Good Samaritan Novena, Days 4 and 5: Racism

I didn’t post yesterday about my intention, but based what I was seeing in the news, the intention was for the church’s role in reacting to racism.  The immediate trigger for this concern was the situation in Missouri, but the intention was wider than that. I was particularly struck by the story of the woman pastor who was struck by a rubber bullet by police, when it was clear that her role in the conflict was mediation and peacekeeping.  My not-so-neutral prayer in all of this is that we take our role as radical peace makers seriously, respecting the dignity of every human being even if it means personal risk.

There is enough troubling about this issue that today’s mass will also focus on praying that our fear of the “other,” the ones who differ from us, will not blind us to our commonalities.  Yesterday the focus was specifically on racism here in the United States; today the focus will expand to the church’s response in all of the areas where racism is an issue.

You are invited to voice your concerns, and to join in this intention.