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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 1987)
Page 4 • Faith Today CHILDREN'S STORY HOUR Weapons of love By Janaan Manternach NC News Service T he Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., was new to Montgomery, Ala., in 1954. He had grown up in Georgia and had studied in southern and eastern seminaries and universities. Now, just 27, he was pastor of a local Baptist church. One day that year a black woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus. Her action was against the city’s law and she was arrested. Black leaders in Montgomery asked the young Baptist minister to lead a boycott of city buses. Martin accepted their invitation. He insisted over and over that the only way to overcome prejudice and hatred is by love. “If we are arrested every day, if we are exploited every day, if we are trampled over every day, don’t ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them,” he said. “We must use the weapon of love. We must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us.” For a year the black women and men of Montgomery refused to ride the city buses. Martin and others were arrested. He and his family received death threats. Bombs were thrown into his home. But he continued to speak out for justice. Finally the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation on public buses was illegal. Martin’s non-violent approach had won. In 1963 he led a mass protest against segregation in Birmingham, Ala., and was arrested. From jail he wrote a letter urging love and non-violence as the only way to win against hatred and prejudice. Once out of jail, he led even larger protests against injustice, in cluding a “March on Washington” that same year. Some 250,000 people gathered by the Lincoln Memorial as he spoke about his dream for freedom, justice and equal rights. In 1964 Martin was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He continued to lead the struggle for civil rights for all. ""\io » Exercise your WOMAN’S WILLPOWER Your will is a legal document with the power of law built in. It is every bit as strong and power ful as a law enacted by your state legislature. It is a law that directs precisely who will receive each of your world ly possessions after they are no longer needed. It is a law in which you as a woman make all decisions. It is probably the only law you will ever write. To use the power of this law well, get all of the information about wills that you can. Start by sending for Catholic Church Extension Booklets When Should A Woman Have A Will?, Protecting Your Rights With A Will and Learning From The Wills Of Twelve Famous People. They’ll help you organize in formation so you can exercise your woman's will power most effectively. The Catholic Church EXTENSION 35 E Wacker Drive, Room 400 FT 0911 Society • Chicago Illinois 60601 Please send me Extension’s WILL POWER booklets: □ When Should A Woman Have A Will?, □ Protecting Your Rights With A Will and □ Learning From The Wills Of Twelve Famous People. I under stand there is no obligation. Rev./Mr./Ms./Miss/Mrs. Address City -L Phone L Birthdate _ This information will be kept strictly confidential. State. J Z'P- Martin also spoke out against the Vietnam War. Many turned against him because of his strong pleas for peace. Then, April 4, 1968, his non violent life came to a violent end. He was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn. More than 150,000 people mourned at his funeral. Just a few days before his death, Martin summed up how he i • g o g <> G i> g G G <* G G G O G G G G G <- wanted people to remember him: “I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.” (Ms. Manternach is the author of catechetical works, scripture stories and original stories for children.) <$- Hidden Words Find the words hidden in the puzzle below. They may be vertical, horizontal or diagonal. All the words ore found in this week's children's story. p Y O E L S D E E Y E K I N G R A N G S X A S I E E P G U A T N I T R I T I D S N O A R E V I S K O K D L A C K S L C I Y R E M O G T N O M T E C I T S U J L S S P R E J u D I C E P M E M N A P A J S PREJUDICE, KING. BAPTIST. MONTGOMERY MARTIN. BLACK, JUSTICE •»»» »» »»»»»» G <• <» G G G G G G G G G o <► G G G G G o J * HOW ABOUT YOU? □What kind of action did the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. encourage people to take to fight against injustice and prejudice? What did he mean when he spoke of the “weapon of love”? How successful was he? Children's Reading Comer Some things people do give witness to what they believe. Their actions are signs of faith to others. The story “Joseph Who Loved the Sabbath,” by Marilyn Hirsch, tells about a man who kept the Sab bath in a special way week after week. People noticed that Joseph had a great love for the Sabbath and they called him “Joseph who loves the Sabbath.” This story is the retelling of a Jewish folk tale that reveals goodness, faithfulness and the reward that often comes from living nobly and well. (Viking Penguin Inc., 40 W. 23rd St., New York, N Y. 10010. 1986. Hardback. $10.95.)
