer who has chosen to put his talents to work in helping the poor, in this case, prisoners on death row who don’t have any means of helping themselves. The issues of racism, poverty, inequality, and how we blind ourselves to them, are front and center in this powerful book.
• Nina Riggs, The Bright Hour – A Memoir of Living and Dying. Nina Riggs died in February and this book shares her blogs as she, a young mother with two preteen children, journeys through terminal cancer, alongside her best friend, also a young mother, who is dying of cancer as well. They died a week apart. While Riggs doesn’t write out of an explicit faith, she faces both life and death with a courage, buoyancy, and wit that will make a saint envious. A delightful, deep book: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry – and you’ll learn how death can be faced.
A fine book in the area of Existentialism:
• Sarah Blackwell, At the Existentialist Café, Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails. This is one of the best books written on Existentialism that’s accessible to a non-professional reader. It will introduce you to the giants of Existential philosophy: Sartre, Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Camus, Husserl and Jaspers. Bakewell believes you will understand a thinker’s philosophy much more accurately if you also have a picture of his or her life: “Ideas are interesting, but people are vastly more so.” Those without a background in philosophy will get lost occasionally but if you continue reading you will soon find yourselves again fascinated by the lives of these famous, colorful thinkers.
Finally, two books on spirituality, where the author’s pedigree is sufficient recommendation:
• Tomas Halik, I Want You to Be – On The God of Love. Halik, a Czechoslovakian priest, is a renowned spiritual writer, winner of the Templeton Prize. This is a book of rare insight and depth.
• Henri Nouwen, Beyond the Mirror, Reflections on Death and Life. Nouwen needs no introduction, though this is a unique book within his corpus, chronicling his near-death experience after a serious accident.
Taste may be subjective, but these are good books!

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.)

Cardinal Bernard Law’s death leaves conflicting legacy

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JACKSON – The death of Cardinal Bernard F. Law on Dec. 20, at the age of 86, brought forth a range of conflicting reactions and emotions in the Diocese of Jackson and around the world. Cardinal Law began his priestly ministry in this diocese and was well known here for his fervent support of the Civil Rights Movement, social justice and pro-life issues. He was most famous, however, as the face of the Church’s sex abuse scandal after he became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston.
Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston said in a statement Dec. 20, “As archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Law served at a time when the church failed seriously in its responsibilities to provide pastoral care for her people, and with tragic outcomes failed to care for the children of our parish communities.”
Cardinal O’Malley also recognized that his predecessor’s death “brings forth a wide range of emotions on the part of many people. I am particularly cognizant of all who experienced the trauma of sexual abuse by clergy, whose lives were so seriously impacted by those crimes, and their families and loved ones. To those men and women, I offer my sincere apologies for the harm they suffered, my continued prayers and my promise that the archdiocese will support them in their effort to achieve healing.”
Cardinal Law was buried in Rome, where he had his last assignment.
Bernard Francis Law was born on Nov. 4, 1931, in Torreon, Mexico, where his father, a career Air Force officer, was then stationed. He attended schools in New York, Florida, Georgia, Barranquilla, Colombia, and the Virgin Islands.
He graduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. before entering St. Joseph Seminary in St. Benedict, La. in 1953. He later studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio.

Cardinal Bernard F. Law, second from right, is pictured during a 1969 march to the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., for a memorial service for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Cardinal Law, who had been one of the United States’ most powerful and respected bishops until his legacy was blemished by the devastating sexual abuse of minors by priests in his Archdiocese of Boston, died early Dec. 20 in Rome at the age of 86. (CNS file photo)

