To the Journal editor:

My heart is heavy with grief over the shootings and unrest in Kenosha and Portland. I am numb. As a volunteer at St. Vince DePaul in the pantry and office, which serves the poor and low income in our community, I always look at social issues from a Christian lens that promotes and respects life before and after birth. And I look to the teachings of my Catholic faith for guidance on how I should view the words Black Lives Matter.

For many whites, the term Black Lives Matter is foreign and divisive. This is unfortunate because, as I found out, Christians of all denominations should open their hearts to the sin of racism and start listening to the plight of people of color. I especially like a recent article authored by Catholic Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore entitled “The Truth in Black Lives Matter,” published in America, a Jesuit magazine.

To quote Archbishop Lori: “The cornerstone of the church’s social teaching is the truth concerning the dignity of the human person. Every person is created in God’s image and likeness. Thus the words Black Lives Matter ought to remind us that every Black person is made in God’s image. But why single out Black people?

“The words Black Lives Matter should prompt us to examine our own consciences with regard to racism and spur us on to advocate and work for racial justice. We cannot say we are fully ‘pro-life’ if we routinely overlook the conditions in which far too many people of color live. Affirming the dignity of Black lives diminishes no one else’s dignity.”

Let’s keep those sentiments in mind and realize that our nation needs a healing on the issue of race.