ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I greet you with great joy this afternoon as we gather in prayer to God, recalling the memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today is the actual date of his birthday. We join all our fellow Americans in thanking God for this man of peace.

I greet with esteem and respect the leaders and members of various Religious Traditions that are here today. Our gathering is a powerful witness to the fact that we are all children of one God, one heavenly Father.

I am grateful to the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the Office for Black Catholics for coordinating this effort. I also would like to thank Monsignor John O’Brien and the parishioners of Saint Raymond Church for hosting us this afternoon.

This past year, our nation mourned the loss of Rosa Parks. Mrs. Parks was known as the "mother of the Civil Rights movement." In 1999 I had the honor of presenting her to Pope John Paul II during his visit to St. Louis. As we know, her story was a simple one. She stood up for what is right by sitting down. She was the woman who refused to give up her seat to a white man in the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Mrs. Parks was quoted as saying, "I was not just physically tired that day from work, I was tired of the segregation and injustice, so I refused to get up." This act of quiet defiance energized a boycott of the bus system that lasted for over a year and led to the end of that form of segregation. This boycott was led by a young Baptist minister from Atlanta, Martin Luther King, Jr.

What was so significant about this act of civil disobedience was that it was non- violent. In fact, the principle of non-violence marked all the efforts of Dr. King to challenge our nation to live out its conviction that indeed "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Yet, this notion of non-violence was not an original idea of Dr. King. He learned it well from Jesus Christ, who so often speaks of forgiveness, mercy and love.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?" (Matthew 5:43-46).

Jesus also says: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:8).

This principle of justice achieved by non-violent means is meant to characterize all religions in the tradition of Abraham. As Christians, Jews and Muslims, we all strive towards the goal of true justice being achieved through peaceful means. In this way we also honor Dr. King on his birthday and perpetuate his great legacy. Today we are called to recommit ourselves to being true peacemakers and finding non-violent ways to solve our challenges and conflicts. This is an important message to be communicated especially by parents and the teachers of our children. Our homes must be the first and best schools of non-violence, mercy and love.

We are all witnesses to how our community cries out for peace and the cessation of so many murders and other violent acts that militate against the very foundation of our society. How grateful we all are to religious leaders and to all our fellow citizens who work so hard to promote harmony and peace in our neighborhoods and help our young people to realize the need for love and service of others!

In a few moments, we will sing, "We shall overcome, we shall overcome some day." This was the anthem for Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement and this is still our goal and prayer. With God’s grace and our hard work, we shall overcome! Yes, we shall overcome prejudice and racism. We shall overcome hatred and anger, with their violence and killings. We shall overcome and live as brothers and sisters of one Heavenly Father. Amen.