It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us. (Rom 4:13, 16-18)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102123.cfm
As Saint Paul acknowledges, all believers are descendants of Abraham, for Abraham, is the “father of us all.” Mother Laura Montoya (1874-1949) also believed that we were all children of Abraham. In her ministry to the indigenous peoples of Colombia, Mother Laura worked to end racial discrimination for which she was criticized. In the consistory (February 11, 2013) in which Pope Benedict XVI approved her canonization, he also announced his resignation from the papacy. It was his successor, Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, who canonized Mother Laura on May 12, 2013. Thank you, Mother Laura, and thank you, Pope Francis.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Laura Montoya, religious, October 21
