Patrick Riley came dressed for the occasion. At the Mass in
Recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the parishioner of St. Anthony of
Padua Church in Falls Church sported a pin of the civil rights leader, a token
he received for donating to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington.
His tie featured smiling children of different ethnicities. He wore a red
checked shirt, “because I think of him as a martyr,” said Riley.
Once he learned about the Mass, Riley felt he needed to be there,
“because of all that happened this year and the need for healing in our
nation,” he said.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated the Mass at the Cathedral
of St. Thomas More in Arlington Jan.10, ahead of the national holiday Jan. 18.
He was assisted by Father Patrick L. Posey, rector of the cathedral, and Deacon
Al Anderson of St. Joseph Church in Alexandria. Choir director and pianist
Eugene Harper and singer Doreen Hamilton of the St. Joseph Gospel Choir
provided the music.
Bishop Burbidge began his homily by strongly condemning the
violence at the Capitol Jan. 6, invoking Dr. King’s words. “As we anticipate
the celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we recall his words from
the Birmingham Jail telling us that this nation will have to repent not only
for hateful words and action, but most especially for appalling silence,” he
said.
He asked the congregation to examine their conscience regarding
their own actions and inaction. “We may ask, do I play any part in bringing
harsh rhetoric or hateful actions to my community or workplace? Have I been
silent when I should have intervened?” he asked. “Am I taking up the charge of
what Dr. King says is an appealing peace, a peace in which all men and women
respect the dignity and worth of every human person?”
A man prays during the Mass in Recognition of Martin
Luther King Jr. Day at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington Jan. 10. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD
There is still much work to be done in promoting the worth of
people of all races, said Bishop Burbidge. To further that end, last year he
created an Advisory Council on Racism. However for the work to succeed, a
reliance on God is needed, he said. “I think in some ways our nation is
forgetting we can only do this work with God’s grace, with God’s divine
assistance,” he said. “In some way we’re leaving God out of this picture. And
that’s a great mistake.”
Catholics can fulfill Christ’s mission, said Bishop Burbidge, “by
living our faith without compromise, by doing our part to uphold the sacredness
of all human life as well as respect for the dignity and worth of all human
persons. We do so by letting go of any hatred, bitterness, resentment or
grudges in our hearts, and by putting on love, for love never fails.”
