'Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice'
SALT LAKE CITY — The Most Reverend John C. Wester, bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, prayed March 8 for people on the move; those who cross the desert in the dark and in danger, for unaccompanied children, and for immigrants and refugees. Vietnamese dancers processed up the main aisle of the Cathedral of the Madeleine bearing candles, flowers, and incense. The music, most of it in Spanish, was cantored by Timothy Johnston, director of the Diocesan Office of Liturgy, and Lila Barkey to the piano of Margret Posch. Bishop Wester dedicated his homily to Jesus, the Light of Immigrants. He told of being on retreat with other priests from San Francisco, and of stopping in Sedona, Ariz. at night. They were impressed by the stars and their light on the desert landscape. "It was the middle of the night, but the stars provided enough light to see the beauty of the desert," the bishop said. The Mojave desert is beautiful, and the stars shed enough light to see the desert floor." Light is central to our lives, he said. "We need it to live, to process certain vitamins, to make our way through the day, to see where we are going, to gaze on beauty, to avoid pitfalls, to read, to exercise, to get to the bathroom in the middles of the night, and to gaze into the eyes of our beloved. "It’s little wonder that Christ makes this the central point of his ministry in today’s Gospel. "Light also heals," he said. "It brings sight to the blind. It teaches; it brings people from the darkness of ignorance. It preaches; it brings people the light of the Gospel and salvation. And it resurrects; as we see at the Easter Vigil, it brings people to the eternal light in heaven." Another image of Christ is the Way: we need light to illumine our way, so Christ is both the journey and the light for the journey, Bishop Wester said. "We are baptized into the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ in the light of baptism... Therefore we become reflections of Christ the light on our pilgrimage of faith." It is fitting to reflect on these themes as we pray for immigrants tonight," he said. "We reflect on Christ’s light as the theme of immigrants; people on the move. "There are many arguments to be made for comprehensive immigration reform, and there are many arguments against Senate Bill 81,(which is particularly hard on immigrants). Yet many of these arguments bring more heat than light." Bishop Wester reflected on the many immigrants who have lost their lives crossing the desert. "Many immigrants have perished in the darkness of hatred and intolerance. They work in deplorable conditions, and they are abused in a variety of ways without being able to defend themselves. They are persecuted by politics, poverty, and power in their home countries and now in ours. "We need to bring them into the light. This is the Year of Saint Paul – a time for us to reach out to others as he reached out to the Gentiles," Bishop Wester said. "This is our motivation for comprehensive immigration reform. We want to bring immigrants the light of hope that comes from following Christ’s command to welcome the stranger in our midst. The congregation that night was largely Hispanic, some Vietnamese, and a few Africans. Bishop Wester was speaking to them as well as about them. "We are called to unite," he said. "It is the theme of the Year of St. Paul for whom unity was so important: In his letter to the Galatians, chapter 3 verse 28, Paul wrote, ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Christ’s call that binds us all together transcends all other laws, motivations, and interests, Bishop Wester said. We have set our sight on Christ. We cannot turn back and we certainly cannot turn our backs to the immigrants in our midst. "We are like those stars in the desert sky. All of us together can light the way for the immigrant lest he or she gets in the desert and perishes in the darkness. "Christ our light, guide us in our struggle to welcome the stranger in our midst and help us to see you in the wonderfully new face of our community. The theme of unity was also reflected in a prayer at the beginning of the service. Bishop Wester prayed: O God, You made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your son. Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred that infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and, through our struggle and confusion, work to accomplish your purposes on earth; so that in your good time, every people and nation may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne." During the bilingual Liturgy of the Word, the book of Jeremiah, with its call to deliver a message from the King of Judah who sits on the throne of David: "Listen to the word of the Lord, king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, your ministers, and your people that enter by these gates: Thus says the Lord: Do what is right and just. Rescue the victim from the hand of his oppressor. Do not wrong or oppress the resident alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. If you carry out these commands, kings who succeed to the throne of David will continue to enter the gates of this palace, riding in chariots or mounted on horses, with their ministers, and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, I swear by myself, says the Lord: this palace shall become rubble." (Jer. 22: 1-5) The petitions offered included: "For migrant workers, that they may labor in safe and just conditions, and that we who benefit from their labor may be truly grateful for what they provide; for unaccompanied migrant children, that they may be protected from all harm and reunited with loving families; for migrants, refugees, and strangers in our midst, that they may find hope in our concern for justice and feel the warmth of our love; for all those overwhelmed by loneliness, poverty, and despair, that they may be comforted through our help and kindness." The bishop also reminded the congregation of the people in the Old Testament who were on the move: Abraham, Sarah, Ruth, and Moses. Moving to the New Testament, he said, "You have chosen that the life of Jesus be filled with events of unplanned travel and flight from enemies. You have shown us through the modeling of Jesus how we are called to relate to persons from different nations and cultures. You have called us to be teachers of your word. We ask you, our God, to open our minds and hearts to the challenge and invitation to model your perfect example of love. Grant this, through Christ our Lord, who frees us from all oppression, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the source of all wisdom and strength."
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