March
24 Feast Of Inspiring Bishop And Friend Archbishop
Oscar Romero
By Kathy Murray
 A
reflection to follow as March 24 is the 22nd
anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Romero.
This feast has a special feel this year in light
of this March also being the 25th anniversary
of the martyrdom of Rutilio Grande, SJ - Archbishop
Romero's good friend who converted him and led
him to sainthood. Most likely Archbishop Romero
had a similar effect in shaping Rutilio as well
- though we don't have as much info on that
part of the story.
This year Passion Sunday is also
the feast of Archbishop Oscar Romero when we
commemorate the 22nd anniversary of his assassination
and martyrdom in El Salvador. In a time when
we are inundated with stories of the weaknesses
and problems of some bishops and priests may
we not forget the assassination just last week
of the bishop in Colombia for speaking against
the powerful drug lords, or the assassination
only a few years ago - of Bishop Gerardi in
Guatemala the day after his report of human
rights abuses was released or 22 years ago the
assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero during
the offertory of the mass for speaking on behalf
of the poor.
Often when we read stories of
'saints long ago' we can think or we can be
led to believe that God only raises up perfect
people to be saints, people who seem to have
'arrived'. If we are self righteous and morally
exact - some of us can think only folks like
that become saints. If we think prayer is the
only path then some of us can fall into thinking
God only raises up people who exhibit some type
of Olympic level of praying. If our definition
of perfection is alliance with the poor and
nothing else then some can think only the most
dedicated and zealous activists get raised up
as saints. Yet, when we reflect on the 'saints'
who have walked in our times we see God loved
them in their humanity and in the variety of
ways they manifested their humanity. The common
denominator of those whom God raises up as saints
seems to be their ability to let God be God
in them.
We remember Oscar Romero for the
courage of his death. It is easy NOW to think
he is a hero that stands above all people. But
Oscar Romero's greatness lies in the fact that
he opened up his heart and his being to let
God work with him. His greatness lies in his
humanness and vulnerability to God's love. It
is important to remember all of who Oscar Romero
was to fully comprehend the goodness of God
at work in his choices and actions. God saw
potential in Oscar not for his 'properness'
as a priest and bishop - but in his ability
to be worked with. God loved Oscar and chose
him as God loves and chooses us too - not only
for our gifts but also for our weaknesses and
flaws - for all of who we are.
Oscar Romero was a simple and
uncomplicated man. His gift was his ability
to be pastoral, sincere and a faithful friend.
He spent many years in pastoral work. Of the
many photos that are left of him - in 90% of
them he has the most tranquil and engaging smile.
A caption over one photo says "He has the
smile of God". When he was appointed Archbishop
he was chosen because he seemed meek in front
of the powerful - and hence would cause them
no trouble. He had many friends among the wealthy
of El Salvador and went to their parties, baptized
their children and propped up a seemingly imperial
style of church. His conversion came not through
his own intellectual development, not through
deep and intimate prayer with God. Certainly
these aspects cultivated the soil of the seed
that was to grow strong inside him. God finally
caught his attention as his priests increasingly
became caught up with movements among the people
for just distribution of wealth and the pursuit
of human rights. Initially, Oscar chastised
the young priests for their views and basically
was telling them to stop their activities. His
good friend Rutilio would try to change Oscar's
heart and mind, but Oscar would dismiss Rutilio
as if he were exaggerating the plight of the
poor, was a 'bleeding heart' and did not really
know what he was talking about. What a strain
that must have been on their relationship and
yet through these days they were able to keep
their friendship.
Archbishop Romero was installed
as archbishop in early 1977. The very days of
his installation he was radicalized as he had
to ask for release for one of his priests. He
was also given a list of priests to condemn
and Rutilio's name was on it. Instead of joining
in the condemnation, Archbishop Romero wrote
a letter condemning the persecution of the church
by the government of El Salvador.
