A king's advice to the president
FREE Catholic Classes
I believe it is no mere coincidence that the U.S. national holiday celebrating the inspiring life of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Jan. 16) is positioned within the same week as the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration of Donald J. Trump.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
1/20/2017 (7 years ago)
Published in Politics & Policy
Keywords: Martin Luther King, King, Dr. King, MLK, Donald Trump, Trump, President, Gospel, God
I believe a king has wise and holy advice for the president.
If King could advise Trump face to face, he would surely urge him to always do what Jesus would do. And likewise, to always refrain from doing what Jesus would not do. King would advise Trump to humbly read the Gospel everyday to gain divine insight into what the merciful, compassionate, nonviolent Jesus would do today.
With the Gospel as his guide, King said "The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness."
King would warn Trump that "Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind."
And continuing with his firm conviction against war, King would quote from his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech that "Man must evolve for all human conflict a method, which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
In light of the tremendous disparity of wealth between rich individuals and corporations compared to tens of millions of Americans living in poverty, and hundreds of millions of people throughout the world struggling to survive in extreme poverty, King would admonish the billionaire Trump's apparent indifference.
He would say to him "It is obvious that if a man is to redeem his spiritual and moral lag, he must go all out to bridge the social and economic gulf between the 'haves' and the 'have not's' of the world."
And Dr. King would add, "There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it."
And in 2017 that fact is even truer.
The renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, special advisor to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told me that for approximately $100 billion dollars more per year, extreme poverty could be totally eradicated from the face of the earth. That's less than one-sixth of the U.S. military budget.
King's niece, Dr. Alveda King said, "I know in my heart if Uncle Martin were alive today, he would join with me in the greatest civil rights struggle of this generation - the recognition of the unborn child's basic right to life."
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who harbored no discrimination concerning the protection of every human life, would surely urge President Trump to energetically work to fully protect the miracle of all unborn human life (See this fascinating video: http://bit.ly/1XezTp2).
King took the broad-minded approach to the meaning of life. And he summarized it well in his 1967 Christmas sermon (see: http://bit.ly/2i6mNao), saying "It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated."
King's final words to Trump - and all of us - could very well be: "If we are to have peace on earth ... our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone, and as long as we try, the more we are going to have war in this world.
"Now the judgment of God is upon us, and we must either learn to live together as brothers or we are going to perish together as fools."
---------------------------------------------------------
Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings about Catholic social teaching. His keynote address, "Advancing the Kingdom of God in the 21st Century," has been well received by diocesan and parish gatherings from Santa Clara, Calif. to Baltimore, Md. Tony can be reached at tmag@zoominternet.net.
---
'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'
Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
St. Faustina Kowalska
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Saint of the Day for Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023
-
Popular Saints
-
St. Francis of Assisi
-
Bible
-
Female / Women Saints
-
7 Morning Prayers you need to get your day started with God
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Daily Catholic
- Daily Readings for Monday, December 23, 2024
- St. John of Kanty: Saint of the Day for Monday, December 23, 2024
- Christmas Prayer: Prayer of the Day for Monday, December 23, 2024
- Daily Readings for Sunday, December 22, 2024
- St. Chaeromon: Saint of the Day for Sunday, December 22, 2024
- Advent Prayer #2: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, December 22, 2024
Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.