2nd Sunday - Be Not Hypocrites but Compassionate

Advent Sermons and Petitions

Be Not Hypocrites but Compassionate

Second Sunday of Advent (December 9, 2007)

John the Baptist is preparing the way for the Lord.  He is the forerunner of Jesus, and today we hear him use strong language for those he considers hypocrites – the Pharisees and Sadducees.  “You bunch of snakes….” he says.  “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance... And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’  For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”  In other words, John is telling the Jewish leaders “Don’t think you have it made just because you are Jews.  Look at the way you live and how you treat others.” 

We know from the Gospels that Jesus also targeted his preaching at Jewish leaders who sanctimoniously considered themselves “holier than thou” just because they fulfilled what they thought was the letter of the law.  They performed all the proscribed rituals, fastings and purifications; they wore the proper garments, studied the law and prayed in public, but they lacked compassion for the poor, the most important God-like characteristic. 

When John the Baptist was incarcerated for his refusal to bend the law for Herod, he sent messengers to Jesus to find out if he was the Messiah.  Jesus responded to them, “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind can see, the lame can walk, the lepers are clean, the deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor.”  These are the signs that proved Jesus’ authenticity; they are signs of the Kingdom of God, and they are the signs that must characterize the work of our church and parish. 

Today, we must apply these criteria to ourselves as individuals and as a nation. How do we welcome the stranger, the immigrant? 

Our immigration system is not working.  Bishop DiMarzio, the chair of the National Bishops’ Domestic Policy Committee called the American immigration system “a broken system,” which he says is “unacceptable and unsustainable.”  He and all our bishops called for “far-reaching and comprehensive reforms.” 

Our current immigration system is filled with contradictions.  On the one hand, we want cheap immigrant labor and, on the other hand, we do not want to grant the immigrant workers official recognition. I daresay, this position reflects something of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  Bishop DiMarzio stated: There are about 12 million undocumented people among us, most of whom are workers. Our economy and communities depend on them.  They bus our dishes, pick our vegetables, clean our offices and homes, manicure our lawns, and care for our children among other jobs.  We cannot wish them away or simply send them away. For practical, economic and moral reasons, we have to find ways to bring these people out of the shadows, to protect them from exploitation, and to regularize their status for their sake and ours.” That is a very strong and clear statement by our church.

This summer Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles addressed the contradictions of the immigration system in this way: “Our current immigration laws are, in a word, unjust. We gladly accept the toil and taxes of the immigrant work force to fill our economic needs, but we look the other way when they are exploited in the workplace, die in the desert, or are arrested for providing “nanny” and cleaning services at desirable addresses. When convenient politically, we scapegoat the immigrant without acknowledging our complicity.  Our immigration laws perpetuate this reality.”

Cardinal Mahoney notes that approximately one half million immigrants enter the United States illegally each year, but within just six months, 90% of them have jobs.  Clearly our economy needs them.  Why do they enter illegally?  That’s not hard to figure out.  First, they are desperate to provide for their families.  They need employment and income to support their families and children. Second, our country, which needs and gladly employs these workers, issues a very limited number of visas for them.  If we provided more legal visas, these workers would certainly choose to enter legally. 

While the issues of immigration must be addressed with compassion for the poor and oppressed of the world, we must also approach them with honesty and sincerity.  Let’s not fool ourselves. We need these workers.  Because of their labors, our lawns are mowed, our children are cared for, our food is less expensive, our hotel rooms are cleaned, and our factories produce goods at more affordable prices. 

Silvia is an active parishioner in a parish in Chicago.  She and her husband have lived in the United States for 17 years. They have 3 daughters, 2 of whom were born in the United States and one of whom has severe disabilities.  Silvia and her husband have always worked, he in a factory and she cleaning offices.  At the parish, she is the lead catechist for children with disabilities.  One Sunday morning in May, immigration officers surrounded her home at 6:00 in the morning. They arrested her, held her in detention and issued an order for her deportation.  Imagine the trauma for the family.

But look also at the contradictions and lack of compassion in this case.   They arrested her in her home on a Sunday morning and took her prisoner.  What is her crime?  She has worked for our country, our community and for our church. She and her husband own a house and pay taxes. But because she entered illegally, we now treat her like a criminal despite all the service she has given to our country.  This treatment is hypocritical.  We should reflect on the words of John the Baptist: “You bunch of snakes. Do not presume to call yourselves children of Abraham or followers of Jesus Christ if you are not compassionate.”

Our bishops call us to be honest with ourselves.  They challenge us not to be hypocritical but compassionate in our response to those who come to our country, not to steal, not to take advantage of us, but to work for us for very low wages.  In fact, they come to serve us, and, in the end, to join with us in building a nation of justice, respect, love and peace.

During Advent we prepare for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We remember and celebrate his birth but also look to his final coming.  He was born in a stable, laid in a manager, surrounded by Mary and Joseph and animals that provided him warmth.  Our hearts are warmed at Christmas by this story.  We are filled with awe at God’s great love for us in sending Jesus to us. The wonder of this mystery moves us to love and share at Christmas.  Gifts abound for family and friends.  But let us remember that Jesus came to expand on the limited understanding of God’s love. He reached out beyond those who were learned in the law, those who believed they were the only ones fulfilling the letter of God’s commandments.  He reached out to those on the margin, the poor, the sick, women, lepers, foreigners, and sinners. 

During this coming year, let us commit ourselves, together with our bishops, to be faithful to our mission to continue the work of Our Lord in our time.  As our political leaders debate the reform of our broken immigration system, let us urge them to be just and compassionate to our brothers and sisters who come to live and work among us.

Intercessions

For our political leaders, that they be honest and fair in developing a comprehensive reform of our country’s immigration policies.

For all immigrants who suffer from unjust aspects of our country’s immigration laws and policies.

For the leaders of our church, that they might speak courageously in defense of the poor and oppressed.