Bernard F. Law was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson (now Jackson) in 1961. His first assignment was as associate pastor at Vicksburg St. Paul Parish from 1961-1963. In January 1963 he was appointed associate pastor of Jackson St. Therese Parish and in March became the editor and business manager of the diocesan newspaper, then The Mississippi Register. At the same time, he held several other diocesan posts, including director of the family life bureau and spiritual director at the minor seminary.
A civil rights activist, he joined the Mississippi Leadership Conference and Mississippi Human Relations Council. He received death threats for his strong editorial positions on civil rights in The Mississippi Register.
His work for ecumenism in the Deep South in the 1960s received national attention, and in 1968 he was tapped for his first national post, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
In 1973, Blessed Paul VI named him bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo. He made headlines in 1975 when, amid an influx of Vietnamese refugees arriving in the United States, he arranged to resettle in his diocese all 166 refugee members of the Vietnamese religious order, Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix.
Continuing his ecumenical work, he formed the Missouri Christian Leadership Conference. He was made a member of the Vatican’s Secretariat (now Pontifical Council) for Promoting Christian Unity and served in 1976-81 as a consultor to its Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. He also chaired the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs in the late 1970s.
St. John Paul II made him archbishop of Boston in January 1984 and the following year made him a cardinal.
A constant advocate of the right to life of the unborn, he denounced the pro-abortion stance of the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro, a Catholic, during the 1984 presidential race.
It was his proposal for a worldwide catechism, in a speech at the 1985 extraordinary Synod of Bishops, that led to development of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Cardinal Law also oversaw the first drafting of an English translation of the catechism, and unsuccessfully defended the inclusive-language version that the Vatican ultimately rejected and ordered rewritten.
The collapse of Cardinal Law’s authority and status began in January 2002 with the criminal trial of serial child molester John Geoghan and the court-ordered release of archdiocesan files on Geoghan to the media. Geoghan had been allowed to stay in active ministry for three decades before he was finally removed and subsequently laicized.
The released files showed that when complaints against Geoghan were made in one parish he would be removed, but soon assigned to another parish. The files gave firsthand proof of how such complaints were handled and demonstrated a pattern of protecting and transferring abusive priests by the cardinal and his aides.
In the first weeks following the revelations, Cardinal Law publicly apologized on several occasions and announced a series of major policy changes – most importantly, permanently removing from ministry any priest ever credibly accused of sexual abuse and turning over to district attorneys the names of all priests against whom any abuse allegation had been made.
A series of investigative reports by the Boston Globe made national headlines, and other newspapers and television news teams across the nation began investigating how their local dioceses dealt with abusive priests.
Mary Woodward, diocesan chancellor and long-time friend, remarked Cardinal Law had the ability to listen to and understand people from all walks of life. “He had an immense vocabulary and keen intellect that he used to decipher and diffuse often difficult situations,” Woodward said.
“Though his time in Boston became marred by some bad decisions and oversight, he was still a pastor at heart trying to heal and reconcile until his resignation and even beyond that. There were times when he would sneak out of his residence late at night and visit the sick in nearby hospitals. He genuinely cared about each person and I know he grieved over the immense pain endured by victims of sexual abuse at the hands of church personnel,” she added.
St. John Paul II appointed Cardinal Law in 2004 to be the new archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the four major basilicas of Rome.
(Contributing to this story were Mary Woodward, chancellor for the Diocese of Jackson and Catholic News Service reporters Cindy Wooden and Junno Arocho Esteves in Rome.)

Liturgy Note: Influenza and the Distribution of Holy Communion

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In the Diocese of Jackson, the Norm and Directive for Distribution of Holy Communion is under both species – meaning the consecrated body and blood of Christ is offered from the paten and the chalice for each communicant. The communicant may decide whether to receive from both and whether to receive the consecrated host in the hands or on the tongue.
Currently, intinction is not an option for distribution of Holy Communion in the diocese. Self-intinction is never allowed. Chalice ministers should politely decline any attempt to dip the consecrated host into the precious blood by a communicant.
During flu season, the bishop gives the pastor the option to dispense from distribution from the chalice if there is an epidemic in the area of that parish. If the diocese becomes enveloped in an epidemic, the bishop may ask all parishes to dispense from distribution from the chalice and he may ask communicants to receive in the hand until the epidemic has passed. At this time the bishop has not made a diocesan-wide declaration, therefore, all parishes should be distributing Holy Communion under both species unless there is a flu epidemic on the local level.
All pastors, lay ecclesial ministers and pastoral ministers should exercise common sense precautions when it comes to the liturgy and the flu. Influenza is often spread from person to person through contact with coughing and sneezing of an infected person. Simple hygiene such as washing hands and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers before Mass and the distribution of Holy Communion can prevent the spread of influenza. If an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion or altar server is sick whether it is the flu or the common cold or whatever, then he or she should not serve until the sickness has passed.
Mary Woodward
(Chancellor)

