It’s been a while since I last wrote anything on my
blog. Perhaps I should keep it that way,
but today, 24 February 2014, I read an article on the Huffington Post which
speaks of a U.S. Senate candidate, Chris Mapp from Texas who stated that ranchers
would be free to shoot “wetbacks” on sight.
The article then goes on to state that Mr. Mapp defends his comments by
saying that it’s just the way people talk around here. No, Mr. Mapp, we don’t. And more importantly, we can’t. These past few days, I feel as though I have
been bullied again. My Congregation sent
me a letter reminding me of how childish I am.
They reminded me that they are under no obligation to care for me, and
that in turn, I am the one obliged to obey them. The letter also stated that I should really
consider beginning the process of laicization (in which a priest goes back to
being a lay person). Again, No! Maybe I’m being too sensitive, or maybe my
vision is blinded by ignorance, but if there is anything that I have come to
know more profoundly in the past few months, it is that in Christ, we are each
call to love. I know I’ve said this time
and time again, but I don’t believe I can say it enough. Ultimately, and especially as people of
faith, we are called upon to love. It is
a love that makes us sensitive to the pain of others, it is a love that reminds
me that words may not hurt, but the weight they carry can be a significant pain
to have to live with. Even now, and
after receiving that letter, I was reminded of the hurt that bullies in the
past placed on me. Sure, they were just
words, but what happens when one’s ignorance becomes a fierce weapon that
inflicts unjust oppression on another.
Even last night, I received a phone call from a friend who told me that
some brother priests of mine had labeled in a very negative way. No matter what, the love that I receive in Christ
is not a love that equips us with the armament of hatred and ignorance, but one
which leads us to my brother or sister, to the fag, or the wetback, to the
cracker or the leper, and invited me to extend a hand of love to them. The beautiful thing is, that in doing so,
instead of condemning and casting aside, we invite them to also extend their
hand, and while we may not always see eye to eye, insofar as we are able to
reach each other, we make a slight difference in this world. In order to do this, however, we must
recognize that no matter what position we are in, we cannot be judges or
arbitrators of God’s love, it is freely outpoured upon all, and if for no other
reason, that is why I must go to my brother or sister, because I have known
great Love! And no, I’m not perfect, but
Love refines us, and in the end, we are made more who we are called to be, in
love. As always, know that I love
you. RL
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