The Gospel of Luke 13: 1-5
1 At that time some people who were present there told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. 2 He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? 3 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! 4 Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? 5 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
Desolation
Our present political circumstances weigh heavy on all of us working and praying for a more just world. The story I haven’t been able to shake is the El Salvadoran prison that the Trump administration deported 250 Venezuelan immigrants to last week. One reason it’s kept me up at night is because I’m currently teaching a college class to incarcerated students; our own “humane” prisons and jails in the U.S. are enough to make you cry. Our class has been incredible – the students are brilliant and beautiful and our time together each week is full of laughter and deep insights. Every once and a while, though, the weight of life “inside” breaks through. Last week, one of my best students admitted in his reading response that he felt like a failure to his family and wondered whether they might be better off without him. My written feedback became a place for me to tell him that he is a gift to the world, and to me. It was hard for him to hold back tears in class the next day. “Thank you. I’m sorry. It’s just hard in here, you know.”
All this was on my heart when I heard that call to repentance from the Gospel of Luke. I couldn’t help but think of my students in the DC Jail, and those hundreds of Venezuelans—many of whom had no criminal record and may have been targeted because of their tattoos. Do you think they suffer because they are greater sinners than the rest of us? Do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in America? May we repent of the social sins of our nation and, indeed, of our Church. (Many of those executing our present anti-immigrant order are Catholics, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and “Border Czar” Tom Homan.)
Consolation
Each Sunday I help teach the 4th and 5th grade religious education class at our church. Our theme is “Holy Changemakers” and this week we learned about Audrey Faye Hendricks, the youngest person to march in the children’s crusade in Birmingham, AL in 1963. She was nine years old and spent a week in jail for her (good) trouble. We talked about what we believed in so strongly that we would go to jail, then, we made our own signs, marched to a nearby street corner, and stood vigil. You could tell how much it meant for the people who walked and biked and drove by us to see 10- and 11-year-olds standing up for justice. And you could tell how much it meant for these kids, who really couldn’t fully fathom how powerful they were until they were holding signs at that intersection. One man even got off his bike to share that his wife is Mexican and that he needed to see us that day. The kids are alright, y’all, and they consoled me this day.
This month’s reflection was provided by Matthew J. Cressler, creator of the educational webcomic series Bad Catholics, Good Trouble. If you would like to volunteer to provide an upcoming reflection, please contact Nick Napolitano: ueajars@jesuits.org.
The views and opinions expressed in this reflection do not necessarily reflect those of Jesuits USA East.
