Homily on the Memorial of Maximilian Kolbe (On Immigration and Human Dignity)
One of the biggest issues that we face, among many, is the issue of immigration. It seems that the topic of immigration has become a heated topic and there are many who speak of immigrants in sometimes hateful ways. This past summer, I lead a group of teens from my parish in Bastrop on a mission trip to McAllen Texas. There we were given the opportunity to work with Catholic Charities who has made it their mission to provide assistance for immigrant families who have run away from dangerous situations in their countries of origin. The people who come there are people who struggled, spent every cent they had to flee in order to protect their children and their own lives. But, they came and instead of sneaking into the country, they turned themselves into the authorities since they would have a better chance of getting an opportunity to stay in the US. As we met with them, we heard their heart wrenching stories. At the end of our time ...