Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Today is the feast of Kateri Tekekwitha, a young Native American woman from the 17th century who was canonized in 2012. Today’s first reading is the story of Moses. We read about Moses’ mother making the decision to put her new baby in a basket and send him down the river, an act of both desperation and hope. She was trying to save Moses from the Egyptians who had decided to kill Hebrew baby boys. Moses is found by none other than the Pharaoh’s own daughter who takes him into Pharaoh’s court. After growing up with Egyptian royalty as a Hebrew, Moses begins to observe their “forced labor,” and ends up killing an Egyptian in order to save one of his kinsmen. He flees in fear of his life, only to return when God calls him to liberate the Hebrews.
In Moses’ story, we have the story of one culture oppressing another. It seems fitting that St. Kateri’s feast day would be today, as her witness should remind us of the complicated relationship the church has had with native peoples all around the world. While in Bolivia last week, Pope Francis apologized for the subjugation of native peoples, saying, “I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offense of the church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.” Pope Francis once again draws us all into a moment of repentance and conversion, asking us to face hard truths about our history as a nation and as a church.
The church is charged with the task of evangelization, and we should thank God that Kateri found the Gospel and offered her life as a witness to Christ. But her place in history should remind us that evangelization should not come at the expense of human dignity, be it on a larger, national scale or on a smaller, interpersonal one. We cannot change our histories but we can vow to keep love at the center of all our evangelical activities, both as individuals and as a church. Only then can we proclaim fully the liberating love of God that led the Hebrews out of Egypt and out of slavery. St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us!
- Katherine Schmidt