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A GRAVE SIN

LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY IIILETTERS TO MY COUNTRY III

By Brother Patrick

Marion Buzo Solomon (1921-1998) was my grandmother. We know very little about her early life. She was born in a small village in what was then Czechoslovakia and is now the Republic of Slovakia. She was baptized in a little country church. Shortly after Nazi troops invaded her homeland in 1938, she was smuggled out of the country. Her escape involved crawling under a barbed wire fence. She carried her few belongings in a brown paper bag. And she boarded a cargo ship bound for the United States. She was just sixteen years old. And she was all alone.

My grandmother somehow learned English, became an American citizen, and served her adopted country in the United States Naval Women’s Reserve, better known as the WAVES. We know nothing else. We do not know why she alone among her siblings was sent in search of a better life on the other side of the world. We do not know who welcomed her or who cared for her when she completed the long journey across a vast ocean. My grandmother never spoke about her experiences during the war with her children and grandchildren. And sadly, we did not ask. We can only look back in wonder and awe at her bravery and remarkable life story.

The United Nations defines a refugee as “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.” Although we do not know why my great-grandparents sent their eldest daughter to America, a basic understanding of history teaches us that the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia was an unspeakable horror for Jews, Catholics, and Slovakian patriots. It is clear to me that my grandmother was a refugee. It is also clear that my grandmother, who seemed like an average mid-century homemaker, was a person of uncommon strength, courage, and perseverance.

Whether we call them refugees, migrants, or immigrants, people like my grandmother are forced to leave their homes every day in search of a better and safer life. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that more than 120 million people worldwide are either refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced people. That number represents more than three times the combined population of the ten northeastern states and the nation’s capital city. Refugees are not “animals.” They are not “rapists.” They are not “poisoning the blood” of our country. They are human beings, children of God, created in the image and likeness of the One who is all love and all mercy. As such, refugees deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and compassion. Like all people everywhere, they have a right to food, clothing, shelter, and medical care.

The Catholic Church teaches that people have a right to move; that nations have a right to control their borders; and that nations have a moral obligation to manage those borders with fairness, charity, and a commitment to the common good. All people of faith and goodwill should seriously consider that one presidential candidate promises to invoke an 18th century law that would empower the federal government to arrest, detain, and deport any non-citizen that it decides is dangerous. It is the same law that created detention camps for people of German, Italian, and Japanese ancestry during the Second World War. We should shudder at the dark reality that more than one half of those Japanese detainees were actually American citizens!

More than two decades ago, Pope John Paul II said: “Every upright conscience cannot but decisively condemn any racism, no matter in what heart or place it is found. Ultimately, it emerges in ever new and unexpected ways, offending and degrading the human family (General Audience, 8-26-01).” In the end, this is not about endorsing a candidate. It is not about picking a side. It is about taking a stand. Political rhetoric that vilifies migrants and refugees is rooted in racism, not patriotism. Promises to build detention camps, separate families, and deport millions of people back to the conditions from which they fled is not pro-life. It is not Christian. It is cruel, inhumane, anti-life, and inherently un-Christian.

Just last month, Pope Francis declared: “It must be said clearly. There are those who work systematically and with every means possible to repel migrants. And this, when done with power and awareness, is a grave sin. Let us not forget what the Bible says: ‘You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him (Exodus 22:21).’ The orphan, the widow, and the stranger are the quintessential poor whom God always defends and asks to be defended (General Audience, 8-28-24).” Caring for migrants and refugees poses a serious challenge to governments, charitable organizations, and communities both large and small. At the same time, when faced with the choice between committing a grave sin and living the gospel, there can be no debate: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matthew 25:35).” Our choice is clear.

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LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

Art Credit: Beritk – 233722488 – Dreamstime

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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In Memory of My Grandmother, Marion Buzo Solomon