Ash Wednesday

Today, we begin our penitential journey through the forty days of Lent as we prepare to celebrate the central mystery of our faith: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

As we begin our journey, we are challenged by the prophet Joel to rend our hearts. Many of our hearts have been rent over this past year as there has been an “invasion” of many of our cities by masked and armed National Guard and ICE members who “snatch’ immigrant people from cars, homes, and courts, taking them to “holding areas.” We were told that they were going after gang members, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, the mentally ill, and while that might have been an initial motive, they were given quotas of people to arrest. Individuals who have lived in our country for years, who have jobs, who pay taxes, and have committed no crimes, were caught up in the nefarious web.

Karl Barth, a Protestant theologian of the last century, suggested that Christians, while praying, should hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are clear that immigrants, refugees, and strangers are to be welcomed. Jesus made it clear that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do unto him. Pope Leo has clearly stated that the care of immigrants is a right-to-life issue. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has lamented the rhetoric, vilification, and treatment of immigrants and demands that they be treated with dignity.

When we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we eat and drink the Body and Blood of the Lord, who calls us all to love and treat with dignity all of his sons and daughters.

May those suffering in this crisis be a focus of our Lenten prayers, fasting, and charity in the name of the Crucified and Resurrected Jesus.

Let Us Pray:

Jesus, yours and our brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring great suffering through wars, famine, and persecution. In our own country, immigrants, many of whom have been contributing and positive members of our society, are now vilified and targeted because they are immigrants. Give us an outpouring of your grace to advocate and support them at this time of persecution and suffering. Amen.