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 3rd
Racism is
not only wrong---it breaks God’s second commandment:
“LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”
and 11-2-18
