It’s the end of the traditional work week, a time when we should think about winding own, but news items, some seemingly small, others obviously large, keep swirling about us so we have a difficult time winding down. The world is too much with us, as the poet wrote.
A seemingly small item, but one that speaks to the racism of those in charge, is the removal of references to Black soldiers at a Netherlands American WW2 cemetery, but also is reflected in the erasure of the many Black soldiers buried at Arlington. The Dutch who revere the soldiers who took part in the liberation from the Nazis are incensed and have asked the Battlefield Monuments Commission to restore the removed plaques.
This week also saw the Conference of Catholic Bishops issuing a statement against the current mass deportation policy, sweeping up long term residents, tearing families apart, and refusing communion to detained immigrants. Noting that we are all created in the image of God, the statement condemned the vilification of immigrants based on race and ethnicity and also supported meaningful immigration reform.
Prayer for the Day
Coming to you, O God, for respite from the world,
We realize that you call us to work for justice and peace;
Even Jesus had to withdraw from time to time,
Seeking solace in prayer to regain strength for the struggle.
Help us, O Lord, to obtain the strength that only comes from you,
So we, too, can continue our work for justice and peace.
In the name of the One who is our Model,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The [removed] displayed panels depicted a history we must never forget, and from which we can learn a great deal — especially now, as global divisions are being increasingly magnified.
Baas Alberson, Dutch Province of Limburg, where soldiers are buried
We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence ... We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform.
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Thus says the Lord of hosts: render true judgments,
Show kindness and mercy to one another;
Do not oppress the widow, the orphan the alien, or the poor;
Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
Zechariah 7: 9-10