Dear John Francis,
Happy you and Grace had a good time in the Mount Rushmore area.
Regarding the current activities regarding immigration, I do support freedom of speech, but not violence. As Christians, we have been given a spirit and responsibility.
“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.“ 1Timothy 1:7.
I endeavor to conduct myself in that manner and affiliate myself with others who try to do the same. That is the primary reason I continue to be involved in the Inter-faith Movement for Immigrant Justice.
God tells us; “you shall not oppress a resident alien” instead we are to “love the alien as yourself”.
Our Catholic faith teaches that
1. People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.
2. A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration.
3. A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy.
Last month, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon released a letter calling for mercy, charity and access to pastoral care for the 123 immigrant detainees at the Sheridan Federal Prison in Oregon. He stands with other bishops -“In condemning the separation of family members at the U.S./Mexico border as part of the implementation of the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.” Archbishop sample calls for mercy, charity and access to pastoral care after recent immigration activity
The U.S. Catholic Bishops have visited the border. “The children who are separated from their parents need to be reunited. That’s already begun and it’s certainly not finished and there may be complications, but it must be done and it’s urgent,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.They are calling for reunification of for keeping families to together. Bishops end border visit calling for urgent reunification of children
Politically and morally our country is in a dangerous and turbulent time. I picked up the most recent Time Magazine. It contained a thought provoking article A Reckoning After Trump’s Border Separation Policy: What Kind of Country Are We?
It was Alexis de Tocqueville, the French observer of the early American character, who recognized the danger of placing too much value on business, law and order at the expense of the higher values. Warning of the country’s obsession with material gain and the enforcement of order necessary to pursue it, he wrote,” A nation that asks nothing of its government but the maintenance of order is already a slave at heart.”
Christ warned us of the same when He taught, “We cannot serve two masters”. Yet, we are in this world and need to participate, and at times challenge the prevailing culture. That is our right and responsibility as citizens, Catholics and people of good will.
Contact your member of Congress. What is their position on immigration issues – “zero tolerance”, DACA, family separation and security? Do they truly align with our faith and values?
I am traveling to back Baltimore and Philadelphia for a conference – Cultivating Creativity in Social Justice Ministry: “Love requires a concrete, creative response”.
Knowing it will be hot, I designed myself a new hat with the wording “Faith Has a Voice”. You could say it is my counter to “Make American Great Again”.
Talk to you soon.
Ann and I send our love.
In Christ and Peace,
John Marshall