In the Gospel of this past Tuesday, (Mth 5:13-16), Jesus said to his disciples "You are the salt of the earth," "You are the light of the world."  Such statements by Jesus tell us of his confidence that disciples of his can AND SHOULD make a difference, a Christ-like difference in the world in which we live.  The past few weeks we have witnessed many people taking to the streets to peacefully protest against police brutality (and racism) and promote changes in funding and actions that will hopefully, in time, create a better environment for people of all races and creeds to live and prosper without any prejudiced words and/or actions against them.

This past weekend, I encouraged everyone who participated in Mass to pull up on our church website (www.hsvsacredheart.com) not only our bishop's recent statement on racism, but also something Bishop Taylor encouraged us to read.  It is a letter written in 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to clergymen of Birmingham, Alabama while he was imprisoned after a peaceful demonstration in that (at the time) very segregated city.  It is good that we hear from a man who preached and practiced non-violence in his efforts to get people of his day and time to address people and institutions that were treating racial minorities in a less than Christ-like way.  In it he promotes a non-violent, direct action that seek to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.  In this case the issue is police excessive use of force that led to the death of George Floyd and the undeniable reality that racism still exists in not only law enforcement but in the judicial system and in other institutions in our country, as well.

If one were to look honestly at the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, one could easily see that his teachings and actions often created a certain "nonviolent tension" that was necessary for growth in the ways of God, which is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others stood for (and that he and others died for).  He hoped that people would be led to rise from the "dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights (and I would say light) of understanding and brotherhood."  Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord always promoted a "we" and "us" mentality rather than a "they" and "them" way of thinking and acting toward one another.

There is no doubt in my mind that "we" as a society have come quite a way since the 1960's as evidenced by the many non-African Americans who are in the protests and are speaking out in public.  Let us pray that the light and love, mercy and justice will continue to shine ever more brightly and overcome the darkness of prejudice, retribution and injustice in our country and throughout the world.