Written for The Southern Cross<\/i> Earlier this month a group of Catholic bishops led by Cardinal Sean O\u2019Malley of Boston celebrated a Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona. \u00a0Mass attendees were at both sides of the border fence. \u00a0Pictures of the distribution of communion show hands in between steel bars stretched out to receive the Eucharist from a priest standing on the opposite side of the border.<\/p>\n During his homily, Cardinal O\u2019Malley stated he was inspired and emboldened by Pope Francis who visited Lampedusa, Italy, a place that has become synonymous with the suffering of immigrants going to Europe from North Africa. \u00a0The small Mediterranean island of Lampedusa is closer to Tunisia than it is to the country that claims it, Italy, making it a point of entry for Africans fleeing poverty and oppression. \u00a0Following the Pope\u2019s example, O\u2019Malley traveled to the border with Mexico to raise awareness of the great suffering which happens there each day.<\/p>\n O\u2019Malley began his homily with a personal story to provide a glimpse of the hardships and humiliations many immigrants face as they seek a better life for themselves and their children. \u00a0The story told of a man who after six months of sending money to his family in El Salvador had received a letter from his wife accusing him of abandoning her and his children. \u00a0When O\u2019Malley asked if he had sent checks or money orders, the man responded he had sent cash: \u201cEach week I put all the money I earn into an envelope with the amount of stamps that I was told and I put it in that blue mailbox on the corner.\u201d \u00a0O\u2019Malley looked out the window to see the mailbox the man made reference to, and to his dismay, realized it was not a mailbox but a fancy trash bin.<\/p>\n Many have asked a reasonable question, why celebrate a Mass at the border? \u00a0Among those asking this question is the well-known Catholic writer George Weigel who stated during an interview on EWTN,\u201d It\u2019s not clear to me how holding Mass in these circumstances can be anything other than politicized.\u201d \u00a0He added, \u201cTo turn the Mass into an act of essentially political theater is something I thought we had gotten over in the Church, no matter how noble the cause might be.\u201d <\/p>\n In celebrating Mass at the border the bishops are being consistent with their preaching of the Gospel which recognizes the dignity of every human person. \u00a0The Eucharistic celebration at the border is consistent with the Eucharist celebrated each year at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC before the March for Life which calls for the respect of human life. \u00a0It is also consistent with the Masses and events held these past two years calling for religious freedom including the Mass held at Forsyth Park in Savannah two summers ago. \u00a0None of these moments represent a politicization of the Mass as Mr. Weigel suggests, but rather a moment where bishops have stood up for Gospel teachings and have prayed for the conversion of society.<\/p>\n Unfortunately the bishop\u2019s visit to the border has been viewed first through political lens when the bishops as pastors have reached out to their flock which is suffering tremendously.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written for The Southern Cross Earlier this month a group of Catholic bishops led by Cardinal Sean O\u2019Malley of Boston celebrated a Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona. \u00a0Mass attendees were at both sides of the border fence. \u00a0Pictures of the distribution of communion show hands in between steel bars stretched out to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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