On Friday, January 23, Our Lady of Peace celebrated a Mass in Solidarity with Immigrants. Deacon Ramon García Degollado shared a powerful message of hope, reminding us that even in difficult and uncertain times, Christ is present among the vulnerable, the hungry, and the marginalized. He encouraged us to respond with love and compassion, seeing God in our neighbors and living out our call to build a more just and caring community. Below is his full homily.
God knows our hearts, He knows who we are, and how we love Him. That is the most important thing for the children of God: who we are and what we do. To answer these questions, we must look at the vocation to which we have been called. This moment is very important in our lives, to be called by God to love Him and to love our neighbor.
We must recognize that we have Christ seated in heaven and yet present among the poor on earth. In our daily lives, we encounter the poor, the hungry, the naked, strangers, the sick, and more. There is a song that says, "He is with us and we do not know Him; He is with us, His name is the Lord." We live in dark and very tense times, in which the enemies of Christ and His Church have managed to distort the true essence and root of Christianity: our love, dignity, and charity. Some believe that Christianity consists only of comfort, righteousness, and a peaceful life. This, undoubtedly, has value and is a valid way of living the faith, but it is neither the only nor the essential thing.
Today, Christ reminds us of the essence of His message: compassion, charity, and love. Charity is not mere benevolence but true love for God who lives in our neighbor and with us. Jesus tells us this very clearly: "You did it to me," offering practical examples. This charity flows naturally from the love of God. If I love God, I cannot fail to love my brother.
Our Hispanic immigrant community is going through dark times, facing persecution, family separation, imprisonment, and deportation. Violence, hunger, and sickness are present; some have even died in prisons. The news recently showed an elderly man in only his underwear being arrested and taken from his home, without dignity or compassion. Five-year-old children are being detained and separated from their families. Brothers and sisters, we only want a dignified and safe place to live, to experience human dignity, and to live with acceptance, security, and belonging that every child and young person needs. Like the hope we find in this church, we live in fear; we can be stopped because of our color, race, or accent.
We are searching for hope in these moments of darkness through our families, yet we have been separated. We seek hope in the Church, but we cannot receive communion if we cannot leave our homes. We strive for justice, yet often we cannot be heard. Today, many families have lost jobs, cannot pay rent, and struggle to have enough to eat. Young people have taken on adult responsibilities: grocery shopping, putting cars in their names so parents are not stopped, taking out the trash so parents won’t be detained. A young woman told me, "I don't want to cry in front of my parents, but I'm overwhelmed. I can't take it anymore."
We are struggling to find hope every day, and it encourages us to know we are not alone. It inspires us to keep going when we are helped by the kind-hearted American community, when they speak for us because we cannot speak for ourselves.
As members of the Church, as the family of God and disciples of Christ in the United States, we are called to encounter the living Jesus Christ by living out our conversion journey, in communion and in solidarity with the Church. This is a time of waiting and a time of encountering Christ through the poor, the hungry, and the persecuted, who always challenge us to look beyond ourselves so that we can truly encounter our neighbor and live more faithfully our call to be a Catholic Family of God.
The United States is the most ethnically diverse country. All races of the world are represented here. Cultural presence has many faces: the immigrant who experiences culture shock, and those in their second or third generation who are questioning their cultural identity.
Some of the most powerful images in the Gospel come from encounters between Jesus and ordinary people. Consider the encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well, Jesus and the blind man at the gates of Jerusalem, and the young man who wanted to follow Jesus. They all represent opportunities to encounter others and develop a personal relationship with Christ. Jesus' message does not express monarchy or any political system but rather a message of love and mercy.
There are three essential theological ideas in this Gospel text about the Last Judgment:
- The first is that the meaning of human life is fraternity, the unity among human beings. We were created by God to be brothers and sisters. Our lives will be judged on this basis: by the love we have shown to others and by our capacity to create fraternal living conditions in the world.
- Secondly, this love is not an abstract idea, a mere sentiment, or a term of endearment. These are concrete actions: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, and more. It is not necessary that these acts be done "for the love of God" alone. If they are done out of love for humanity, they fulfill God’s will.
- Third, God will not judge us for what we have done "to Him." No one loves or offends God directly. We love and offend Him in our brothers and sisters.
May we show our love for God by showing our love for all our brothers and sisters, here and now.
Deacon Ramon García Degollado
Latino Ministry Family Life Coordinator
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
