During the Mass in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 14 at St. John Neumann Church in Reston, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge posed the same question that Jesus asked his disciples.
Quoting the Gospel reading from John 1:38, Bishop Burbidge asked, “ ‘What are you looking for?’ No doubt, we are certainly looking for the eradication of every form of prejudice, bigotry and racism, for as Dr. King states: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ As hard as it is to acknowledge, racism and bigotry remain present even in our country, communities, and beyond. Sadly, some of our own brothers and sisters here present today can testify to that reality. I am so grateful to the members of the Diocesan Racism Council for the guidance and wisdom they are offering me so that we, with God’s grace, can do our part as a diocesan family to end the horrific sin of racism.”
Black Catholics in attendance agreed, saying they were grateful and deeply moved by the Bishop’s words. “I thought the Bishop hit a home run. It was a grand slam,” said Valerie Smith, who will soon be registering at St. John Neumann Church. “He did an excellent job of prefacing the whole ceremony and what the Mass was about, and bringing in our Catholicism as well. I’m extremely proud of my Bishop. I hope he can work with some of the other parishes to let them understand that, first of all, we do have a problem. You’ve got to recognize that you’ve got a problem and then work toward resolving a problem. You’ve got to bring light to the darkness.”
Mary Hicks, a parishioner of St. John Neumann, was delighted by the way her parish responded. “I’m overwhelmed. I think it was wonderful. The homily was wonderful. We had so many people. It was a wonderful feeling in the community and I’m thankful to be a part of it.”
Bishop Burbidge emphasized that one way all can respond to the question, “What are you looking for?” is to rejoice.
“St. Paul reminds us of a truth that we often forget: We are temples of the Holy Spirit — all of us, without exception,” he said. “Imagine if we rejoiced always in that Good News; if we were in awe of that reality — life at every stage would be protected; all persons would be respected; we would live together as the Body of Christ and nothing would divide us. Let’s heed the warning of Dr. King: ‘We must live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools.’ ”
Members of the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary from St. Joseph Church in Alexandria participated in the Mass as special guests, including three members of the Lafond family. “It meant a lot to be here to acknowledge (MLK’s) accomplishments and all the things he stood for,” said Junior Knight Anthony Lafond, 16. “I felt like I was included in the parish and found a sense of family here. I was able to come to a different parish and found a way to connect with Martin Luther King.”
Junior Daughter Knight Ava Lafond, 14, was also heartened. “It’s a good representation of our history, and it’s a way to show how far we’ve come. It shows how they appreciate our culture and where we came from.”
Daughter Knight Michaela Lafond, mother of Anthony and Ava, said, “This Mass is always special for me because it’s nice to know that our diocese prioritizes acknowledging Martin Luther King and they always invite us Knights of Peter Claver, Ladies Auxiliary and the Junior Daughters and Junior Knights to come as special guests for this Mass. I’m always touched by Bishop Burbidge’s homilies. His message about racism and how racism is a sin — I think he really does believe it and the fact that there’s a church full of people here listening to that message, and they come year after year to the Martin Luther King Mass, is an indication that we’re just not going through the motions, that people do believe this, and they’re happy to attend and honor Martin Luther King Jr.”
While understanding that Black Americans are still carrying on King’s mission to see every person dignified as a child of God, Black Catholics said they are optimistic. “I was really encouraged. Not only by the homily, but just the involvement of the people. I really like that, and I felt at home,” said Gwen Rocque of Upper Marlboro, Md.
“I think there’s work to be done,” said Anthony Lafond. “The world is still growing and right now we’re heading in the right direction.”
Bishop Burbidge challenged the standing room only crowd to always be questioning what we are looking for. “We are ‘looking for’ a world in which all of life is protected, racism is eradicated, hatred is quenched by love,” he said. “Our hopes and dreams are fulfilled only in union with Christ and in faithfulness to his Gospel. Listen to him. Rejoice in him. Follow him, today and always.”
Hale can be reached at [email protected]
