Burned in solidarity

For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page, which includes Villegas's current Living by the Word column as well as past magazine and blog content. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

Last summer, Charles Moore, a retired Methodist minister, nearly 80 years old, parked in a strip mall in his hometown of Grand Saline, Texas, pulled out a gas can from his trunk, drenched his clothes with gasoline, knelt down, and lit a match. He died in flames.

There was a note in his car. “America (and Grand Saline prominently) have never really repented for the atrocities of slavery and its aftermath,” Moore laments. “What my hometown needs to do is open its heart and its doors to black people, as a sign of the rejection of past sins.” His act was a call to repentance.