Jan 20: Are we subconsciously racist? What causes us to be?
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a Pastoral Letter Against Racism, entitled: Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love. Fr. Steve sill speak on this subject on Sunday.
However, in this homily he speaks about the legacy of racism that emerged ultimately from the slave trade. He draws our attention to the real reason why we should have equality among people of different races: the fact that God has created each one of us uniquely and we each have dignity and status as sons and daughters of God, from whom we take our true identity.
Fr. Steve gives a stirring reading of the "I Have a Dream" speech, which was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.
He exhorts us all to love and honor each other, regardless of race, and to change the culture in which we live so that tolerance and mutual respect can reign.
In his post-communion comments Fr. Steve encourages us to pursue healing for ourselves and other, and to begin to see each other, regardless of race, as the precious, beloved sons and daughters of the Father, which we truly are.
