At a Sept. 7 Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles called migrants to witness to America the healing love of Christ, which has the power to restore unity to a divided nation.
“My brothers and sisters, as followers of Jesus Christ, we have a mission in this moment, in this challenging time in our country,” the archbishop said. “We need to show our neighbors a better way. The way of Jesus, the way of love.”
In this critical moment in America, Jesus is offering an invitation “to love those who make themselves our enemies, and to pray for those who would try to cause division in our country,” he said.
“We can heal what is broken in America. We can restore the sense of mutual trust and empathy; the shared belief in our common humanity; in the dignity of those who are different from us,” Gomez stressed. “Love is the only way forward for America. And we are the ones who must show our nation the way.”
The Mass, held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, united Catholics from the diocese of Los Angeles, and the Dioceses of San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego.
Archbishop Gomez presided over the Mass, which was concelebrated by Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishops David G. O’Connell, Robert E. Barron, and Marc V. Trudeau, Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Roger Mahony, and Retired Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sartoris, as well as Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange and Orange Auxiliary Bishops Timothy Freyer and Thanh Thai Nguyen.
While the United States has always been an “exceptional” country, welcoming migrants as a “beacon of hope,” he said, the nation is today seeing exceptional polarization, perhaps the worst since the Civil War.
“But as we stand at this altar today, we know there are no divisions, no ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ No matter who we are, or where we come from, we are one family. And we are sinners, all of us in need of God’s mercy and redemption.”
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
Roger Mahony, that says it all. Gomez kicks dirt in the face of all those who suffered while Mahony worked to protect the criminal priests.
Gomez – that says it all.
Long on platitudes, short on specifics. NOBODY is suggesting that we mistreat those who show up at our border. Showing them Christ’s love means feeding them and providing them with the basics of protection and medical care. Nobody can disagree with that, and I believe that we as a nation are doing the best we can to provide for them. What comes next?
“to love those who make themselves our enemies, and to pray for those who would try to cause division in our country,” he said. I’m sorry, Excellency, but those who break our laws, the bishops who lend support for the same, and the Democratic party, the primary beneficiary of all this, seem to be the ones who are dividing the country, unless I’m missing something. If so, I would like you to tell me the error of my thinking.
Didn’t Abp. Gomez say in 2013 that Mahoney would be barred from public ministry?
I’ll ask again, what is with the Protestant hands in the air all about. Catholics went from folding there hands during prayer to elevating them as Protestants do, strange.
It is called total confusion. One priest tells them one thing, the next tells them another and the third another. Then one bishop tells their priests one thing, the next another and the third something else. Now do you want to hear all about papal confusion? Most popes were all for the death penalty when needed, one says it should be used sparingly, and the last one says all the rest were wrong.
And to think I joined the Church thinking there would be some unity.
Never a condemnation of illegal immigration. Always and only the straw man of immigration in general. Gomez is an empty chair.
How do we balance charity towards illegal immigrants with the rule of law? The Church itself has rules of admission as to who can enter the Church. We cannot deny a nation the right to have rules of law in regard to who can be allowed into its borders. Why are some clergy ignoring the rule of law? Are they more interested in church members and revenue? If we abandon the rule of law at the border then we must abandon any rules of admission to the Church.
Yes, let’s substitute “open communion” for “immigration” and say Christian love requires that we recognize everyone’s right to receive the Eucharist, that to deny them such a gift would be hateful, to impose burdensome rules before admitting them to reception would be cruel and un-Jesus-like, and see what the pro open borders bishops have to say.
They would all support it. They ALL support Communion-for-Pelosi, Communion for gay couples, etc., etc.
Well said.
Asylum seaker are not breaking the law by coming to the border and applying for asylum. That is what most of these people have been doing. Of course, we need to have – and do have – laws to protect our borders. But there is a legitimate legal process and even those who abide lawfully by that proces are being mistreated by our government.
How about if I just walk into your house and start demanding you pay for my upkeep? Also, I have a lot of family members who want to join me lest we be separated. Certainly you would say NO, even if I made a claim of asylum seeking.
The process is “being mistreated” by the illegal aliens who are interested in economic opportunity and falsely claim asylum to gain entry. Gaming the system, often with the help of Democrat operatives. Shame on all of them!
Hmm…I can’t go to Mexico without a passport. I can’t go to Canada without a passport. But it is okay for anyone to cross the southern border of the US without a passport of legal permission to do so. By anyone, I include all of Central America, South America, Muslims, terrorists, MS-13…
Just remember, at the end of the day, we all have to answer to God — bishops included.
Would be interesting to know what the bishops of Central and South America are doing to fix what’s broken down there and what the bishops in the United States are doing to assist them.
I was banned years ago by Archbishop Gomez on Facebook, when I pointed out that 80% of immigrants vote pro-abortion. They are turning state after state pro-abortion. He calls this “Renewing the Soul of America,” and “healing what is broken.” It proves he is no more bothered by abortion, or the thousands of murders and rapes committed each year by immigrants, than he is by his many notorious gay activist priests. As always, at this Mass, he assures his audience that all those who oppose the invasion by illegals are full of hate.