“When will you be angry enough, in God’s just anger, about the injustice to people in our world?  When will you have mourned enough over the gap between the way many people must live and the way God wants them to live?”

Emeritus Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson asked these two questions at a Eucharistic celebration that I attended a few years ago.  It was personal and transformative to me as an Associate of the Dominican Sisters of Peace.  The Bishop asked these questions at an outdoor liturgy with the beauty of the Sonoran Desert in the distance and the treachery of the desert beside the altar.  On the side of the altar, there was a prayer labyrinth displaying desert shoes…. shoes found in the desert…. high heels, baby shoes, sandals…. worn and torn …. shoes of the desert.

I pondered what was the message, the invitation, the imperative to me to act… “for I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” I knew there was a Corporate Stance on Immigration Reform declared by the Dominican Sisters of Peace.  But I had neglected to take the Corporate Stance seriously enough.

This two-day conference in the desert surrounded by dreams pursued, often lost in death or deportation, put a human face on this human rights issue. We listened to their stories until I realized that I was a part of the story as well.  I thought of Thomas Merton’s premise in his book, Conjectures of A Guilty Bystander, that I had heard about the “immigrant problem” and quietly observed from a distance.  But, as Merton said, “In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I was theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers.”

Today, after too many years of horrific policies and practices, there is an opportunity to move forward with concrete positive actions “to restore humanity and American values to our immigration system” through the passage of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.  The bill contains pathways to citizenship, keeping families together, embracing diversity, and addressing root causes of migration.

So, the Bishop Kicanas question remains for Dominican Sisters of Peace and the congregation’s associates … “When will you be angry enough in God’s just anger” to speak and act our response to the question. There are current Sisters/Associates who hear the cries of immigrant families and advocate already.  Is this the moment, with pending federal legislation that can make a real difference, that more of us move from observing to action? Please consider joining the DSOP Immigration Reform Committee by contacting cdubick@kent.edu for more information.

Prepared by the Eco-Justice Commitee

PRAYER

1. In daily personal prayer spend contemplative time outdoors or looking out a window praying with and for the EARTH.
2. Allow current issues, like climate change, mountaintop removal, Keystone XL Pipeline to be spur to prayer.
3. When you are the leader of corporate prayer include EARTH in spoken intentions/petitions, or design a weekly prayer for EARTH needs.
4. Choose a location and time of day that can accommodate you or your group and which has immediate access to the outdoors (weather permitting).
5. If your gathering space is indoors, plan to include EARTH elements in the setting, especially, EARTH, Air, Fire and Water.
6. In your ministry—within parish, school, family or volunteer activities raise up EARTH concerns when you are gathered for prayer.
7. Placing intercessions among others concerning the EARTH during weekend Masses and also during PSR sessions.

MEALS:

1. As you say grace before meals (and after) thank not only God but the EARTH and all who till and care for her for the food you have.
2. Use a cloth napkin and remember why you do so. Be grateful for the trees saved by not using disposables.
3. Choose locally-grown, in-season foods whenever possible—shopping at Farmers’ Markets or buying through a CSA or buying club.
4. Cook at least one meal “from scratch” each week, taking the time to be creative, learn new recipes, expand your taste buds and support your health.

• • Try to eliminate processed foods
  • Use leftovers
  • Ask for locally produced food

5. Don’t forget to use those items you canned in the fall
6. If you eat meals prepared by others—whether a food-service, in-house cafeteria, or even a local restaurant (NOT fast food) ask kitchen staff/manager to utilize fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Be sure to compliment them when they do—and eat heartily!
7. Read labels—note country of origin, number of long-syllable chemical ingredients, whether it contains GMO ingredients (or proclaims that it doesn’t since the US doesn’t demand fair labeling), as well as looking for Organic items.
8. Don’t buy products with excess packaging (e.g. wrapped “single-serving” items) or use single-use paper and plastic ware, etc. Avoid Styrofoam always.  If you must use disposables, take the time to locate recycled and compostable products—then do it!
9. Never use hot, running water to defrost frozen foods. Plan ahead and place frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or use the microwave oven
10. Rinse vegetables and fruits in a sink or a pan filled with water instead of under running water.