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12/08/2017
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Julian Filochowski, Chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust.
Last on
Sat 12 Aug 2017
05:43
91热爆 Radio 4
Script
Good Morning. 聽
Pope Francis is held in high esteem across the globe; his honesty, his compassion for the excluded, and his advocacy to protect God鈥檚 creation impress us; his support for refugees and migrants making the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea speaks to our consciences.聽
Francis comes from Latin America. For fifty years the Christian churches there have sought to live out a commitment - or option - for the poor. Put simply: the poor must come first in the the concerns of Christians and priorities of the Church. Courageous pastors don鈥檛 just love the poor but defend them against those who exploit or oppress them.聽
This usually spells trouble. As Brazilian Archbishop Helder Camara famously remarked 鈥淲hen I give food to the poor they call me a saint; when I ask why the poor have no food they call me a communist.鈥� Effective love means the pursuit of justice. But a faith that does justice is seen as a threat.聽
I knew and worked with Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador. He wholeheartedly embraced that commitment to the poor; in his sermons, he spoke the truth about their misery on the coffee and sugar plantations; he denounced the torture and killings perpetrated by the army and police in that country. 聽. 聽But it was all too much. 聽
On March 24th 1980, Archbishop Romero was assassinated at the altar by a death squad. He is recognised today as a 20th century martyr, alongside Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Christians and others see him as embodying a faith full of compassion for the poor; a faith which compels us to search for justice.
God, give us the courage to ask why there is poverty and injustice around us; and the compassion to respond resolutely.
Amen.
Pope Francis is held in high esteem across the globe; his honesty, his compassion for the excluded, and his advocacy to protect God鈥檚 creation impress us; his support for refugees and migrants making the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea speaks to our consciences.聽
Francis comes from Latin America. For fifty years the Christian churches there have sought to live out a commitment - or option - for the poor. Put simply: the poor must come first in the the concerns of Christians and priorities of the Church. Courageous pastors don鈥檛 just love the poor but defend them against those who exploit or oppress them.聽
This usually spells trouble. As Brazilian Archbishop Helder Camara famously remarked 鈥淲hen I give food to the poor they call me a saint; when I ask why the poor have no food they call me a communist.鈥� Effective love means the pursuit of justice. But a faith that does justice is seen as a threat.聽
I knew and worked with Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador. He wholeheartedly embraced that commitment to the poor; in his sermons, he spoke the truth about their misery on the coffee and sugar plantations; he denounced the torture and killings perpetrated by the army and police in that country. 聽. 聽But it was all too much. 聽
On March 24th 1980, Archbishop Romero was assassinated at the altar by a death squad. He is recognised today as a 20th century martyr, alongside Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Christians and others see him as embodying a faith full of compassion for the poor; a faith which compels us to search for justice.
God, give us the courage to ask why there is poverty and injustice around us; and the compassion to respond resolutely.
Amen.
Broadcast
- Sat 12 Aug 2017 05:4391热爆 Radio 4
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