Saintly Saturday - St. Oscar Romero
St.
Oscar Arnulfo Romero was martyred in 1980, making him a saint of our modern
day, and many of the issues he faced are still prevalent to us. Two issues
which greatly concerned him were social justice and human rights. Both of which
he defended and spoke out for, using his influence to offer his voice for those
who were being maltreated and persecuted.
Born
on August 15, 1917, Romero’s father had wanted him to become a carpenter, but
he instead studied for priesthood and was ordained in 1942. He went on to
become Bishop of Santiago de Maria, and later was appointed Archbishop of San
Salvador. During this time, political upheaval in El Salvador was increasing,
and by 1979, the civil war had broken out. Romero became a target of the
Salvadoran government as he spoke out against the violence and injustices
being done. He encouraged the people not to act in violence, defended the
rights of the poor, and denounced the killing of one's own people. He informed
the people of El Salvador that there was no obligation to comply with immoral
laws, that one must not follow that which counters the law of God.
On
March 23, 1980, Romero appealed over the radio to the men fighting in the war.
He begged them to end the violence and to cease killing their own. He asked
that they return to obeying God, above and before obeying the government. The
next day, he was assassinated while saying Mass. Through his life and legacy,
Romero has illustrated for us what it means to speak for those who are not
given voices. He shows us that love of neighbor implies actively fighting
against the injustices being committed against them and exemplifies Christ’s
teaching in action: “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine,
you did for me.”
St. Oscar Romero was canonized on October 18, 2018 by Pope Francis. We celebrate his feast day on March 24.
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