Honor the humanity of the other

Here is a quote I copied from a Gospel reflection several days ago but seems to be staying with me:

"We must break bread with the tax collector, whatever his politics. We must stand between the adulteress and the mob, whatever her sins.

Words are not enough. We must honor the humanity of the Other—with empathy and with action—regardless of how different their life is from our own."

Now, perhaps it is because the theme for the entire Province Regional Assemblies this coming week end iwas on racism that the above quote is important to me. I think it says a great deal about how we are to treat one another. I am suffering from the way we treat immigrants and refugees today; we also still show prejudice in so many ways when speaking about the Blacks, the Indians, and the Jews. Jesus was a Jew so how can we continue to act as we do with others except that we tend to think we are superior and that is so wrong. I hope this week end will help me to really see the value of each person and not have any prejudice. I am praying for this for all of us. Jesus certainly went to the outcasts, the poor, the disabled...