Monday, 15 January is the 95th anniversary of the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Days of service, in recognition of the life of Dr. King, are a treasured legacy of this holiday. Girard College, in Philadelphia, is a central gathering for our region’s service activities. Locally, an Interfaith Prayer Service will be celebrated on Sunday, 14 January at 3:00 p.m. at St. Katharine Drexel Church, 1920 Providence Avenue in Chester. A prelude to the prayer service begins at 2:30 p.m.
Archbishop Perez, last June on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus, spoke of the efforts of St. Katharine Drexel when he wrote: “Despite monumental efforts and the work of so many others, the evil of racial injustice poisons our souls, our Church, our relationships with one another, and with God. Racism denies our divine worth and violates the essence of our faith. It not only breaks Christ’s commandment to love others as He loves us, but also is an offense to the presence of God within each of us. Our Archbishop quotes the Bishops’ Conference document of 2018 – Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love. “God demands more from us.” Open Wide Our Hearts closes with the following prayer to Our Lady.
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.
Mother of the Church, the Spirit of your Son Jesus warms our hearts: pray for us. Amen.
Thursday, 18 January begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This Ecumenical celebration concludes on 25 January with the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. The theme for the week is based on Luke 10:27, the beginning of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” In his Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), Pope Francis views this parable as a responsibility of all people of faith to adhere. “Love does not care if a brother or sister in need comes from one place or another. For love shatters the chains that keep us isolated and separate; in their place, it builds bridges. Love enables us to create one great family, where all of us can feel at home.” (FT 62)
With awareness of the virtue of love the following a prayer for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Lord, give us the grace to know you more deeply, in order to love you with all our being. Grant us a pure heart, to love our neighbor as ourselves. May the gift of your Holy Spirit enable us to see your presence in our brothers and sisters, that we may love each other with the same unconditional love with which you love us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.