Almighty God, we bless your Name for the witness of Frederick Douglass, whose impassioned and reasonable speech moved the hearts of people to a deeper obedience to Christ: Strengthen us also to speak on behalf of those in captivity and tribulation, continuing in the way of Jesus Christ our Liberator; who with you and the Holy Spirit dwells in glory everlasting Amen.
(Collect for Frederick Douglass, Social Reformer, 1895, Lesser Feasts and Fasts)
Dear friends,
This past Thursday, Feb. 20 was the Feast Day of Frederick Douglass (1918-1895) and his collect appears above. Born into slavery, Douglass learned how to read in secret, escaped as a young man, and “experienced a conversion to Christ in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church,” crediting the spirituals and hymns with “sustaining him in his struggle for freedom: ‘Those songs still follow me, to deepen my hatred of slavery, and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in bonds.’ “.
Douglass became a renowned speaker in the US and in England, risking his life and his freedom to stand up for the abolition of slavery. He called out churches “that did not disassociate from slavery.” He was “a strong advocate of racial integration and wanted to be counted as equal among his peers. When he met Abraham Lincoln in the White House, he noted that Lincoln treated him as a kindred spirit.”
In the Preface to the 2022 Edition of Lesser Feasts and Fasts we are reminded that “Christians have since ancient times honored people whose lives represent heroic commitment to Christ and who have borne witness to their faith even at the cost of their lives. What we celebrate in the lives of the saints is the presence of Christ expressing itself in and through particular lives lived in the midst of specific historical circumstances…in all their diversity, open to the movement of the Spirit.”
Douglass shines as an example of courage inspired by faith; faith that God is at work in our lives, inviting us to recognize every person as a brother or sister–kindred spirits across difference. May we allow our hearts to be “moved to a deeper obedience to Christ” alone, so that we may speak truth with love, resist tyranny and hatred, honor and preserve the dignity of every human being.
For more information about the Episcopal Church’s continued commitment to honoring faithful saints in all their diversity, click here.
Peace this day,
Nancy+
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