Over the last three weeks we have been looking at Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love, a pastoral letter that Catholic Bishops of the United States issued in November 2018 in which they call all Catholics to acknowledge “the scourge of racism” that still exists in our hearts, words, actions, and institutions. The Bishops point out that racism can be individual, when people fail to recognize certain groups as being created in the image of God and equal in dignity. Racism can also be systemic, where practices or policies treat certain groups of people unjustly. One area of systemic racism is lack of access to quality education for persons of color. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have issued a very good background sheet on “Racism and Education” that will be my source of information for this column. Here is the link for the backgrounder for those of you who would want to consult it directly: Racism and Education | USCCB.
One of the Bible stories that I recall today is the story of the tower of Babel. People scatter all over the earth because they can no longer understand each other. At Pentecost (which we are celebrating today), the Holy Spirit leads people from all over the world together as one because now they can all understand the apostles even if each speaks a different language. On this Pentecost Day let’s strive to overcome divisiveness by seeking understanding among people who come from different places, who seemingly speak different languages.
Happy Solemnity of the Ascension! This is a special feast day in the history of the Church. On the day that Jesus ascended to heaven to remain with his Father he commanded his disciples to carry on the task to proclaim the good news to the whole world. Now, two thousand years later, we are the disciples who must carry out this task to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed.
Recently Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chair of the U. S. Catholic Conference of Bishops’ Committee on Migration expressed disappointment that the number for the fiscal year will continue to be at a historic low but appreciation that a number of persecuted refugee families who could not previously travel will finally be permitted resettlement in the United States. Here is his statement: