For the Love of Us All

RACISM---MARTIN LUTHER KING---MARTIN DE PORRES---us

How many of us

Have ever a looked at a person

Of another race, color, creed

 Doing something that we don’t like

Or demonstrating a quality

That is particularly ugly

How many of us

Have then taken that experience

And associated it with

An entire race, color, sex, religion, etc……..

If you say that you have NEVER done it

You are a far better person than I

Martin Luther King

Began a movement some 50 years or so ago

That still lives on and is in us today

He died for what he believed

God bless him for what he stood for

It may surprise you to know

That there was a man that lived

From 1579 to 1639

He was known as “Half Breed” or “War Souvenir”

Cruel names inflicted on him

By those of “pure” breed

He was the illegitimate son

Of a freed black woman from Panama

Who possibly had some Native American in her too

His father was a man of Spanish descent

From Lima, Peru

Because Martin was black like his Mother

It took his father 8 years to acknowledge him

Martin never became bitter---even as a child

He gave his heart and all that he had

For the poor and despised

Early on---Martin became a barber

And drew blood and administered medicines

In hospitals

Martin then applied to the Dominicans

To be a “lay helper”

Not feeling himself worthy

To be a religious brother

TALK ABOUT HUMILITY

In his medical duties---and in life

Martin treated ALL people with dignity

Regardless of race, color, status, etc……..

He worked side-by-side with ALL

In the kitchen---in the laundry

And in the infirmary

Martin’s life

Reflected God’s extraordinary love

And he became so highly thought of

That many of the religious

Took him on as their spiritual advisor

Saint Rose of Lima, Peru

Became his very good friend

Dear Lord---we pray

That we become like Saint Martin de Porres

Who lived his life

For the dignity of ALL

We pray that we become

Like the great Martin Luther King

Willing to live out our lives

In life and in death

For the dignity of all

And most of all---Dear Lord---we pray

That when we look at people

We see---NOT color---NOT sexuality---NOT creed

We pray that we just see people

People and their NEED

May we build a better world

Robert P. Wallman

Ps        Saint Martin de Porres’ feast day is November 3^rd

            Racism is not only wrong---it breaks God’s second commandment:

            “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”