Fourth Sunday of Advent Reflection - 22 December 2019 - by Deacon Candidate Mark Bowden

     “Go in peace” we were told as we left the church I was visiting recently.  We sang a recessional hymn and walked towards the door.  The young Hispanic woman in front of me dipped her hand in the holy water fount, and I then did likewise.  Though I do not know who she is, we share a common faith, the Catholic faith.

      Before Mass, as part of studying for the diaconate, we had a meeting with the parish priest and a young woman that I’ll call Bianca.  We were meeting with Bianca and Father prior to Mass to discuss the fallout from the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids that happened at a nearby chicken processing factory.  Approximately 120 men were arrested and taken away for being here illegally, leaving their non-working wives and children behind.  While it’s easy to turn this issue into a political issue, I hope we all can view it from a humanitarian perspective.  With the men gone, the women and children have no means of support, save the kindness of churches, their members and anonymous donors.

      There is a relatively simple solution to this dilemma.  We can gather up the women and children, line them up against a fence, and shoot them all.  Problem solved, right?  I hope that you find that provocative response absurd, and it is.  But the reality is that if we turn a blind eye to this very real issue, the women and children may perish any way, or devolve into criminal activity.  Everyone that I have talked to about this, whether they lie on the left or right side of the political aisle know that the immigrant situation is complicated, and that’s true.  I do not have a great answer to the problem.  But one thing I am sure of is that the solution is NOT to split these families apart.

     Advent has been a time of preparation and anticipation of the Prince of Peace.  As we “Go in peace” today and every day, I hope that you will set political agendas aside and ask yourself how the Prince of Peace would respond to the plight of our brothers and sisters who just want better lives for themselves and their families.