By Ariel Presbitero

On morning during one of my house visitations I encountered a very interesting question that went like this: “What is the color of God?” I paused and thought a while wondering where was this coming from? I never heard that God has color. As far as I know, I learned from my childhood catechism that man and woman were created by God according to His own likeness and image. It didn’t say what is the color of God. Does God really have a color? Is He white? Black, Brown, Yellow? Is He a mixture of all these colors?

In Brazil where slavery became a part of the people’s painful history, the disparity between whites and blacks penetrated to their own subconscious. When you see a white man running in the streets, he’s jogging. When you see a black man running, he’s a thief. Why is that the blacks are treated with malice? It is a sin to be black? Why is society like this? These are the questions that need answers by personal convection to uncover the color behind colors. What is really the color of God? Is it important to know the theology behind this? Perhaps it is just mere curiosity for the sake of adding more information who God really is. I personally wouldn’t take this reflection literally but related it to people and events. I think the question is valid and can be viewed in a different perspective.

Diocese of Salvador

When I was first sent to mission, the physical environment mirrored back to me my strengths and weaknesses. In the Diocese (Salvador) where I was assigned , the people were mostly black. About 90% of the three million people living in this city was black. In corners of the streets, plazas, anywhere, there were black people. Would this be my kind of environment while on this mission? I was afraid, I did not know yet why. But I was sure of one thing. This reality showed my personal indifferences towards black people. In mission God did not say, “Go wherever you want.” But He said, “Go and cross boundaries of culture, and belief.” Of course, this implies race too. I grew up in a culture where people believe that whites are beautiful. White people are gentle, delicate and loving people. They are more often seen in television or on print ads as gorgeous faces in malls and parties. On the other hand, the blacks are public taxi drivers, street sweepers, domestic helper or objects of slapstick comedy in theater. Hoe come that this is happening? Does it tell something about my own culture? Does it mean that we give more importance to the whites than blacks? Only then did I realize that the blacks are the same as the whites. They are human beings, with emotions too. They experience pain and joy in their lives. They also have dreams for their life to have decent homes and an identity to call their own.

Though slavery had been abolished in Brazil in 1888, the blacks are still struggling for life because of poverty and discrimination. The hundreds of years of slavery brought inferiority to the blacks and paled them in the lowest place in the society. What Zumbi (a black revolutionary) started 300 years ago in the battle field of northeast Brazil must continue lest thousands of blacks be killed by inhumane and indecent discrimination. People have been created by God according to his own likeness and image. He did not create discrimination nor injustice but man did. What do you think is the color of God?