‘Open Wide Our Hearts’

PATERSON  With race relations in the headlines today and civil unrest in many communities following the death of George Floyd, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is offering several resources for parishes, schools and ministries to promote the end of racism and bring peace to the community.

According to the USCCB website, “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love” — A Pastoral Letter Against Racism, which was created in 2018, was developed by the Committee on Cultural Diversity for Catholics to take action. In the statement for the release of the letter, the U.S. bishops said, “Racism still profoundly affects our culture and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims and it corrupts the souls of those who harbor racist or prejudicial thoughts. The persistence of the evil of racism is why we are writing this letter now.”

The USCCB gives resources for leaders and individuals to impact their communities targeted for all ages from young children to adults to pray, listen, study, reflect and respond. In brief, the faithful are asked to pray most especially for a conversion in heart. They are asked to create opportunities to listen to their neighbors and hear about their stories and experiences to expand an awareness. The faithful are asked to study and reflect as an individual and as a group and have a dialogue on issues pertaining to racism and social justice. Lastly, the bishops are calling for concrete action by individuals, families, parishes, schools and organizations to seek justice and the right relationships for each community.

Ivannia Vega-McTighe, assistant director of evangelization at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls in Madison, told The Beacon, “Racism in our country is real, systemic and personal. We need courageous men and women, lay and ordained, to call it out, to name it, to acknowledge it. We need to sit with people who have suffered racism and listen to their stories, understand and validate their pain and show them by our actions that they are not alone. Only when we shed light on this sin will we be able to move towards solidarity. It is only then that we can be in communion with one another and transform our world. Racism cannot co-exist with our Catholic faith. Therefore, to the extent that we truly want to be the Body of Christ, we must purge our hearts as well as our systems of racist attitudes and actions. This is not a time for silence or for empty words. It is time for all of us to work towards justice. As Pope Paul VI said in 1972, ‘If you want peace, work for justice.’”

The most important members of the community to reach in the effort to combat racism are young people. The USCCB offers educational resources for every grade level. Some of the activities presented to those in grades K to 8 include recognizing what makes a person; respecting human dignity; the beatitudes and happiness; racism imperils the unity of the Body of Christ; social sin, racism and how to respond; and the unity of God’s family. For high school students, resources include historical information on the holocaust; structures of sin and racism; and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.

For adults, some resources include responding to the sin of racism; examining subconscious perceptions; diversity and racial justice; recalling the Civil Rights Movement; the racial divide in the United States and intercultural competencies.

There are many prayers on the USCCB website focused on racism including a Stations of the Cross with each station sharing a specific issue related to racism. In addition, the faithful could find suggested Scripture readings for reflection and questions and prayer services.

“The last three Sundays — Pentecost, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ — have been opportunities for us to reflect on this teaching. Made in the image of God means that we are called to live our faith in communion with one another, in solidarity, in unity. The Holy Spirit mandates that we do all we can to transform this world. We are the Body of Christ and when one member suffers, we all suffer,” Vega-McTighe said.

The USCCB also offers background information related to racism, which include economic inequality, education, and employment. This information helps the faithful understand the relationship between racial and economic justice. Efforts on this can be found on PovertyUSA.org, an initiative with the USCCB and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to empower low-income people, families and communities. Other ways communities can act together is committing to practical changes in the way the community practices hospitality, cultivates leaders and celebrates cultural traditions.

The U.S. bishops said in the statement, “For a nation to be just, it must be a society that recognizes and respects the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples. These rights precede any society because they flow from the dignity granted to each person created by God.”