This week's student blog post comes to us from Julie Marmion. Julie is a student at Biola University, studying Spanish and linguistics. Here, she reflects on the recent commemoration of the legacy and life of Archbishop Oscar Romero from El Salvador, who was assassinated in 1980 while giving mass.
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| Leah (left) and Julie (right), traveling to an organic farm. |
Two days ago was the celebration
feast day of Monseñor Óscar Romero. Perhaps his legacy is unfamiliar to you,
but as the Catholic Church prepares for his canonization, I encourage you to
carefully consider his life as an example for living out Jesus’ mission for
justice. Romero was the archbishop of El Salvador during the late 1970s in the
midst of great governmental violence, yet despite the impending peril, he found
strength to speak out against the violence, torture, poverty, and disregard for
human dignity. Although he was assassinated, his message planted a seed of hope
among the people of Latin America.
I cannot begin to understand the
situation of the oppressed, but my experiences here in Latin America have put a
face to the issues and injustices about which I have learned. Although I had
previously learned about the fight of the Sandinistas against Somoza in
Nicaragua, living and conversing with a family who had experienced the
revolution gave me a personal connection to the situation. It wasn’t just
another group of citizens fighting for liberty; it was Chilo, Isella, and Eric.
It was the beautiful face staring back at me as we enjoyed our Sunday morning
breakfast of Nacatamales.
Similarly, having listened to the
life story of Elmer, a speaker who lived in the same framework as Romero, I
began to recognize the devastating effects of poverty on the human beings it
infects. These interactions do not permit me to deny the reality of such
injustices nor the necessity and power of Romero's courageous opposition to
them. In resisting the patterns of brutality and destitution, Elmer suggests we
be intentional in forming relationships with the marginalized and in standing
with them in solidarity, which Romero declares to be the mission of the
church.
In the documentary “Romero”, Rutilio
Grande, an influential priest and advocate for human rights, professed, “How
can I love God who I don’t see if I don’t love my neighbour who I do see?”
This causes me to reflect on my attitude with respect to the oppressed and
my responsibility as a Christian. Sometimes we get caught up with other aspects
of faith that we ignore Jesus’ vision for society—a Kingdom characterized by
love and justice. This vision still lacks completion. Thus, we as Christians
ought to offer ourselves as instruments in God’s triumph over injustice as we
follow the example of Jesus and those such as Óscar Romero who shared his
vision.
