Wisdom Wednesday | End of Black History Month

For this last Wednesday of Black History Month, we begin with a deep well of articles and connections from Catholic and interfaith sources. We will delve later into a pastor’s question about moving forward with a church-full of “election protestors and never-trumpets.” Most provocative, perhaps, is the question: “Are you glad that Rush Limbaugh is dead?”

Concluding Black History Month, but continuing our activism

First, here is a link to a video with Fr. Bryan Massingale (a keynote speaker of our AUSCP Assembly in Atlanta) who speaks about “Racism and the Catholic Church.”His presentation is one of a series available from the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights at the University of Notre Dame.

By the way, you can now watch a collection of past keynote assembly presentations on our website.

Fr. Matthew Hawkins from Pittsburgh says African American History Month is an opportunity for all Catholics to experience a deeper encounter with Christ from a unique perspective.

Religion News Service offers scores of items on race and religion, updated continuously. It’s an interfaith source for February and the entire year.

Similarly, the AUSCP will also continue to advocate for the end of racism and white supremacy in our church and our world, even after Black History Month has come to an end. You can stay up to date with our anti-racism efforts here.

Other AUSCP initiatives

Here’s a quick rundown of noteworthy items related to the AUSCP’s other initiatives, including women in the church, ending the death penalty, and more.

During Lent, the Catholic lobbying group NETWORK challenges members to reflect and act on a topic together. NETWORK describes its Lenten mission here:

In a world of growing economic disparity and increasing individualism, we call for federal policies that dismantle systemic racism, eliminate the wealth and income gap, improve the well-being of our communities, and allow all people to thrive — especially those most often left out: women, people of color, and people on the economic margins.”

Learn more about NETWORK’s Build Anew policy agenda.

We’re excited to offer you fresh, expert insight on the important topic of women in the church. She calls her video, “Women Erased,” about the women of Vatican II, ignored by historians and forgotten. She is Sr. Maureen Sullivan, OP. You can find her video, and other informative content about this subject, on our “Women in the Church” page.

The Second Vatican Council was the opportunity for a significant contribution of lay men and women, especially in thinking about the Church’s dialogue with the world. An article in La Croix International reports that the theme of the next assembly of the Synod of Bishops, “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission,” calls for a renewed participation of the laity.

Finally, an exciting update on an important issue – ending the death penalty. The AUSCP opposes the death penalty and salutes the legislators of Virginia, for their recent stand as a southern state abolishing the death penalty.

You can view all of the initiatives of the AUSCP here.

Political food for thought and prayer

Have you ever prayed over this quandary: “I have election protesters and ‘Never Trumpers’ in my pews. How can we move forward together?” It is a question Catholic and many faith leaders are asking. Here’s one viewpoint reported by Religion News Service.

If, when we gather on Sunday morning, the first category that comes to mind for myself or another is whether they are for or against Donald Trump, Christian unity is dead in the water. Jesus’ model prayer challenges our priorities, lifting our attention from our leaders on earth to Our Father in heaven. The reputation of God’s hallowed name must trump political agendas and the prayer for God’s kingdom to come must supersede any longing for American greatness.

We end this week’s compilation reflecting on a question that many of us are wrestling with – how to react to the death of Rush Limbaugh. “Do not gloat when your enemy falls,” it says in Proverbs. Jeffrey Salkin brings his particular Jewish perspective to the provocative question: Are you glad that Rush Limbaugh is dead?