Oscar Romero

DAILY BYTE

Oscar Romero was the Archbishop of El Salvador from 1977 until his assassination on the 24th March 1980. He was made Archbishop at a time when El Salvador was under the oppressive rule of a violent military dictatorship. When he became Archbishop he was widely regarded as a conservative academic who wouldn’t rock the boat. Social activists in the church lamented his consecration as Archbishop. The government welcomed it.

But all of that quickly changed, as Romero witnessed the military intimidation of activists, the desecration of holy places and even the killing of priests. He soon became an outspoken critic of the government and a voice for the oppressed poor of his land, as he took a brave stand against the injustice that was now so evident. In the end it was a stand that cost him his life. But not before he came to a place where he recognised the gospel truth that the power to freely lay down your life is greater than the power to take life.

This is powerfully illustrated in a scene from the movie about his life. In it the army had occupied a church and turned it into a barracks. And so Romero went to this church to retrieve the sacred elements of the sacrament. On hearing his intentions, the sergeant in charge took an automatic rifle, blasted the altar to pieces, and screamed at the Archbishop to get out. A visibly shaken Romero left the church. But outside he stopped, turned around, and walked back inside. He went to the altar and on his knees started to gather up the blasted bits of the sacrament. The sergeant, in fury, grabbed another automatic rifle, emptied a magazine of bullets into the altar, kicked Romero and had him thrown out of the church.

Romero then gets into a car and drives away, but soon returns. This time he has with him his robe and stole. He puts them on and starts walking slowly and deliberately to the church, clearly intent on reclaiming it as a place of worship and celebrating the sacrament within it. As he walks to the church he is joined by other priests and onlookers.

As they approach the entrance of the church, two soldiers raise their automatic rifles, and the sergeant in between them draws a handgun and points it at Romero. He looks straight at the guns but keeps on walking towards them, knowing that at any moment those triggers could be pulled, spitting instant death. As Romero walks resolutely towards those guns, facing and accepting the death that they threatened, something changes. In that moment the sergeant’s power, the power of his gun, the power of the threat of death, crumbled. Powerless to resist, the sergeant drops his gun and turns his head, and Romero and the great crowd behind him walk into the church. And together they celebrate the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and remember his death and resurrection. And are filled once again with hope, and courage, and life.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Thank you Lord for the lives of those, like Oscar Romero, who bear courageous witness to the truth of the gospel and challenge us to trust you more radically and completely. Amen

SCRIPTURE READING

John 12:23-25

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.