To the Band of Brothers: January 19, 2021

Good morning!

You may have noticed there were no emails on Thursday and Friday. I was traveling and was unable to get to them. I missed writing them, but the circumstances were such that made it very difficult to put something together. No worries, I am back and more than happy to wish you guys a good morning and a great week.

As you know, this was a long weekend. One of the concerns I have about these three-day vacations is that we are so hyped up about an extra day without classes, we run the risk of neglecting to reflect why we have the day off. We often forget about the veterans on Veterans Day and the men and women of the armed forces who gave their lives in the performance of their military duties on Memorial Day. So, did you forget about Martin Luther King Jr. yesterday?

While there are thousands of very brave men and women in the history of our great nation who have made a significant impact on the course of human events, Dr. King holds a very special place. While neither you nor I were alive during the time he spoke very publicly and was making his presence known, to this day his legacy continues to be very present among us and his struggle continues to be very relevant.

There is so much we can say about this extraordinary man. He faced a great evil that unfortunately still seems to be present today. He preached with such fiery conviction because he experienced racism at his very core. But it wasn’t simply the impact it had on him that drove him to speak, it was the impact it had on all of us and how it gnawed at the very core of what it is to be a person and, especially, a child of God.

Of all the things we know about Dr. King, what impresses me most was his extraordinary faith. It was faith that drove him to stand for the truth when so many were afraid to do so. The words of Jesus Christ in the gospels that he studied so diligently as he prepared for his religious ministry encouraged him to fight peacefully for change. Dr. King once said, “Evil may so shape events that Caesar will occupy a palace and Christ a cross, but one day that same Christ will rise up and split history into A.D. and B.C., so that even the life of Caesar must be dated by his name.” While there is no question you do not have to be a person of faith to recognize the grave injustice that is racism, it was faith and a very personal relationship with Jesus Christ that armed Dr. King with the courage to stand up and lead.

This is the role of the prophet. Prophet… it’s a Greek word that literally means “to speak before.” The prophet is a spokesperson, he speaks for God. It has nothing to do with foreseeing the future as if he had some foreknowledge of things to come. No, it is the person who has a clear understanding of the will of God and is motivated to speak on His behalf. His role is to warn when things are wrong and encourage when things are right. The prophet reminds the world that if it continues to move along the path of sin and injustice, it moves along the path of self-destruction.

Most people don’t like prophets. They don’t like to be shaken at their core. Most people don’t like to be reminded of their sin or made to feel uncomfortable or inconvenienced with the truth. Prophets are oftentimes compared to gnats that buzz around your face and need to be swatted away. It’s the reason why throughout history, prophets have been persecuted and eliminated. It’s what they did to Jesus for speaking the truth. It’s what they did to Martin Luther King Jr. when he spoke the truth.

While Dr. King is no longer with us, the fight is far from over. As long as men and women continue to struggle in recognizing all people as equal under the eyes of their Creator, there will need to be a struggle for human and civil rights. It’s up to us to continue the battle and stand firm on the conviction that Jesus Christ has called us to a brotherhood of man that extends beyond our little circle. While we speak about our band of brothers at Belen, we need to understand that all men and women are our brothers and sisters. We have an obligation to all of them.

Auspice Maria