OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.” (1 Jn 3:1)
Advent is a season calling us to make straight the paths in our world so we can receive the coming of Emmanuel, God with us, in the form of a vulnerable child. And as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ child, the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops used the Scripture quote above to begin their pastoral letter on racism: “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love,” which was approved at their November general assembly. The letter spearheads aims “to combat the scourge of racism in the hearts and minds of the faithful, in our own church communities and in the structures of society.”
This pastoral letter is a response to growing racism in the world: the reappearance of expressions of hatred in public spaces, racial profiling and discrimination in hiring, housing, educational opportunities and immigration.
The bishops’ letter affirms that “Racism occurs because a person ignores the fundamental truth that, because all humans share a common origin, they are all brothers and sisters, all equally made in the image of God. When this truth is ignored, the consequence is prejudice and fear of the other, and — all too often — hatred.”
The bishops explain how “racism arises when — either consciously or unconsciously — a person holds that his or her own race or ethnicity is superior, and therefore judges persons of other races or ethnicities as inferior and unworthy of equal regard. When this conviction or attitude leads individuals or groups to exclude, ridicule, mistreat, or unjustly discriminate against persons on the basis of their race or ethnicity, it is sinful.”
The pastoral letter points out that “racism can also often be found in our hearts — in many cases placed there unwillingly or unknowingly by our upbringing and culture. As such, it can lead to thoughts and actions that we do not even see as racist, but nonetheless flow from the same prejudicial root.”
Whether we are conscious of this or not, an “attitude of superiority can be seen in how certain groups of people are vilified, called criminals, or are perceived as being unable to contribute to society, even unworthy of its benefits.”
Racism can also be institutional, when churches and communities fail to act against such injustices.
The bishops ask us all this Advent to open our hearts for real change in our institutions and society. “The conversions needed to overcome racism require a deep encounter with the living God in the person of Christ who can heal all division.”
They end with a special prayer to our Blessed Mother. “Mary, friend and mother to all, through your Son, God has found a way to unite Himself to every human being, called to be one people, sisters and brothers to each other. We ask for your help in calling on your Son, seeking forgiveness for the times when we have failed to love and respect one another. We ask for your help in obtaining from your Son the grace we need to overcome the evil of racism and to build a just society. We ask for your help in following your Son, so that prejudice and animosity will no longer infect our minds or hearts but will be replaced with a love that respects the dignity of each person.”
This Advent, let us reflect on what we can do to overcome racism as individuals and a society in preparing for the coming of the Lord of justice and peace for all children of God. For the full text of the bishops’ pastoral letter on racism, please see www.officeforsocialministry.org/open-wide-our-hearts.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry