Homily at Prayer Service on May 1, 2006

Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle

This afternoon we join in prayerful solidarity with millions of our
brothers and sisters who raise their voices in eloquent request to be
treated fairly and humanely by those whom we have elected to office.
We should not be daunted from our prayers by shrill voices in our
midst who paint these people with the brush of “illegality.” They are the
latest to be added to the list of those who found it necessary to break a
law in order to meet a greater good or need: Rosa Parks who broke the
law to sit with others in the front of the bus, the men in Boston who
defied the law of the King and dumped the tea into the sea, Jesus
Himself who defied religious law in his time, Martin Luther King who
sought equal opportunity in education for every child in the United
States, black and white.
Let me be clear once again what the bishops of the United States,
and this bishop, is seeking from our government. We believe strongly
that the United States has both a right and a responsibility to control its
borders and to regulate immigration. While we have historically been
generous and welcoming as a nation, we must have a workable solution
to porous borders sooner rather than later.
We seek humane and consistent treatment for those who have
poured through our porous borders and now reside in our midst,
picking our crops, repairing our roofs, making our beds in our hotels
and service industries. These brothers and sisters to us came to our
country in search of a life from the depths of human poverty which they
fled. They currently live in fear – fear of deportation, fear of separation,
spouses from one another and parents from children and brothers and
sisters separated from one another. While living at or below the poverty
line for American’s, these undocumented feel that they are being
productive, enhancing the American dream. Many American recognize
this as well.
The draconian legislation passed by the House of Representatives
before Easter should send shivers through any patriot’s soul. It is
punitive beyond belief, heartless at its core, and, for the United States
uncharacteristically xenophobic. The response of President Bush is far
more in keeping with the spirit of welcome which has made this nation a
beacon in the eye’s of the world and it holds out true hope for a
benevolent solution which protects the nation in the future, offers hope
to those who are already here and are a part of our common weal.
Today is the first day of May. It is the feast of St. Joseph the
Worker. He himself, along with Mary, his wife, knew first hand what it
was like to be “undocumented and illegal.” To preserve the life of their
newborn child, they fled the anger and jealousy of King Herod and hid
in Egypt until it was safe to return to Nazareth. Had they been
discovered and deported back to Herod would the world have ever
known Jesus?
Today is also the first day of the month devoted to the Mother of
Jesus. She watched in horror as the laws of her beloved religion and of
the government of occupying Rome were brought to bear on her
innocent Son. May the Virgin of Guadalupe, the woman who gives such
great hope to our 115,000 undocumented in our local midst, intercede
with her Divine Son for wisdom for our lawmakers, generosity among
Americans in our fifty states, and solidarity in their insecurity and
suffering for our brothers and sisters among us who today wish to make
us aware of their important presence in our midst.