by Tom Gallagher
Join the Conversation
Send your thoughts to Letters to the Editor. Learn more
In 2003, Archbishop Harry Flynn, then the ordinary of the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese and a good friend of mine, wrote a pastoral letter on racism. He writes in the preface:
In the Hebrew Scriptures the prophet Micah gives us a simple but very challenging formula for holiness. He writes,
" ... This is what Yahweh asks of you: Only this, to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
This is the spirit that I hope all of you will bring to the discussion of racism and racial justice in our church and in our society. We cannot be a church that is true to the demands of the Gospel if we do not act justly, if we do not act to root out racism in the structures of our society and our church. And we cannot achieve personal holiness if we do not love tenderly, if we do not love and respect all human beings, regardless of their race, language, or ethnic heritage.
Only if we do these things can we expect to walk humbly with our God. For our God is a God of love and justice, a God who made all of us in His image. Racism is a denial of that fact. It is an offense against God. I realize that the subject of race can be a very difficult one for all of us. Yet I am convinced that we must address it with honesty and courage. For it remains a significant and sinful reality in our midst.
I am issuing this pastoral letter as an invitation to discussion and dialogue. I hope all of you will accept this invitation by taking part in discussions in your parish and community. By engaging in such a dialogue, we can all enhance our understanding of the role that race plays in our lives and we can join together in working to combat racism in all its forms.
Flynn's prophetic work is worth reading and reflecting upon yet again. Read it here.