Posted on 11/30/2013 11:36:14 AM PST by markomalley
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez and local political leaders have held a 24-hour fast to pray for immigration reform and to remember families who are separated from each other at Thanksgiving.
“Today we are standing up for those who won't be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with their families and loved ones – those who are suffering because of our broken immigration system,” Archbishop Gomez said Nov. 25 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
He called for a “conversion of hearts” to fix U.S. immigration law.
The archbishop was joined in the Nov. 25-26 fast by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, labor leader Maria Elena Durazo, L.A. Chamber of Commerce Chairman Alan Rothenberg and other religious, civic and business leaders.
They announced the Los Angeles Fast for Families, an effort which joins other national action to support changes in U.S. immigration law as immigration bills have stalled in Congress.
“We can't remain indifferent to so much suffering. And we can't let our leaders avoid the issue for another year,” Archbishop Gomez said. “We need immigration reform now.”
The archbishop lamented the deportations in the last four years of nearly two million people, 25 percent of whom are taken away from their families.
“These aren’t statistics. These are people. These are kids left without a mom or a dad. These are parents who may not see their children again for years,” he said.
“Millions of our brothers and sisters are suffering – and they have been for years now. People are dying in the deserts outside our border. Millions of workers are living without rights.”
Archbishop Gomez affirmed the importance of fasting, noting that it is a sign of penance and a way to show “solidarity with those in need” for both Jews and Christians.
“What we are doing here today is very little. We know that. But we do it with love – love for God and love for those he loves, the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters,” the archbishop said.
“Our little acts of acts of sacrifice and self-denial have great spiritual power. So we’re inviting everyone to fast and pray for immigration reform. Let us share our bread with the hungry. And let us make our voices heard for those who have no one to speak for them.”
Some Catholics in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City are observing a period of prayer and fasting from Nov. 22 to Dec. 2 for immigration reform in an effort called the Hungry 4 Justice Project.
Archbishop Paul Coakley invited the more than 120,000 Catholics of his archdiocese to take part. He said Nov. 22 that the project provides “an opportunity to support our brothers and sisters who are caught up in this impasse.”
“I want to help move our great nation toward a more just solution to the situation that keeps so many of our brothers and sisters living in the shadows of our society,” he said.
A group of young adults from the group Dream Act Oklahoma will eat only one meal each day for 11 days, marking the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. They will also engage the public at Oklahoma City’s Holy Angels Catholic Church through information workshops, movies, and discussions. They will host open mic nights for immigrants to share their stories of detention and deportation as well as stories of hope.
Father Tim Luschen, pastor of Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Oklahoma City, said Nov. 22 he hopes the project will make people aware of the need for immigration reform and help them “see that those who suffer from the broken system are people who are here and seeking the same life that all people seek.”
“They are all our brothers and sisters in Christ and they have a human face,” he said.
Archbishop Coakley prayed a novena for immigration reform from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31. On Nov. 24, he blessed a prayer procession from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help to Holy Angels Catholic Church.
On Nov. 25, Archbishop Gomez asked Our Lady of Guadalupe to protect those who are “forced to live at the margins of this great country.”
“Friends, as we give thanks to God this week with our families, let’s pray for all those who can’t be together on this holiday. Let's pray for a new spirit of welcoming and generosity – so that everyone can join us in the promise of America.”
2241…Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.
From Pope Francis:
…Pope Benedict XVI sketched the parameters of such policies, stating that they “should set out from close collaboration between the migrants’ countries of origin and their countries of destination; they should be accompanied by adequate international norms able to coordinate different legislative systems with a view to safeguarding the needs and rights of individual migrants and their families, and at the same time, those of the host countries” (Caritas in Veritate, 62). Working together for a better world requires that countries help one another, in a spirit of willingness and trust, without raising insurmountable barriers. A good synergy can be a source of encouragement to government leaders as they confront socioeconomic imbalances and an unregulated globalization, which are among some of the causes of migration movements in which individuals are more victims than protagonists. No country can singlehandedly face the difficulties associated with this phenomenon, which is now so widespread that it affects every continent in the twofold movement of immigration and emigration.
It must also be emphasized that such cooperation begins with the efforts of each country to create better economic and social conditions at home, so that emigration will not be the only option left for those who seek peace, justice, security and full respect of their human dignity. The creation of opportunities for employment in the local economies will also avoid the separation of families and ensure that individuals and groups enjoy conditions of stability and serenity.
So...Archbishop....what in the world have YOU done to help the situation back in the home of these illegals? The Holy Father says THAT is what is supposed to be done first.
I suppose that this will be one of the parts of Catholic doctrine that the good Archbishop will ignore. And they wonder why people are leaving the Catholic Church in droves...
The Archbishop should fast for a month.
skipping a meal ain’t proving nuthin...
I am a natural born citizen and taxpayer. So, I ask you Archbishop Gomez,
Excellent comment! Oh that someone would ask Gomez why he is not calling for people to obey the law and for Mexico to build justice for its people.
That would be in concordance with the teaching - Well, never mind.
Gomez grew up in Mexico. He is an immigrant to this country. I am sure he has no right as such to attempt to influence lawmaking
Not to mention the catechism, from which he strays widely
He seems out of order and out of control
These people are not suffering from our broken immigration system.
If they are suffering at all it is because they stole across the border illegally and need to be shipped home so they can be with their loved ones.
Too bad the Church today cannot solve some real problems instead of pushing immigration down our throats.,
I have always found it incredibly interesting that absolutely no one associated with any religious or government entity says anything negative about Mexico.
If all those illegals that want the U.S. to change to accommodate them would return to Mexico and channel their efforts for change there, they could have a wonderful country if they could change the leadership.
“He is an immigrant to this country. I am sure he has no right as such to attempt to influence lawmaking.”
Spot on.
Now, exactly what gives an immigrant the right to speak out about political issues in OUR Country?
And, don’t we have a separation of church and state. and does that prohibit church leaders, especially those who are not actual Americans, to speak out on leftist political issues?
Yes. Church teachings are on our side but some in the US hierarchy choose to ignore those firm and constant truths.
My Catholic Church jumped the shark 2 decades ago.
nope, they should starve themselves until the system changes and they should do it on live TV so we’re all forced to watch.
I have a suspicion that Archbishop Gomez would not be so supportive of illegal immigration if 90% of the illegals were from, say, Scandinavia instead of Mexico and Latin America.
Hey, Archbishop! I am an American citizen, born and raised; a USAF veteran; a decades-long taxpayer. Please tell me what laws I can break, and that by breaking not only will I NOT be punished, but I’ll be rewarded! Tell me, or STFU!
“My Catholic Church jumped the shark 2 decades ago.”
At least.
Amen brother.
Fast for 40 days in the desert . . .
Oh that someone would ask Gomez why he is not calling for people to obey the law and for Mexico to build justice for its people.
&&&
Exactly.
Does anybody care how Americans feel about this? Do we have any say? Increasingly, we just don’t matter.
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