Week 2

St. Lawrence was martyred for bringing the Treasures of the Church: the poor, widows, orphans,  those suffering from disease -- the People of God - to the prefect of Rome rather than material goods. 

Who are the treasures of the Church in our time?  In what ways do we show them that they are treasured?  Or, in what ways should we?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines original sin: 389 The doctrine of original sin is, so to speak, the "reverse side" of the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all men, that all need salvation and that salvation is offered to all through Christ. 

Sin disrupted and continues to disrupt the orginal justice inherent in the relationship between God and people.  When the Church talks about social justice, she addresses the relationships between individuals and groups;  between one another and everyone. The common good and equal treatment are the cornerstones of social justice.  When a group of people are continuously treated unjustly, the sin becomes ingrained in culture: it becomes a systematic injustice.

Racism is a systematic injustice.  In Open Wide Our Hearts, the US Bishops ask: How do we overcome this evil of rejecting a brother or sister’s humanity, the same evil that provoked Cain’s sin? What are the necessary steps that would lead to this conversion?

Replying to critics of his musical, Hamilton, in regard to Hamilton's stance on slavery, Lin-Manual Miranda said:  “And I think that’s actually pretty honest,.  Hamilton really didn't do much about it. None of them did. None of them did enough. And we say that, too, in the final moments of the song.
So that hits differently now because we’re having a conversation, we’re having a real reckoning of how do you uproot an original sin?” 

Author Jim Wallis uses the same imagery in his book: AMERICA'S ORIGINAL SIN: The Legacy of White Racism.

Father Bryan Massingale, an ethicist at Fordham University who has spent his nearly four decades as a priest working for racial justice in the church, recently gave an interview about white privilege and our call as God's People to do something about it.  

You can watch it here or read it here
 

 In this article Bishop Robert Barron reflects on the connection between Pentecost and racial tensions in our nation.

Some questions for reflection:

Where do you see some of the effects of the Holy Spirit blowing through our nation?

What are some of the various personalities, theological schools and pastoral emphases that were working in the Church at the time of the Apostles?   Identify some that are working in our Church today.

For what people -- in your life and in larger society -- do you need to work on "willing the good of the other?"

Bishop Barron says:  What is most important to see in this regard is that the Church’s task is to be light, salt, and leaven for the whole society (kata holos), never suppressing the plurality of cultures, but at the same time, bringing them under the influence of the divine love. 
How is the Church currently doing in this regard?

Bishop Barron, in regard to the apostolic aspect of Church, explains:
One of the principal themes in the writing and sermonizing of Pope Francis is precisely this missionary nature of the Church. He wants believers in the Lord to leave their sacristies and get out onto the streets, to stir things up, even to overturn what needs overturning.

How do you suggest the Church provide leadership to stir things up?  What in our society needs overturning?

Do you agree with Bishop Barron's conclusion?  Why or why not?
He says: The stubborn survival of the awful cancer of racism in the body politic proves—and I say it to our shame—that we have not been the ekklesia that the Holy Spirit wants us to be.

Laws prohibiting people of color from pursuing ordinary life goals - joining a religious community, obtaining education, marrying those they choose - have stood and been challenged throughout history.  In the United States, these are called "Jim Crow laws."  You can read a summary explanation o f these HERE.

Pope Francis and our bishops are clear that eradicating the sin of racism has high priortity for the national and global church.
Click here for short summaries of their statements and a prayer recommended by our bishops.

Former Philadelphia Eagles player and ESPN football analyst Emmanuel Acho is hosting a series called Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.   In this episode he speaks with Chip and Joanna Gaines and their children about how to talk with your family about race.

Congressman John Lewis, who recently died, began his adult life as a civil rights activist and continued to do so throughout his life.  In this video, learn his story and hear his suggestions for each of us.  You may also want to read his letter to America, published by his request on the day he died.  You can read it here.