“Some years ago a famous novelist died. Among his papers was found a list of suggested plots for future stories, the most prominently underscored being this one: A widely separated family inherits a house in which they have to live together. This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited a large house, a great world house in which we have to live together black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Moslem and Hindu–a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace… We still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. This may well be [our] last chance to choose between chaos and community.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1967)

The times in which we live sound a renewed call to learn how to live together in peace. We are to know, love, and respect one another. We are to be our brother/sister’s keeper. There is no one who is not our neighbor.

As disciples of the Prince of Peace, may we turn to God in prayer and turn to one another, together seeking a way forward grounded in mercy, justice, and love.