Monday
Mar242014

Let my blood be a seed...

“Let my blood be a seed of freedom”

 

“I have often been threatened with death. If they kill me, I shall arise in the Salvadoran people. If the threats come to be fulfilled, from this moment I offer my blood to God for the redemption and resurrection of El Salvador. Let my blood be a seed of freedom and the sign that hope will soon be reality.”

--Archbishop Oscar Romero

Today I am mindful of the 34th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, a hero and inspiration to millions of people around the world, myself included. I first became acquainted with the life, work, and death of Oscar Romero and the struggles of the Salvadoran people while in seminary. As I came to learn more about this incredible man and his conversion from a politically cautious defender of the status quo to a deeply impassioned prophetic voice for the poor and marginalized, I was so moved and inspired by the brilliance of his witness as he sought to follow Christ into one of the darkest situations in the world.  Indeed, here is a man who is on the same plane as Martin Luther King in the United States, as Desmond Tutu in South Africa, as Dietrich Bonheoffer in Germany, of countless other women and men who have given everything to accept Jesus’ invitation to live a life rooted in the dream of God.

All of these 20th century saints remind us, in the words of Bonheoffer, that there is a cost of discipleship.

Romero knew this truth well. And yet, his faith and daily spiritual discipline sustained him, nourished him, and encouraged him to live out fully the calling that God placed on his life. Romero, like Tutu, gives us a clear example of how contemplation and action must go hand-in-hand. Working for justice and reconciliation is too difficult and too slow to be sustained without a deep rootedness in contemplative practices.

Is your life similarly balanced, between action and contemplation? I invite you to take a few moments today and ponder this balance (or lack thereof) in your own life.

If you have never had the opportunity to become familiar with his work may I recommend to you reading a collection of his sermons and writings, called The Violence of Love. You can find it on Amazon by clicking the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Violence-Love-Oscar-Romero/dp/1570755353

More immediately, I invite you to click through the link below to an incredible 4:55 film from The Project. This film is part of a project called Martyrs Prayers led by Duane W.H. Arnold and United Methodist Deacon Michael Glen Bell. They have recently released a full-length album based around the prayers of martyrs. The deluxe edition of the album comes with a wonderful information booklet that would be very helpful in learning (and hopefully teaching!) more about the examples of the martyrs. The link will connect you with their beautiful short film and song about Romero.

In their words:

Romero's message of social justice, non-violence and self-sacrifice are needed today as never before.  We're asking you to be partners in spreading that message.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21CN815v2G0

 

I pray you will!

 

 

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Reader Comments (2)

Well written! Appreciate you sharing, not only the Romero video, but other resources too. Thank you.

March 24, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterMichael Glen Bell

My pleasure, thank you so much for creating such a wonderful piece of art!

March 31, 2014 | Registered CommenterJoe Stobaugh

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