Bishop Kapacz schedule

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Wednesday, Jan. 17, 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Catholic Day at the Capitol
Saturday, Jan. 20, 4 p.m. – Closing Mass Pilgrimage for Life, Greenwood Locus Benedictus Retreat Center
Sunday, Jan. 21, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. – Mass, Philadelphia Holy Cross
Thursday, Jan. 25, 8:30 – 10:30a.m. – Mass, Columbus Annunciation School
Sunday, Jan. 28, 8 a.m. – National Catholic Schools Week begins
Monday Jan. 29, 9:15 a.m. – Mass, Greenville St. Joseph
Tuesday Jan. 30, 8:15 a.m. – Mass, Jackson St. Richard
Tuesday Jan. 30, 1 p.m. – Mass, Jackson Sister Thea Bowman
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 8:15 a.m. – Mass, Madison St. Anthony
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 9:50 a.m. – Mass, Madison St. Joseph
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 1 p.m. – Mass, Vicksburg Catholic Schools

Only public events are listed on this schedule and all events are subject to change.
Please check with the local parish for further details

Recordando a un profeta estadounidense

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Obispo Joseph Kopacz

Por Obispo Joseph Kopacz
Este próximo fin de semana se extiende para muchos con la fiesta nacional en honor a Martin Luther King Jr., quien dio su vida por los derechos civiles, la igualdad racial y la dignidad humana de todas las personas. En menos de tres meses la nación conmemora el 50º aniversario de su asesinato el 4 de abril de 1968, y en la evolución de nuestra nación su voz profética y testimonio de libertad y justicia para todos aún enfrenta nuestra conciencia colectiva e individual. El 9 de diciembre de 2017, en el estado de Mississippi, hemos captado la atención de la nación con la apertura del Museo de Derechos Civiles cuya misión es documentar, exponer la historia, y educar al público sobre el movimiento de derechos civiles estadounidense en Mississippi, entre 1945 y 1970.
A nivel nacional, el nuevo museo Smithsonian, inaugurado el 24 de septiembre de 2016, cerca del Monumento a Washington, y ha recibido a más de 1 millones de visitantes hasta la fecha. Es el único museo nacional dedicado exclusivamente a la documentación de la vida Afro-Americana, su arte, historia y cultura. Se trata de comprender la historia americana a través de la experiencia afro-americana.
Martin Luther King Jr. singularmente encarna el movimiento por los derechos civiles como un discípulo de Jesucristo, una voz profética, un mártir y testigo del hambre insaciable del espíritu humano por la verdad, la libertad y la justicia.
Las palabras pronunciadas por Dios al profeta Isaías fueron grabadas en el alma de Martin Luther King. “Yo, el Señor, te han llamado para la victoria de la justicia. Te he tomado de la mano; te he formado para que seas señal de mi pacto con el pueblo, luz de las naciones, para abrir los ojos de los ciegos, para sacar a los presos de la cárcel, del calabozo donde viven en la oscuridad, quienes viven en la oscuridad”, (Isaías 42, 1ss). Podemos ver esta sabiduría profética y la fuerza que sólo puede venir de Dios en la capacidad de Martin Luther King de sufrir y en su filosofía de la resistencia no violenta frente a la injusticia.
En 1960 reflexionó sobre su experiencia de sufrimiento para la publicación Siglo Cristiano. “He conocido muy pocos días tranquilos en los últimos años. He sido arrestado cinco veces y puesto en cárceles de Alabama. Mi casa ha sido bombardeada dos veces. Raramente pasa un día que mi familia y yo no recibimos amenazas de muerte. He sido víctima de un casi fatal apuñalamiento. Así, en un sentido real he sido azotado por las tormentas de la persecución”.
