Today our nation pauses to celebrate the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is a moment to reflect on the struggle for racial justice and equality that he championed, and indeed the way he championed that cause.
Martin Luther King Jr. was not merely a public figure, nor merely a spokesperson, nor merely a force to be reckoned with. Like all great leaders, he was a witness to something greater than himself. He bore witness to the truth that God created all people in his image and endowed them with dignity. From the Birmingham Jail, he advocated for just laws in accord with God’s law. He pressed the cause of racial justice with courage and directness in the halls of power. From the pulpit of the Civil Rights Movement, he preached an enduring message of non-violence. Ultimately, his courageous witness to human equality and racial justice cost him his life.
Let us not forget his witness and his sacrifice. Let us rather ask the Lord for the grace to be ourselves witnesses to the true dignity of the human person and let us ask for the wisdom to work perseveringly for a society that is truly just, peaceful, and compassionate – the dream to which Martin Luther King Jr. unforgettably opened our eyes in 1963.
As citizens and as people of faith, there is much each of us can do to make his dream come true. First is prayer by which we open ourselves to God and neighbor. Second is self-knowledge in the light of God’s truth by which, in his grace, we root out from ourselves every form of racial prejudice. Third is honest dialog within the Church and the wider society about racial justice. Fourth is advocacy for just laws and policies that promote racial justice. Fifth is continually working to open the doors of opportunity for all.
Today, the 47th president of the United States will be inaugurated. Let us pray for our president and for our country that united in our nation’s highest ideals, we will be a force for truth, justice, and compassion at home and abroad.
May freedom ring in every part of this Premier See and far beyond.