THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN
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November 4, 2007 The Good News... And who is my brother? October 28, 2007 My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Even though this is printed in the space for my usual “newspaper article,” it is much more important. Therefore, I am writing to you in this letter format because this is really a letter “from my heart.” I write on behalf of the Catholic faith we share and my responsibility as your Archbishop. I write out of love of Jesus and of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. The Church has always upheld the fundamental dignity of every human person. This dignity comes from God and His creation of us in His own Image and Likeness. It precludes all other human standings and status. The Declaration of Independence of our own beloved country acknowledged “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (In Congress July 4, 1776). During the past week, I and some of the members of our Priests Council have signed a Pledge of Resistance to the soon-to-be-effected House Bill 1804. In doing this, neither I nor any of the priest signatories intend to meddle in politics. Rather, we have been ordained to proclaim the Good News of Jesus. I am convinced in conscience that HB 1804 does not radiate that Good News. Rather, it is contrary to our Christian beliefs and detrimental to the fundamental dignity of the human person. Therefore, it is a bad law and adherence to it will negatively affect our society. While the Church has always upheld the dignity of every human being, the popes of the last century have often decried the injustice perpetrated against human beings by bad laws. Pope John Paul II had frequently proclaimed the right of people to emigrate when faced with the inability to live in peace or security. The American Bishops have re-peatedly requested of the federal government a comprehensive change of our immigration laws and procedures. I find the current laws to be discriminatory and unjust. I judge them to be contrary to the spirit of our great country that formerly welcomed the poor, the homeless, the oppressed to new opportunities, indeed, to a new life in our great country. In signing the Pledge of Resistance to HB 1804, I am not encouraging lawlessness. On the contrary, I am opposing the injustice perpetrated on my brothers and sisters from other lands. In the Gospels, Jesus challenges us as He calls us to faith. Thus in the story of the Good Samaritan, He asks us: “Which of these three was neighbor to the robber’s victim?” The man answered: “The one who treated him with mercy.” And Jesus said to him: “Go and do likewise.” (The one who acted with mercy was a foreigner.) (Luke 10:36-37) Also in Saint Luke’s Gospel (17: 14-19), after Jesus had cured 10 lepers and only one returned to give Him thanks, Jesus remarked: “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give thanks to God except this foreigner.” Some people have condemned the undocumented because “they broke the law” or “they are illegal.” I would rather say, in fact, I am impelled to ask — why is this so and how can we help? Rather than condemn, shouldn’t we try to help? Didn’t Jesus warn those who were self-righteous to examine themselves? When the crowd wanted to stone the adulterous woman, Jesus said: “Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one they all went away. (John 8:1-11) My dear Brothers and Sisters, we cannot abandon those among us who are suffering and in need. Nor can we let our beautiful country, the land of the free, adopt selfish, uncharitable ways of treating our brothers and sisters of other lands. We have a grave problem to solve. Anger, disputes and unjust legislation are of no avail. Only prayer and sincere efforts motivated by charity, mercy and justice to protect the unalienable rights of all people will result in true progress. Love of God and love of neighbor is my motivation for signing the Pledge of Resistance to House Bill 1804. Most Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran |