Samuel Rodriguez, Extremism, and the Oak Initiative

September 13, 2011 by Greg Metzger

Continued from Page 2

Be open to change in yourself. As we confront extremism with a hopeful spirit, we must also be prepared to grow ourselves. If we truly believe that our shared humanity and our shared baptism calls us to lovingly challenge our brothers and sisters, then we will also believe that we have something to learn from everyone's experience of life and faith. In our conversation, Rev. Rodriguez spoke movingly of his love for his 20-year-old daughter. He shared his desire to make the world a more compassionate one for her sake. His words spoke to me as a father and renewed my own commitment to my children.

If the Church in America is to play a constructive role in promoting and defending the common good, we must confront extremism within our own community and we must do so with genuine hope for reconciliation. We cannot give up on any individual or any group, or allow our past injuries to keep us forever alienated from the ministry of reconciliation that must happen within the Church. It will not be easy, but after my experience with Rev. Rodriguez I have hope that it can be done, one leader at a time.

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9/13/2011 4:00:00 AM

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