ARCHBISHOP’S COLUMN: Hope and mercy in a time of fear

Fear can be a dangerous and debilitating emotion. It can blind us and lead us to irrational decisions that betray who we are as individuals and as a nation. My heart is saddened by the public debate over the resettlement of Syrian refugees throughout the world, our nation, and even the state of Texas. Recently, the state has even threatened to withhold funds from people of good will and organizations in Texas, who have reaffirmed their commitment to help these homeless wanderers who themselves are filled with fear for their futures. The political landscape and the governing process has been scarred by some who use hurtful rhetoric that can blind us to common sense precautions. I beg those who have the privilege and duty of leadership to not sow division and needless anxiety in our hearts.

I join my brother Texas bishops in the belief that it is possible to maintain security at home while also welcoming these refugees. “We remain open to working with government agencies to ensure strenuous measures that assure public safety and security to legitimate refugees needing assistance, but in a way that balances our concerns and commitments to mercy and compassion.” However, we must carry out this responsibility without betraying our most deeply held values as Catholics and Americans.

This refugee crisis is of unimaginable scope. According to Catholic Relief Services, the 5,000 people that are coming to Europe each day, is enough “to fill up 8 Madison Square Gardens in a month.” According to published estimates, a large percentage of these refugees are children who are homeless and hungry, without medical care, or the basic simple needs of everyday life. These refugees continue to attempt to escape the violence that has stripped their homelands of safety and human dignity. Many have perished while making their last lunge toward freedom and safety.

Pope Francis, helps us to see the Christian role we must play, to be a sign of God’s mercy in the world and especially in the face of this heart rending crisis. “We Christians must do this: replace malice with innocence, replace power with love, replace pride with humility, replace status with service. Being disciples of the Lamb means not living like a ‘besieged citadel,’ but like a city placed on a hill, open, welcoming, and supportive. It means not assuming closed attitudes, but rather proposing the Gospel to everyone, bearing witness by our lives that following Jesus makes us freer and more joyous.”

We can live these beliefs by carrying out the Corporal Works of Mercy as we provide relief to these refugees, satisfying their hunger and thirst for spiritual and physical nourishment, healing their suffering hearts and bodies, while providing shelter for those who seek a place to rest, so they can once again rekindle the spirit of hope in their hearts. Jesus calls us to make the Father’s mercy tangible and real in the lives of our brothers and sisters who live each day in the anguish of a threatening and uncertain future.

I encourage you, my sisters and brothers in Christ, to not let fear rob you of this opportunity to testify to God’s mercy with your lives. So many times we are encouraged in Scripture, “Do not be afraid,” for we are not alone when we are carrying out Jesus’ commandment of love. I join my brother bishops of Texas in affirming that “…our Catholic refugee agencies will continue to resettle refugees in the United States in accordance with our existing agreements and federal law.” We must do this, for it is who we are and who we must be. I believe we can carry out, with a collaborative spirit, our mission of mercy while working with government officials to help assure public safety and security. As I have said before, the horrific acts of terrorism are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world. Let us not scapegoat innocent refugees for the acts of these terrorist groups.

I pray that our resolve to be faithful witnesses to the Mercy of God will endure, even at this time of testing. Let us also be guided by the words of the Holy Father as he reminds us, “Behind these statistics are people, each of them with a name, a face, a story, an inalienable dignity which is theirs as a child of God.”

Let us pray for the gifts of wisdom and fortitude as we open our hearts and our homeland to those who need us most.