Talk story: Lights in the darkness

OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY

“Child of Bethlehem … do not leave us indifferent before the tragic situation of migrants, displaced persons, and refugees. Their eyes beg us not to look the other way, ignoring our common humanity, but instead to make their stories our own and to be mindful of their plight.” (Pope Francis’ holiday message)

While many families across the nation enjoyed the holiday season with festive food and lights, many migrant families at the Mexican-U.S. border were separated and huddled in darkness. In the days surrounding Christmas, media attention focused on the politicization and militarization of the border crisis, with images of the Texas National Guard stringing barbed wire to keep migrants out of the United States. But what was not often seen in the headlines were the hundreds of other compelling images that told the inspiring story of being “one human family” and the ways people shared the spirit of the season with our migrant sisters and brothers in need.

If you looked through the shadows of darkness, you would see thousands of displaced individuals and families being served by community volunteers and faith-based advocates offering clothes, water and hot meals prepared by parishioners. Many churches in the border diocese embodied the Good Samaritan, welcoming with open arms vulnerable persons forced to be on the move. They transformed parish buildings into dormitories for weary refugees to rest on a warm cot for a night and experience neighborly care before receiving transportation to relatives and sponsors in communities across the United States.

One glowing example of a light in the darkness is the migrant shelter at the religious education center in the Diocese of El Paso. It’s a safe space for youth to express their faith through visual, musical, written and culinary arts. Among the wonderful sights to see are the young recently arrived migrants from Latin America volunteering to paint the walls outside, while inside, young Venezuelan chefs provide meals for hungry migrant families.

Meanwhile at another parish structure, a Franciscan priest, who had been serving with the poor in Peru, coordinates a shelter for hundreds of migrant families. At Christmastime inside this parish shelter a young migrant mother from Honduras resting on a cot cuddles her sleeping newborn in safety as they await their bus to another U.S. city far from the border. Nearby, a Haitian refugee teenager who speaks very little Spanish and no English is communicating with a Mexican grandmother. Both have gleaming smiles as they share dreams of building a better future.

In the background, a local family — father, mother and teenage daughter and son — volunteer in the shelter through the night serving families seeking warmth and comfort from the cold winter weather outside. And many more local volunteers happily work behind the scenes, tired but joyful, sharing their Christmas holidays with these weary travelers — all experiencing the hope of Emmanuel, “God with us” — echoing Pope Francis’ holiday message “to make migrant stories our own.”

Sharing migrant stories can be a heart-opening experience, as evidenced during President Biden’s recent visit to the border. During the first week of the New Year, El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz had the opportunity to greet the president at the airport and ride in the president’s vehicle to the Bridge of the Americas — near the Juarez/El Paso area that Pope Francis visited in 2016. After the drive, Bishop Seitz gave the president a “holy card” depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the back of the card was a short prayer handwritten by a young migrant child stranded in a Juarez shelter that said: “Lord, I ask that you get me out of here fast, help me with my case, I want to be with my mommy and my sister soon. Amen.”

This simple prayer, with the child’s story told in a desperate plea, was a wake-up call for all to see the true realities of the border crisis. It calls us to be mindful of her plight and that of so many others. A few days before President Biden’s arrival, Bishop Seitz released a public statement as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Commission on Migration. While praising the Biden administration’s recent announcement of “new legal pathways to the United States,” the bishop also challenged some administration immigration policies. He said, “It is difficult for us to consider this progress when these same pathways are contingent on preventing those forced to flee their native land from availing themselves of the right to seek asylum at our border … We urge the administration to reverse its present course in favor of humane solutions that recognize the God-given dignity of migrants … and provide equitable access to immigration and humanitarian pathways.”

For more on U.S. Catholic efforts to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants and refugees — to make their stories our own — please visit the USCCB website www.usccb.org which includes the following inspiring words of Bishop Seitz on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas: “At a moment when we are witnessing the arrival of greater numbers of families and individuals at our border with Mexico, we call on federal authorities to stand up critical infrastructure to meet their humanitarian needs …

“These newcomers are visible signs of Christ among us. Let us meet this moment not with policies of exclusion and indifference but with a spirit of compassion and generosity. Today, I invite Catholics and all people of faith to pray that through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe we may give comfort to those forced to leave their homes, and may Our Lady be a guide to all those entrusted with the responsibility of leadership.”

Mahalo,

Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry