It is an amazing thing that on the holiday of Martin Luther King people choose to serve one another.  It is a great tribute to a man who modeled so clearly our interrelatedness and taught us that none of us can be who we called to be until all of us have the same right.  He was committed to non-violence even in the face of violence.  He knew how to take that first step and it pushed him on to climbing the whole staircase in faith — one step at a time.  Faith is what drove his every action and HOPE for all peoples was the outcome.

Martin Luther King, Jr. worked for the protection of human dignity of all, and had the courage to speak the truth to power.  His commitment influenced many to join with each other in working toward a more compassionate world.  And today that legacy continues as we work side by side.  As Americans he reminded us what our country is all about and called us to something better.  We aren’t there yet but we have taken the first steps and as we work side by side on this holiday of service we will come to know one another and, in that knowing, we will be a fuller and stronger nation.  In faith, we are taking those first steps but we have a long way to go to enable his dream to become the dream of our nation and the dream of our people — WE THE PEOPLE!  We the people can do this together — one step at a time.

At the Spiritual Center in the past week we had a Tai Chi Chih retreat where people came together desiring peace within the world and peace within their own hearts.  We had a group of men from St. Thomas on retreat trying to fill their lives with the Gospel Message and desiring to live it out day by day.  We had a group of women who came together to proclaim love within their own lives and desired to share it with one another.  These men and women know how important it is to live a principled life, and a life of committed engagement to social and spiritual transformation.  They are walking a stairway to hope by taking that first step in faith.  Join them and all those this day who are doing service to make a better world.  Take the first step.  You don’t have to know the outcome or where the stairs will lead you; you simply have to believe in your own goodness and desire to have a compassionate heart that will touch someone else and make their day just a little bit better.  It all begins with the faith to take that one little step and move in the right direction.  There is a world waiting for you to act.  There is a Gospel calling you to do just a little bit more.

As we deepen our understanding of the Gospels it is clear that the model we have in Dr. King calls us into action.  This past Sunday the first reading from Isaiah reminded us that we are called to be light.  Sister Marie Angela showed me a reflection that said:  "We live in the light to the extent that we live in the truth about ourselves.  Befriend a truth-teller, and be one yourself."  Martin Luther Kind lived in the light because he lived in the truth and had the courage to speak truth to power.  He also called each of us to do the same thing.  Taking that first step to move into action on behalf of the Gospel is difficult.  His actions moved many of us to join with each other in working toward a more compassionate and just country.  He has been a model for many encouraging us to live a principled life, and a life of committed engagement to social and spiritual transformation.