Living the Gospel Today: Children at the Border

In today's Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples (and I think especially to us in the United States today):

He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

Whoever receives one child in the name of Jesus receives Jesus.
It is the will of our God in heaven that not one of these children be lost.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones.

Seems pretty clear to me.

Hold on to this message from Jesus as you look at these pictures I found when I googled the current situation of unaccompanied children at our border:

There are of course contrasting images.

But ultimately, it is the children that matter. "See that you despise not one of these little ones," Jesus says.

According to this Reuter's News Report, President Obama is seeking to speed the deportation of the children at our border. Yet, a majority of Americans are not so sure this is a good idea. Perhaps our collective conscience is kicking in? Perhaps we still have some of our humanity intact?

If we take the message of Jesus seriously, if we truly believe in the value of human life and dignity, then we need to act. Now.

Learn More:

• The Jesuit Refugee Service and Ignatian Solidarity Network have created an excellent toolkit for those who wish to advocate on behalf of the unaccompanied children and families fleeing violence in Central America.
• The US Bishops Conference also has an advocacy toolkit available for download.

Contact Your Elected Officials:

• The Jesuit Conference has an easy to use action alert that allows you to send a message to President Obama and your members of congress in seconds.
• The Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center also has an alert opposing the removal of protections that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act gives child refugees from Central America.
• Congress is on recess and in your neighborhood. Why not call them or even drop by to share your concern for the children?  Our friends at the Ignatian Solidarity Network have a great tip sheet for congressional visits!

Share Your Resources:

• Consider donating to the US Bishops Unaccompanied Minors Program.

Pray:

• Spend some time with today's Gospel from Matthew. How will you respond to Jesus?

Loving God, comfort your children far from home, seeking safety and shelter from their powerful neighbor. Give us the compassion, wisdom, and courage to open our doors, widen our hearts, and spread our wings to offer our protection. Inspire each of us to act in charity and for justice. Amen.