Growing up, the world always seemed so far away. I was content living my life — attending school with the same people I had known my whole life, playing the same sports, coached by the same parents, and studying the same math and English as everyone else.
It wasn’t until the seventh grade that my worldview shifted.
I vividly remember the day Father George Otuma (a member of the Apostles of Jesus serving in the Archdiocese of Louisville) came to our little community of Holy Spirit School on Canons Lane. He had visited my seventh-grade homeroom with our vice principal to introduce himself. He told us about his upbringing in Kenya and his time spent in the priesthood working in Sudan and other parts of eastern Africa.
From then on, every Tuesday, when we would attend Mass as a school, I hoped that Father Otuma would give the homily. At 12 years old, the experiences conveyed in his homilies allowed me to hear about a world outside of Louisville. These were very real experiences for him. But, to me, they were an escape from the only life I knew.
One week, he talked about his life working in Sudan. The middle school version of myself could barely identify the country on a map, much less understand the significance of working in a war-torn country. But, by the way he spoke, I knew the work he did was important.
He spoke about how he was called to work in community with others and to serve people in all corners of the earth. While I can’t remember the specifics of his homily, I remember the message: Christ called us to be people for others and to live in community with them. That was true back in middle school and remains true today.
In a world fractured by conflict, Catholics must remember our calling to live in solidarity with others. We are called to be global citizens, particularly in light of the stark increase in violence and strife in Sudan over the past few weeks.
Sudan, for years, has been subject to civil war, militia resistance fighters and large-scale violence. The war has left tens of thousands dead, millions displaced and the nation grappling with famine. Until recently, these plights have been largely overshadowed in global discussion. Yet, the Church calls us to be engaged and to serve one another at all times, not only when a crisis makes headlines.
This care for others begins at home, with loving our friends, family and neighbors. It begins with understanding how our gifts, talents and passions help make the world a better place.
Our service and care for each other doesn’t end with our immediate community. Rather, it expands from our parishes, schools and neighborhoods into a concern for the entire world and everyone who lives on it. After all, what does it mean to be a person in service to others, the way Christ called us to, if we ignore the realities of so many in our world?
We must strive to understand our fellow humans, particularly those who are affected by conflict around the world. This engagement is mirrored for Catholics by stories of Christ encountering the sick, the lonely and those forgotten by society. By engaging in this community, he modeled being a person for others.
In the modern era, we can do the same by acting in community with those facing persecution and violence in the world. This is how we become a little more like Christ. This is how we can form a more united world and embrace one another with open arms, just as Father Otuma did in a small parish on Canons Lane years ago.
Alexandra Harris is a 2022 graduate of Sacred Heart Academy, a senior at Boston College and a parishioner of Holy Spirit Church.
