Today we celebrate one of my greatest heroes who, despite many personal failings, stood as perhaps the twentieth century’s greatest prophet (I think John Paul II holds the only rival claim). Like Christ, this man chose non-violence in the fight against hate and, in line with Catholic social teaching, recognized the dignity of all people–friends and enemies alike.
Today we honor this great justice leader, a modern Isaiah who showed words still have power, and a man from whom my son gets his middle-name:
If you want a great taste of King’s prophetic writings, my favorite book is A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. At a hefty 736 pages, the tome includes several of his speeches, letters, sermons, and writings, including his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It lets you see all sides of King–poet, prophet, preacher, philosopher, and theologian.
But King can’t be simply read; he must be seen and heard. If you’ve never watched any of his speeches in full, you owe it to yourself. Sit down today and watch one. The obvious choice is his famous “I Have a Dream” masterpiece.
There you’ll see a master orator at work, weaving cadences, parallelisms, and rich imagery into an energizing call to arms, a poetic vision that captivated a nation.
I imagine that when Jesus delivered the Beatitudes, he spoke with the same electricity. And, like King, his provocative words cost him his life. Would they we all have the courage and power to speak truth.
And here’s Fr. Robert Barron explaining why King still matters:
(A couple years ago on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I shared some of my experiences with solidarity in my local community.)