The Example of Martin Luther King
In January, African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization celebrated Martin Luther King Day with a Mass on January 12 in St. Mary Church, Goldsboro. Bishop Burbidge was the Celebrant and I was the homilist.
When I finished my homily for that celebration, I turned to write this article for NC Catholics. The theme of the March issue is Self Control, and I thought, What better example of self control, discipline and abandonment than Dr. King?
Stop and think. He was the son of a Baptist minister, the pastor of an old and prestigious church in Atlanta. He was well educated in the Atlanta schools, at Morehouse College and Crozier Seminary and Boston University. He went into ministry in the Baptist Church. He was the husband of a beautiful, educated and talented lady, the father of three good-looking, talented children.
When Rosa Parks got tired of sitting in the back of the bus and moved up front, a revolution was ignited in our midst. All that was needed was a charismatic and eloquent leader. Dr. King stepped forward to lead the movement.
From the beginning of his leadership he espoused non-violence, he taught non-violence and he acted non-violently. When he was threatened and besieged, his self control did not end; he did not resort to violence; he was disciplined, his followers were disciplined.
He abandoned himself to the movement; he abandoned himself to the teachings of the
Gospel; he never wavered in his principles.
In Birmingham, those in Dr. King’s movement vowed: “I hereby pledge myself, my body and my person to the non-violent movement. Therefore I will keep the following commandments: To meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus; to remember always that the non-violent movement seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory; to walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love; to pray daily to be used by God that all men might be free; to observe with both friend ands foe the ordinary rules of courtesy; to seek to perform regular service for others and for the world; to refrain from violence of fist, tongue or heart; to strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health; to follow the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.”
-- Msgr. Thomas P. Hadden