Romero: Prophetic Love That Overcomes - Liberation (Romans 12:9-21)

In the heart of El Salvador in the late 1970s, Archbishop Oscar Romero stood as a beacon of hope amid a storm of violence and oppression. Picture him in the dimly lit cathedral, the smell of incense mingling with the stale air of political turmoil. Each Sunday, he addressed a congregation that was not just there to worship, but to seek guidance in a world steeped in injustice. As he preached from Romans 12:9-21, his voice resonated with a fierce love for the poor, a love that transcended mere words.

Imagine the palpable tension in the air as he spoke of overcoming evil with good. This wasn’t just a theoretical exercise; Romero was acutely aware that the military forces in the streets were poised to silence him forever. Yet, he did not curse those who threatened his life. Instead, he prayed for them, genuinely blessing even those who would one day pull the trigger. It was a radical act of loving your enemies, grounded in a deep understanding that vengeance belongs to God alone.

Romero’s love was not passive or submissive; it was a love that demanded justice. He believed in transforming structures of oppression, a belief rooted in liberation theology. He understood that love, when poured out on the marginalized, could ignite a movement toward change. His was a love that reached from the heart of the church to the streets where the poor were suffering, a love that sought to dismantle systemic injustice with prophetic good.

As we reflect on Romero’s life, we’re called to question: What does it mean to engage in a love that overcomes? How are we, in our own contexts, to embody this radical, transformative love? Let us be like Romero, seeking not just to bless, but to act in ways that dismantle the structures of evil around us, loving fiercely from below, just as Christ loved us.