Update from the Soul Man

Soul Man update and blog         
 
Good day parish family!
     Sharon and I are gradually settling into our new digs in Colorado. We are currently learning basement life at our oldest son’s house while we search for our own place. Yes, the weather has been nice but like our friends and family in Texas, we have not been immune from record heat. I am waiting to meet with the Deacon Personnel Board so I can be assigned to a parish, but this will not happen until August. In the meantime, we are really enjoying being with our grandsons and having new adventures with them. We participated in a virtual Walk to End Epilepsy last Sunday. Those who had previously signed up to walk at a large public event, instead walked the 5k route of their choice and posted pictures to the Epilepsy Facebook page. We wore our masks and social distanced as best as we could and had a great time.
     A lot has happened over the past few weeks besides our move. The threat of the Corona virus continues, and we must continue our vigilance and care for our neighbor to keep ourselves and others safe. I saw a sign in Golden, Colorado on our walk. The Golden rule: Wear your mask to protect your neighbor and yourself. I think this applies to all of us as we do our best to love our neighbor.
    Loving our neighbor has taken on a more powerful message as of late too. With the tragic death of George Floyd, we are all being called to reexamine our attitudes toward racism in our cities, country, families, and in our hearts. Pope Francis called racism a sin and asks us as church to recognize this as a pro-life issue. Pope Francis has broadened our definition of pro-life issues to expand it from just being opposed to abortion, to also include care for the environment, care for the elderly and vulnerable members of our population, justice for immigrants, and fighting against racism.
     As a young man growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, I vividly remember watching the congressional vote tally on black and white TV of the first Civil Rights Act in 1964. I remember the turbulent times of 1968, the assassination of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, and the protests of the war in Viet Nam, especially during the Democratic convention of that year. Our right to protest peacefully is a basic American right and one that Catholics have been a part of for much of our history. We as church have gathered with other faith traditions to protest wars, nuclear armaments, civil rights, and racism. We must continue to stand up, pray for, and support necessary change to ensure the dignity of each person. We must also read and educate ourselves on systemic racism and how it hurts all of us in the body of Christ. This is not easy to do or to hear. It has been a learning experience for me to see how I helped perpetuate stereotypes of racism without realizing it. It hurts to personally experience the pain of having to explain to my 16-year-old African American grandson how to respond to law enforcement, so he doesn’t get hurt. Let us realize that our journey toward equality and personally recognizing our own prejudices has not ended but continues to be a work in progress.  I will leave you with a quote from James A Baldwin, a black American novelist, activist, and poet, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
    Thank you for your continued prayers for Sharon and me as we continue our Colorado journey. Please pray for our new parish too.