Today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of Servant of God Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, his future feast day. Here is an excerpt from a homily he gave on August 14, 1977:
You heard today in the first reading the accusations: “Death to that Jeremiah! He’s demoralizing the soldiers and all of the people with those speeches. That man doesn’t promote the people’s good, but their harm.”
See how the accusations against the prophets of all times are the same. When the prophet bothers the consciences of the
selfish, or of those who are not building with God’s plans, he is a nuisance and must be eliminated, murdered, thrown into a pit, persecuted, not allowed to speak the word that annoys.
But the prophet could not tell them anything else. Read in the Bible how Jeremiah often prays to God, “Lord, take this cross away from me. I don’t want to be a prophet. I feel my insides burning because I have to say things even I don’t like.”
It’s always the same. The prophet has to speak of society’s sin and call to conversion, as the church is doing today in San
Salvador: pointing out whatever would enthrone sin in El Salvador’s history and calling sinners to be converted, just as Jeremiah did.
For more of Romero’s homilies and reflections, check out this free ebook, The Violence of Love.
The Episcopal Church has provisionally approved the commemoration of Romero on this day, and offers the following prayer:
Almighty God, you called your servant Oscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, we may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.
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