Prepare the Way of the Lord
At the Masses December 5-6, 2020, St. Thomas was blessed with a visit from Regina Brent. Regina is a member of the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Lisle. She is the founder and president of Unity Partnership that seeks to build trust between the police and all citizens they serve.
Regina provided the homily reflection on a weekend when the readings called on us to “prepare the way of the Lord.” The vast majority of our community is white and has not experienced the pain of racial injustice. Regina provided witness to the pain of racial injustice as well as encouragement toward solutions. We need to listen to Regina with open hearts and open minds. We all have a role to play in the solutions.
Below is an excerpt from Regina’s reflection. To read her entire reflection, click here.
You can also view her reflection below.
“And so the truth is, we need each other. We need to trust, and be able to rely upon all other believers. We can find ways on how to agree to disagree, and do it respectfully. We should love one another and not judge each other no matter who we may love, just as long as we love. God gave us each other to walk alongside, and to encourage one another to stand up for what is right. Your pain should be my pain and my gain should be your gain. If we bring our resources together, we would be unstoppable.”
“As long as those hills of hatred and classism, mountains of white privilege, and rugged lands of racism dominate and exist in our society, there will never be a path for the Lord. The Prophet Isaiah says, ‘Make a straight and smooth road through the desert for our God!’ Get rid of those obstacles and the fences that separate us. We need to listen to that ‘Voice from the Wilderness’ that will allow us to get back to the Kingdom of God!”
