Christ the Cornerstone

A vision for peace in our hearts and our world

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)

Monday, Jan. 15, is our country’s observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It has been nearly 56 years since Dr. King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, but the issues that he was preoccupied with—especially racism and violence—remain dominant forces we must contend with in our society today.

Dr. King believed that all women and men are equal, created in the image and likeness of God. Regardless of our differences (race, gender, politics, economic status or religious beliefs), we are sisters and brothers who are called to love each other without exception and to cherish and defend the human and civil rights of all.

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality,” Dr. King said. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

This powerful vision, beautifully articulated in Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech, has influenced millions of people throughout the world.

Unfortunately, the forces of racism and violence remain present in our world, and they resist all efforts to overcome them. The tragedy of war in the Holy Land, in Ukraine and in other regions of the world is a striking reminder that nonviolent solutions are desperately needed.

Similarly, the resurgence of antisemitism, racism and many different forms of indifference to the rights and dignity of others calls for a profound renewal of commitment to Dr. King’s principles.

Dr. King was determined that the revolution he advocated must be a nonviolent one. Violence is not the way to universal peace and brotherhood.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can,” Dr. King said. “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can.”

Only love can overcome the power of sin and death. Only love can unite people who are deeply divided by hatred, prejudice and a history of injustice. Only love can heal the festering wounds of racism and the physical, emotional and spiritual destruction caused by violence.

Sadly, many years after the death of Dr. King, racism and violence are still dominant forces in the daily lives of Americans and our sisters and brothers throughout the world. Despite the progress that has been made during the past five decades, we still have a lot to learn from Dr. King’s teaching that hate cannot drive out hate; only love can.

Every new year, our Holy Father Pope Francis appeals to world leaders—and all of us—to dedicate ourselves to peace. None of the world’s problems can be solved by war. The peace and brotherhood we seek must be obtained by forgiving past injuries and injustices, and by resolving to “repair the world” through mutual respect and dialogue, as well as through the commitment to accept responsibility for one another as members of the human family, equal in human rights and dignity.

In his World Day of Peace message last year, Pope Francis said:

What then is being asked of us? First of all, to let our hearts be changed by our experience of the crisis, to let God, at this time in history, transform our customary criteria for viewing the world around us. We can no longer think exclusively of carving out space for our personal or national interests; instead, we must think in terms of the common good, recognizing that we belong to a greater community, and opening our minds and hearts to universal human fraternity. We cannot continue to focus simply on preserving ourselves; rather, the time has come for all of us to endeavor to heal our society and our planet, to lay the foundations for a more just and peaceful world, and to commit ourselves seriously to pursuing a good that is truly common.

Our Holy Father believes strongly that to build a lasting peace and to live better lives, we must recognize that the many moral, social, political and economic crises we are experiencing are all interconnected, and what we see as isolated problems are actually causes and effects of one another. Surely Dr. King would agree with this approach to peaceful social change.

May the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, and the witness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspire us to reject “the starless midnight of racism and war” and dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to “the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood” that can only come from Jesus Christ, who is the personification of “unarmed truth” and “unconditional love” in our world. †