Tag Archive

Yesterday Mexico celebrated the birth of their most respected and beloved president, Benito Juarez. He was resident at the same time as Abraham Lincoln was president in the U.S. Both presidents fought for basic human rights. Abraham Lincoln fought to end slavery. Benito Juarez fought for the rights of the poor who were being oppressed by the government, rich landowners, and the Catholic Church. Today I offer a lament for all those who live in countries that are being denied their basic human rights.

In the shadows of tyranny, where basic human rights are denied,
Millions suffer silently, their voices unheard, their dreams pushed to the side.
As chains of oppression tighten, hope flickers like a dying flame,
In lands where justice is but a distant, forgotten name.

Benito Juarez once said, “Respect for the rights of others means peace.”
Yet in these lands, peace is but a fleeting illusion, a mirage in the desert of despair.
Abraham Lincoln echoed, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
But the rulers turn a blind eye, deaf to the cries of the oppressed, consumed by greed and power.

In lamenting this oppression, let us remember the words of Isaiah 1:17:
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

May these words kindle a fire of courage and compassion,
To stand with the downtrodden, to fight for justice and freedom,
Until every heart beats with dignity, and every soul soars in liberty’s embrace.