Prayer from a poor person’s lips is heard at once, and justice is quickly granted/La oración del pobre va de su boca a los oídos del Señor, y la sentencia divina no se hace esperar. Sirach/Eclesiastico 21:5
Dodgers fans are excited that we won the World Series; we like to say we won it for Fernando Valenzuela who died on October 22nd, three days before the games began. On the same day Gustavo Gutiérrez, OP, died. Though not nearly as well know as Valenzuela he contributed much to our faith through his focus on the poor and suffering. In what has come to known as the “preferential option for the poor,” Gutiérrez’s liberation theology played a key role in this.
Gutiérrez helped us, as a community of believers, to understand that salvation begins now through a mystical encounter with God in and through action in the world. His work begins in Lima, Peru, pre Vatican II, and it can be said he took theology out of the “libraries” and into our communities, something that was new at the time.
Called a “man of active hope,” by his friend Yolanda Diaz, Gutiérrez urged us to live with “one foot in the Church, listening to God who calls us” and the other foot in the day to day reality of our lives. He showed that “when Christian faith responds authentically to human suffering, it fulfills its deepest calling,” as Michael E. Lee, wrote in America Magazine.
In 2016 Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor to also remind us that encounter with God involes encounter with others. This prayer from chausa.org can inspire us to live with active hope: O God, Defender of the poor and oppressed, help us to hear their cries and come to their aid. Teach us to see with your eyes their tremendous dignity and to care for them as you care. Let us see in them your face, that through our solidarity with them they may experience your compassion, concern, and love. Amen.
Showcasing SHA talent: Jonathan in 5th shows our Redlands Firefighters taking care of our community.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
4th Grade Aide