I learned about Sister Dorothy Stang this week. She was a Religious of Notre Dame de Namur. She was affectionately known as Dot. Dorothy was murdered in the Amazon for defending the life of the poor. She uprooted her life in the United States. She wanted to serve the people in the heart of the Brazil Amazon rain forest.

On this twentieth anniversary of her martyrdom, she teaches us about integrity. She did not just talk about the Gospel, she lived it. She was an advocate for the voiceless.

She is a witness to love that illuminates a credible Christ. She not only loved people, she loved all creation. She helped people sustain their environment to provide for their basic needs. The witness of her love was her martyrdom. Her blood soaked the land of the people she loved and served.

I think of her this weekend. As she looked into the barrel of a gun, she recited the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes is the great sermon of our Lord. It is the attitude we are to have as Christians. We are called to be poor, hungry, and weep for justice. These are marks that we will inherit God’s kingdom! The Beatitudes are a mirror for our lives for they reveal the face of Christ. The Beatitudes reveal who we are to be in Jesus.

Be a credible Christ for others and let Dot be our companion on this way!