|
BISHOP THOMAS J. OLMSTED
Read more from the bishop
Remaining one in Christ: The Challenge of SB 1070
“I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35).
The Church from her earliest days has been known for the remarkable way in which her faithful have put into practice this command of the Lord to “love one another.” This love was so clearly seen it caused the pagans, while observing the behavior of early Christians, to exclaim, “See how they love one another!” In fact, many were moved to become Christians themselves because of what they witnessed.
The saints throughout our history have been powerful and convincing witnesses to the love of Christ in each generation. From the very first martyr, St. Steven, who forgave those who took his life, by crying out in prayer, “Father do not hold this sin against them!” to Blessed Mother Teresa, who tirelessly spent her life in the service of the poor and the sick in the streets of Calcutta, to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an immigrant in our own land, who served the needs of poor immigrants in America by establishing numerous schools, hospitals and orphanages across our country; ours is indeed a history of witnessing boldly to the love of Christ for the salvation of the world.
In our own time we too are called to continue to be heroic examples of Christ’s love. We have before us challenges but also great opportunities to be clear signs of God’s unconditional love by demonstrating unity with all our brothers and sisters in the faith. By seeing the love the Christian community has for each other the world can more easily come to hope in the Lord.
As a shepherd looking out over the flock entrusted to my care, I see a great multitude of believers from many races and nations. My primary concern is for the salvation of each one’s soul. There are many threats to the dignity of the human person to be sure. The unborn, the sick, the elderly, the poor and the immigrant are often the most vulnerable members of our society and must be of special concern for the followers of Christ.
In reflecting on how the saints throughout our history have shared the love of Christ with the most needy in their midst, often times in the face of strong opposition, I am struck by their perseverance in following the command of the Lord. In the face of great adversity they put their higher calling to love above their human nature and often times even above their own needs. We stand in good company when we uphold the dignity of the human person in a culture that, sadly, too often does not.
In our own present time there is a need to remember this call to love, especially in light of the much publicized controversy and highly charged emotional debate surrounding the signing into law of SB 1070 in Arizona.
While civil authority certainly has the right and duty to regulate immigration into our country, and all people have the duty to obey the law, the fact that our current immigration system is broken and in need of reform is abundantly clear. No one’s dignity is served well by our current system. The need for humane and effective immigration reform on the national level has become painfully clear once again.
I stand with my brother bishops of the United States in urging Congress and the president to address this complex but important issue by passing federal comprehensive immigration reform legislation as soon as possible. Without immediate action by the federal government, good people on all sides of this issue will continue to suffer needlessly.
The Church holds out hope and offers her fervent prayer that calm and reasonable minds will prevail and a just solution will be found that will benefit all of God’s children. As for the community of believers, we are given the duty and the grace of being united with each other in love in a visible way with the immigrant, the unborn, and all who are marginalized in our society. Jesus prayed before his death, “Father, may they be one, as you and I are one, so that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17:21).
St. Justin Martyr in the second century marveled at how the Lord had transformed the hearts and minds of his followers and made them into clear witnesses of God’s unconditional love. In writing about the Christian community, he observed “We who once valued acquiring wealth and possessions over all else now share with anyone who is in need. We hated and destroyed one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies!” (“St Justin Martyr, First Apology,” Chapter XIV) What a marvelous image of unity and love in the Church!
How is this unity possible to achieve? Humanly speaking it is not possible. But gratefully nothing is impossible for God. St. Paul points to the answer, “It is the love of Christ that impels us!” (2 Cor 5:14). Jesus Christ loved us first. Indeed, the love of Christ impels us and it unites our Catholic community in a bond of fraternal love that must not be broken by any earthly power and certainly not by one’s immigration status.
The Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. We share One Faith, One Baptism and One God and Father of all. The Church is Holy in that she is set apart by Christ for the special purpose of extending Christ’s redemption and sanctification of the world. The Church is Catholic or universal in that she exists for all people of every race and nation in every time and place. This faith in Jesus Christ comes to us from the Apostles who gave their very lives for the unity, life and love of Christ and all His people.
May the bonds of Christ’s love unite us and bring us joy. In the words of Sacred Scripture (Ps 133:1), “How good it is when brothers live together in unity!”
|