Raramente habló de sus propias luchas porque él no tenía un complejo de mártir, y de todos modos, todo el mundo sabía de ellos, pero comprendió la realidad del Siervo doliente en la cara de la injusticia. “Hay algunos que todavía consideran la cruz como un escollo, y otros la consideran como una simpleza, pero estoy más convencido que nunca que es el poder de Dios para la salvación individual y social. Así como el apóstol Pablo, yo humildemente y orgullosamente puedo decir que “yo traigo en mi cuerpo las marcas del Señor Jesús. Más que nunca, estoy convencido de la realidad de un Dios personal”.
Martin Luther King Jr. estaba comprometido a la no violencia y a la justicia racial como lo descubrió en la experiencia de Mahatma Gandhi en la era moderna, y a través de su relación personal con Jesucristo. Él sabía que los muros de la segregación, de la desigualdad racial y el racismo tenían que ser aplastados por el ariete de justicia, pero tenían que ser realizados en forma no violenta.
No todos estaban de acuerdo con él, entonces, y no todo el mundo está de acuerdo con él ahora, pero el tiempo revela dónde habitan la sabiduría y la verdad.
Al reflexionar sobre las implacables luchas en nuestra nación sobre nuestra división racial, la filosofía de Martin Luther King de la no violencia puede renovar la visión y el compromiso por el bien común. “En primer lugar, la no violencia no es un método para cobardes; es resistencia. No es agresiva, pero es dinámicamente agresiva espiritualmente. La resistencia no violenta no busca derrotar o humillar al oponente, sino ganar su amistad y comprensión. El objetivo es la redención y la reconciliación.
Las consecuencias de la no violencia es la creación de la amada comunidad, mientras que las secuelas de la violencia es trágica amargura. Está dirigida contra las fuerzas del mal, y no en contra de las personas que se encuentran atrapados en la telaraña de la maldad. Vamos a vencer la injusticia y no aquellos que son injustos. En el centro de la no violencia se encuentra el principio del amor. A lo largo del camino de la vida, alguien debe tener bastante sentido común y la moral suficiente para cortar la cadena de odio. Amamos, no porque nos gustan todos, pero porque Dios los ama.
Por último, el método de la no violencia se basa en la convicción de que el universo está en el lado de la justicia. Hay algo en el mismo centro de nuestra fe cristiana que nos recuerda que el Viernes Santo puede reinar durante un día, pero, en última instancia, debe dar paso al triunfante compás de los tambores de la Pascua”. En esta profunda filosofía, levantado por su vida, Martin Luther King termina con esta oración y sueño. “Dios concídenos que libremos la lucha con disciplina y dignidad. Mediante el uso sabio y con valentía de este método saldremos del sombrío y desolado de la medianoche de la inhumanidad del hombre para con el hombre en el luminoso amanecer de la libertad y la justicia.” (Siglo cristiano 1957).
La lucha por superar la división racial sistémica intratable que sigue afligiendo el bienestar de nuestra nación debe continuar. Tenemos un largo camino que recorrer por una mejor oportunidad económica y educativa, por la atención universal de la salud y la reforma penitenciaria. Mientras las paredes del racismo y la discriminación son derrumbadas, los puentes hacia la oportunidad y esperanza deben ser construidos y atravesados.
Al conmemorar la fiesta nacional en memoria del Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., podemos comprometernos con los principios de la no violencia y una insaciable hambre por una mayor justicia y paz en nuestra nación. En su visión y sueño la transformación social y la responsabilidad personal se abrazarán para que las bendiciones de libertad y justicia sea un sueño hecho realidad para todos.

