Monday of the
Second Week in Ordinary Time
(I Samuel 15:16-23; Mark 2:18-22)
Martin Luther King, Jr., was by background, training, and
profession a Christian preacher. But he
did more than preach about Jesus Christ.
Like the master himself in today’s gospel, Rev. King radicalized the
message. He made it a catalyst to bring
peoples of all races closer together. If
Washington is the father of the country and Lincoln, its savior, then Martin
Luther King is its spirit of justice, peace and self-sacrificing love.
In the gospel Jesus reveals radical intention. He has not come to promote pious traditions
like fasting. Rather he intends to usher
a whole new way of living. He will form
his followers into a community of mutual love.
He will even allow himself to be martyred to put this love in
motion.
We give Martin Luther King fitting honor by remembering
him here at this Eucharist. We know that
he was not Messiah. But we also
recognize in him a man like Jesus. We
heard King’s words and witnessed his actions that redirected the nation to
freedom. We are grateful to God for him.
