In
today's gospel – which is Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount -
Jesus calls us Christians to something truly extraordinary - even
mind-blowing! We are not just to tolerate or to forgive our enemies; we
are to love them. And if that’s not mind-blowing, and mind-expanding, I
don’t know what is. If someone strikes us we are not to strike back,
Jesus says; rather, we are to 'turn the other cheek.' And he calls us
not just to be generous but extravagant in the way we love. And we are
not just to love our own: family members, people we know, people who
look like us or speak our language; our love is to be like God’s love:
indiscriminate, all-embracing.
It is
this revolutionary gospel teaching - this basic, bedrock Christianity -
that prompted Pope Francis – shortly before he was hospitalized last
week - to take the unusual and indeed unprecedented step of writing an
apostolic letter to the bishops of our country, zeroing in on some
highly controversial executive orders with regard to immigrants,
refugees, and asylum-seekers. Not surprisingly, some have accused Pope
Francis of meddling in politics, but he clearly sees it as preaching the
gospel. Which it clearly is.
So
important is his message - and so timely a commentary on today's
extremely challenging gospel - that I'm going to let a good part of his
letter to the American bishops serve as today’s homily....
Dear brother bishops, I am writing today to address a few words to you
in these delicate moments that you are living as Pastors of the People
of God…in the United States of America.
The journey from slavery to freedom that the People of Israel traveled,
as narrated in the Book of Exodus, invites us to look at the reality of
our time, so clearly marked by the phenomenon of migration. [This is]…a
decisive moment in history to reaffirm not only our faith in a God who
is always close, incarnate, migrant and refugee, but also [to reaffirm]
the infinite and transcendent dignity of every human person.
…
Jesus [himself] … [knew] the difficult experience of being expelled from
his own land because of an imminent risk to his life, [he knew…]the
experience of having to take refuge in a society and a culture foreign
to his own. The Son of God, in becoming [hu]man, also chose to live the
drama of immigration.
…Jesus
Christ, loving everyone with a universal love, educates us in the
permanent recognition of the dignity of every human being, without
exception. … All the Christian faithful and people of good will are
called upon to consider the legitimacy of … public policies in the light
of the dignity of the person and his or her fundamental rights, not vice
versa.
I
have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the
United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations. The
rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and
express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly
identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality. At the
same time, one must recognize the right of a nation to defend itself and
keep communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious
crimes ... That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have
left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity,
exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment,
damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and
places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.
This is not a minor issue: an authentic rule of law is verified
precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially
the poorest and most marginalized. The true common good is promoted when
society and government, with creativity and strict respect for the
rights of all … welcomes, protects, promotes, and integrates the most …
vulnerable. This does not impede the development of a policy that
regulates orderly and legal migration. However, [such] development
cannot come about through the privilege of some and the sacrifice of
others. What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about
the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly…
Dear brother bishops of the United States, I recognize your valuable
efforts as you work closely with migrants and refugees, proclaiming
Jesus Christ and promoting fundamental human rights. God will richly
reward all that you do for the protection and defense of those who are
considered less valuable, less important or less human!
I
exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of
good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and
cause unnecessary `suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and
sisters. With charity and clarity we are all called to live in
solidarity …, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to
avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ
gave his for the salvation of all.
Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe
to protect individuals and families who live in fear or pain due to
migration and/or deportation. May the “Virgen morena”, who knew how to
reconcile peoples when they were at enmity, grant us all to meet again
as brothers and sisters, within her embrace, and thus take a step
forward in the construction of a society that is more fraternal,
inclusive and respectful of the dignity of all.
Fraternally, Francis
Whoever said the Gospel was easy? Or
comfortable!?
Father Michael G. Ryan
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