BONO, yes ‘the’ BONO WROTE….

…..the most moving tribute to Sargent Shriver, one of my true heroes, on Thursday, January 20th in the OP-ED section of the New York Times.

“His faith demanded action…for the Word to become flesh, we had to become the eyes, the ears, the hands of a just God.  Injustice could, in the words of the old spiritual,

“Be Overcome”.  Sarge sang to Bono:

“Make me a channel of your peace:

Where there is hatred let me bring your love.  Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord.  And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.  Oh Master grant that I may never seek, so much to be consoled as to console.  To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love with all my soul.  Make me a channel of your peace.  Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.  Where there is darkness, only light, and where there’s sadness, ever joy.

Surely this must have inspired Bono, lead singer of U2, to co-found the advocacy group ONE and (Product) RED.

Now today, January 22nd, Bob Herbert wrote ‘THE LOSS OF A GOOD MAN’ also in the OP-ED section of The New York Times saying in part…”R. Sargent Shriver, one of America’s great good men….was the founding director of the Peace Corps and Head Start.  He created the Job Corps and Legal Services for the Poor, and gave us Volunteers in Service to America, which was the domestic version of the Peace Corps….affecting more people in a positive way since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”

Bill Moyers said “a crucial component of the corps was Mr. Shriver’s deep commitment to the idea of America as a social enterprise…of caring and cooperative people.”

“Real courage, idealism, a commitment to service and a willingness to sacrifice – Sargent Shriver had all of that and more.”

 

Sargent Shriver, my HERO!