Rutilio was carrying that letter
from the Archbishop as he was shot down along
with his two friends - the elderly Don Manuel
and the young boy Rutilio Lemus. Some of the
powerful forces in El Salvador that wanted the
existing system of domination and greed to continue
sent the military and police March 12, 1977
to wait alongside the road from Aguilares to
El Paisnal to kill him along with Don Manuel
and little Rutilio. Three little boys who had
hitched a ride with him saw it all unfold from
the floor of the vehicle in which they were
riding. They lived to tell the story. Rutilio
Grande's last words as he drove along before
being shot were "we must do what God asks
of us".
It is said that Oscar wept like
a child upon going to Aguilares and seeing the
bullet ridden body of his close friend Rutilio
Grande. The strain in the relationship between
Rutilio and Oscar was transformed into the stretching
of their love for each other and what God was
calling them to do together. Instead of avoiding
the struggle of the poor Oscar placed himself
at the forefront and became the voice of the
poor to the rich and powerful. He changed from
being meek and timid to being alive with power
and grace. The pastoral gifts he always had
- his first love - increasingly became strengthened
and transformed into the passionate love of
God for the people.
I have always assumed that Rutilio
Grande was 'the strong one' who must have been
born with great courage and dynamism - and converted
his friend Oscar. I imagined him to be a 'rock'
of strength to be able to preach God's love
for the poor and call for justice to the point
such powerful forces converged to murder him.
In truth, Rutilio spent much of
his adult life teaching - either in Jesuit schools
or working in the seminary. He was a great teacher
and had very little time in pastoral work in
his early years of ministry. Much of his life
he doubted his vocation and felt himself unworthy
to be a priest. He was known to be scrupulous
and a perfectionist. He broke through his own
inner struggles after he was sent in 1963 "to
Lumen Vitae, the international institute of
catechetics in Brussels. That was to be the
time of the first true conversion of his life.
In the first place the studies were far more
liberal and pastoral than the suffocating theologizing
of the seminary. One was encouraged to think
for himself, to search out the loving Father
(Mother) of the Prodigal Son rather than the
wrathful caricature of a vengeful Deity. Far
more important, the Church itself in Vatican
II had courageously faced up to what many considered
centuries of blindness, sanctimoniousness, formalism.
And the Church's conversion became Rutilio Grande's
conversion. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began
to see that he was not called to be a perfect
plaster saint unceasingly rapt in adoration;
he was called to be a pastor, an outcast and
imperfect Samaritan helping his fellow outcasts
who lay battered along his road. He had begun
to see that there is not merely a vertical dimension
to his priesthood - reaching upward only to
God - but also a horizontal dimension - reaching
the love of God outward to his brothers and
sisters in Christ."
For the next 14 years Rutilio
immersed himself in the struggles of the people
and was one of the first to share the gospel
with the people and listen to their interpretations
of the Gospel and find God speaking not only
in his own heart and mind but in what the people
heard from God. Rutilio - gentle, loving and
kind - was transformed to speak mighty homilies
on behalf of the people.
Rutilio's spirit propelled the
conversion of one of the greatest saints of
our time and his spirit animates many today.
For years now, three crosses have marked the
roadside where he was shot down with his two
companions. Many times through the years the
crosses have been knocked down. To commemorate
the 25th anniversary of his maryrdom a new and
'sturdier' monument with a most beautiful portrait
of him has been dedicated.
God's power continues to be at
work in El Salvador and throughout the world.
What a grace to allow that power to work through
us and what a grace to see it in those around
us. God continues to surprise us - raising up
those we least expect. This March 24 - President
Bush goes to El Salvador. On the feast of Archbishop
Romero might we pray for ongoing conversion
for ourselves, for that of our church and for
the leadership of both our countries. Might
we have the resilience and grace to see and
follow God's surprising action in our world.
(Quotes taken from The Voice of Blood, by William
O'Malley thanks to Good Shepherd, Kansans on
the Rutilio Grande delegation.)
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