Remembering an American prophet

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Bishop Kopacz

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
The weekend ahead is extended for many with the national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. who laid down his life for civil rights, racial equality and human dignity for all people. In less than three months the nation marks the 50th anniversary of his assassination on April 4, 1968, and in our nation’s evolution his prophetic voice and witness to liberty and justice for all still confronts our collective and individual consciences.
On December 9, 2017 we in Mississippi captured the nation’s attention with the opening of the Civil Rights Museum whose mission is to document, exhibit the history of, and educate the public about the American Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi between 1945 and 1970. At the national level the newest Smithsonian museum opened September 24, 2016, near the Washington Monument, and has welcomed more than 1 million visitors to date. It is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture. It seeks to understand American history through the lens of the African American experience.
Martin Luther King Jr. uniquely embodies the Civil Rights movement as a disciple of Jesus Christ, a prophetic voice, a martyr and a witness to the insatiable hunger in the human spirit for truth, liberty and justice. The words spoken by God to the prophet Isaiah were seared in the soul of Martin Luther King. “I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice. I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you and set you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” (Isaiah 42, 1ff)
We can see this prophetic wisdom and the strength that can only come from God in MLK’s capacity to be long suffering and in his philosophy of non-violent resistance in the face of injustice. In 1960 he reflected upon his experience of suffering for the Christian Century publication. “I have known very few quiet days in the past few years. I have been arrested five times and put in Alabama jails. My home has been bombed twice. A day seldom passes that my family and I are not the recipients of threats of death. I have been the victim of a near fatal stabbing. So in a real sense I have been battered by the storms of persecution.”
He seldom spoke to his own struggles because he did not have a martyr’s complex, and the world knew of them anyway, but he understood the reality of the Suffering Servant in the face of injustice. “There are some who still find the Cross a stumbling block, and others consider it foolishness, but I am more convinced than ever that it is the power of God unto social and individual salvation. So like the Apostle Paul, I can humbly and proudly say that ‘I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.’ More than ever I am convinced of the reality of a personal God.”
Martin Luther King Jr was committed to nonviolence and racial justice as he discovered in the experience of Mahatma Gandhi in the modern era, and through his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He knew that the walls of segregation, racial inequality and racism had to be smashed by the battering ram of justice, but it had to be accomplished nonviolently.
Not everyone agreed with him then, and not everyone agrees with him now, but time reveals where wisdom and truth dwell. As we reflect upon our nation’s unrelenting struggles over our racial divide MLK’s philosophy of nonviolence can renew are vision and commitment for the common good. “First, nonviolence is not a method for cowards; it does resist. It is non-aggressive physically, but it is dynamically aggressive spiritually. Nonviolent resistance does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding. The goal is redemption and reconciliation.
“The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness. It is directed against the forces of evil rather than at those persons who are caught in the web of evil. We are out to defeat injustice and not those who are unjust. At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love. Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut the chain of hate. We love, not because we like everyone, but because God loves them.
“Finally, the method of nonviolence is based on the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice. There is something at the very center of our Christian faith that reminds us that Good Friday may reign for a day, but ultimately it must give way to the triumphant beat of the Easter drums.” In this profound philosophy, raised up by his life, Martin Luther King ends with this prayer and dream. “God grant that we wage the struggle with discipline and dignity. Through using this method wisely and courageously we will emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man’s inhumanity to man into the bright daybreak of freedom and justice.” (Christian Century 1957) The struggle to overcome the systemic intractable racial divide that continues to afflict our nation’s well being must continue. We have a long way to go on the road to economic and educational opportunity, toward universal health care and prison reform.
As the walls of racism and discrimination are smashed, the bridges toward opportunity and hope must be built and traversed. As we commemorate the national holiday in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., may we recommit ourselves to the principles nonviolence and an insatiable hunger for greater justice and peace in our nation. In his vision and dream societal transformation and personal responsibility will embrace so that the blessings of liberty and justice will be a dream realized for all.

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Angel tree tradition spreads

YAZOO CITY – Father Paneer Arockiam, pastor of St. Mary Parish and Vay McGraw place the last angels on the parish angel tree. McGraw read about the angel tree in Mississippi Catholic in 2016 and wanted to bring the tradition to her own parish for 2017. (Photo by Diane Melton)