Loving the oppressed

Imagine being so passionate about protecting the rights of others and the earth, that enemies would seek your demise in the interest of clearing land in the Amazon for their own commercial use. This was the life of Sister Dorothy Stang, a religious of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur order. She is often mistakenly referred to, as noted in the U.S. News and World Report article that first brought her to my attention, as a nun. (For a better understanding of the Religious Sister vs. Nun distinction see this wikipedia entry). Even after threats of death, this woman --who had given twenty years in the service of poor settlers in Northern Brazil -- remained steadfast in challenging the illegal logging practices in the Amazon and aiding these landless farmers. She was shot in the back six times by gunmen in the rainforest of Para. Recently, one of the gunmen was convicted. May we all have the strength and courage of Sister Stang in pursuing the good. Many sources have the story. You can read it here, here, and here among other places.

On a related note I had the blessed privilege of assisting my wife in coordinating the Confirmation of over 100 youth at our parish (When I say assist please read -- did something incredibly easy and not-at-all as difficult as truly coordinating the entire thing). I thought the Bishop's homily was inspirational as he described that there are many threats to proclaiming the good news and living a holy life, BUT we are now empowered to rise above them because of the Holy Spirit. It was a challenging message given in sincerity and with a pastoral quality that I imagine the apostles would have carried while exhorting believers in the early days of the persecuted Church. I had to resist from giving a resounding "AMEN!"

I hope you're enjoying this Seventh week in Easter. I'm really looking forward to Pentecost Sunday! Happy Thursday