DAY 188
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
pastorrobert@paxpres.org
Week Twenty-seven Friday 18 September 2020
Again, the Bullet
“The Rev. Ricardo Antonio Cortez, rector of the Saint Oscar Romero seminary in El Salvador, was assassinated on August 7th. He was intercepted and shot by unknown attackers while traveling in eastern El Salvador. ‘Once again our diocese is stained with the innocent blood of a good pastor,’ said Bishop Elias Avelar. Again, the bullet, again, the agony, again, the senselessness.” From an article in a current issue of a Christian magazine
In the midst of a pandemic claiming so many lives it is easy to forget or not know that others still die for different reasons. In El Salvador, a country whose name means “The Savior,” the killing of religious leaders has been a part of the culture for decades, with nuns who have been raped and killed to priests and pastors killed by the dozens over the years to this priest last month. While the commitment of these pastors was “To take care of the poor, to minister to the poor, to the hungry, to those who had nothing,” the military leadership blanketed the county with fliers that said, “Be a patriot – kill a priest.”
The highest profile killing of clergy remains that of Archbishop Oscar Romero, a bullet piercing his heart as he lifted the chalice in the celebration of Communion. Two films on my short list of most impactful movies involve Archbishop Romero:
“Romero”
“Monsignor: The Last Journey of Oscar Romero”
The first is a well done dramatization; the second is an unforgettably moving and well done documentary in Spanish with English subs – I showed this version to a group of Protestant clergy I was leading on retreat in Honduras a few years ago and the impact was palpable. They live with similar assassinations by gangs as part of their culture, not just of pastors but of people from all walks of life. Several shared the fear in which they live if they dare to speak up against gangs that rule in so many areas of their daily life. Such awareness on our part provides a much-needed adjustment of perception about life during this pandemic.
Reflective question: Will you pick up my challenge, during this pandemic, to watch one of the movies listed above?
Reflective Scripture: John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Reflective hymn:
“Choose Life” – Based on Romero’s last sermon - Gregory Norbet ©1982
I do not believe in death, without the resurrection which is to come.
If they kill me, I shall rise once again in you, my people, God’s beloved poor.
May God accept my sacrifice as a sign of liberation, of living hope.
A bishop, a pastor may die, but the Church of God,
which is the people, this will never die.
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