Dorothy Day (Nov. 8, 1897-Nov. 29, 1980), founder of the Catholic Worker’s Movement during the Great Depression, was a Christ-follower who could not stand idly by and watch the masses suffer without care or in their loneliness. She was a community organizer driven by the Law of love.
A few years ago a Christian asked me if I was sure I should honor such a woman. She was, after all, branded a “trouble maker” and “communist.” I replied with, “Of course I should.” The holders of political and economic power and keepers of the status quo have always used labels to disempower and discredit prophets, poets, and lovers of the displaced. Labels have always been the tool of the weak-minded hellbent on domesticating truth-tellers, especially those enmeshed in the divine love of the Christ. But as you can see in this picture, sister Dorothy Day was not one to disempower, discredit or domesticate. Her actions were her witness. So today, on the blessed first day of Advent, I pause to remember a sister who took Advent seriously.
