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Celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

January 20, 2025, Martin Luther King Jr., a National Holiday, was enacted after 6 million signatures were collected to petition Congress to pass the law, the largest petition in favor of a law in our nation’s history.

Inauguration Day of the next President of the United States, is also a National Holiday. This is not an unusual reality as these two holidays happened previously on the same day.

This year, however, could be time for us to ponder more closely the legacy and breadth of Martin Luther King Jr., and its timeliness for us and for others commemorating King this day. Some commemorations also take place in Canada and Israel, where a national forest honors King, as well as in the Japanese city of Hiroshima where the day is also observed.

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, yet not celebrated until Jan. 21, 1986. Let us not forget as well that in Aug. 23, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed federal legislation into law making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a day of citizen action and volunteer service.

This legislation was authored by Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis. So, it is the Martin Luther King Day of Service. As we know, King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, and was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while supporting a sanitations workers’ strike.

As we look at our U.S. world and the global world right now, there is war, violence, racism, and pain of every kind. As Christians, a month ago, we celebrated the Light of God coming into the world, bringing peace and goodwill. Yet, there seems not to be goodwill and light for all. A saying of Martin Luther King Jr. may be our guide this January 20:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Dignity for All

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and Nobel Peace Prize awardee, was chief spokesperson for non-violent activism in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a fierce proponent of equal rights and dignity for all.

King, though not perfect, was a man whose confidence and deep courage led others to follow him and to work tirelessly for the cause of equality and equity for African Americans.

In his “I have a dream” speech, King roused others with his dream of a United States without segregation and racism, calling all to be advocates of non-violent protests. As we know, King staged, with the help of the community, many non-violent marches and boycotts.

He and his followers suffered greatly through beatings, imprisonments and other horrendous acts, as they maintained their non-violent stance for liberation. His legacy is non-violence and persistent action for equality and equity to all.

King calls us to live Gospel values boldly in word, action and with others. It was King who often referred to all people as the Beloved Community.

Give Service

In our remembering Martin Luther King Jr. today, let us give service by being bold and committed to non-violence and to love. Let us do so knowing we do this with others and are called to lead others on the same path.

Let us begin by renewing our efforts of non-violent advocacy in attitudes, actions and prayer. Let us continue our efforts of building up the Beloved Community that King spoke of by praying often the last verse of the Sisters of Providence Litany of Non-Violence:

“God of love, mercy and justice, acknowledging our complicity in those attitudes, actions and words which perpetuate violence, we beg the grace of a non-violent heart.”

En Espanol:

“Dios amoroso, misericordioso y justo, reconociendo mi complicidad en estas actitudes, acciones y palabras que perpetuan violencia, ruego la Gracia de un Corazon no-violento.

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Sister Barbara Sheehan

Sister Barbara Sheehan

Sister Barbara Sheehan, SP, a Sister of Providence since 1960, lives in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods after several years in Chicago, where she ministered as Executive Director/ACPE Supervisor of the Urban Clinical Pastoral Education Consortium, Inc. and as a spiritual director. She has extensive training not only in clinical pastoral supervision but also in care with those sexually abused, those challenged with mental illness and those suffering trauma. She has offered many workshops at regional, national and international conferences, is the author of Partner in Covenant: The Art of Spiritual Companionship and of numerous articles including one of her latest, Formation For Professional Practice: Addressing Social Hurts" in Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry, Vol. 34 2014.

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3 Comments

  1. Avatar Dawn Tomaszewski, SP on January 20, 2025 at 8:42 am

    Thanks, Barb, for your words of remembrance and challenge. Today, LCWR invites all women religious, partners in mission, and others to gather together throughout the day with a virtual prayer experience that focuses on the words of Dr. King as we experience the inauguration of our 47th President of the United States.

    To join in this prayer on your own simply click this link:
    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85084518325

    This is a quiet prayer with visual invitations and representations
    of the words and teachings of Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

  2. Avatar Deb Griffey on January 20, 2025 at 3:01 pm

    Thank you, Barbara, for reminding us that it is good to remember that hard things and difficult times have been overcome before, and good people always emerge from those times.

  3. Ann Clem on January 22, 2025 at 10:01 pm

    So glad we’ve come to the point that we are recognizing the important people in our lives. Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King for representing the good people in our world. I’m sorry your goodness cost you your life!

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