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Grace and Peace to you and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Easter blessings to you all! I am reminded this Easter season, as we celebrate the joy of the resurrection, that our Lord and savior Jesus Christ comes back into the same broken world that is still oppressed and occupied by a foreign Roman Empire. Those circumstances and powers that be that led to his crucifixion have not changed. That although pain and oppression continue, Jesus offers us hope and love amidst the continued oppression, pain and suffering that the Roman occupation brings. However, what does change is the hearts, faith, hope and determination of his followers to now carry on the mission that Jesus started. And so begins the journey of the movement of love that Jesus started some 2000 years ago and continues today.
We as Christ followers in this time and place are offered that same hope, faith and determination to carry on Christ’s message of love and transformation of hearts. Jesus’ teachings throughout his entire ministry emphasized love of neighbor, the welcoming of strangers in our midst and radical welcome of those on our margins. We see this emphasis in some of his most important stories and teachings, such as the telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan, in the teaching of the Beatitudes, and in other parts of his Sermon of the Mound, which can also be found in the shorter Sermon on the Plain of Luke’s gospel.. Matthew’s gospel in particular emphasizes this in Chapter 25 when we hear Jesus say, “truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of the brothers and sisters of mine you did for me”. This reminds me that when I invite the stranger, when I feed the stranger, when I clothe the stranger I am doing the same for Jesus. It is with this mandate that we began the Diocesan Immigrant Crisis Relief Fund and began our Immigrant Accompaniment Program here in the Diocese of West Texas.
The Immigrant Crisis Relief Fund provides financial support to help secure the release of detained church members from immigrant detention centers across our diocese. We have already had several churches who have had members be affected by detainment. These are not only valuable church members of our communities and cities but also mothers and fathers who in some cases are members of church staff families.
The fund will also help families pay rent and put food on the table when a working parent has been detained. The fund provides financial support to meet a plethora of needs of our immigrant neighbors across the diocese and in our churches. We are also working with neighboring dioceses as well as dioceses in the wider Episcopal Church (Minnesota and Washington DC). We have successfully reunited individuals who were detained and released and helped reunite them with their families by providing transportation from detention facilities, clean water, lodging, clothes and a listening ear to what they have endured.
Some facts to be aware of and to note as we continue to accompany immigrants to their court ordered appointments.
- I have yet to encounter anyone here “illegally” or “undocumented”. All individuals and families I have accompanied are/have been documented, approved to work in the United States and have active asylum cases since they have entered via appropriate channels and processes.
- The vast majority of cases are families, parents with young children.
- I have not, nor have other volunteers, encountered any with criminal backgrounds.
- Immigrants with legal representation have a 70% chance of being granted asylum. Those without legal representation have a 70% chance of being deported or detained.
- All immigrants I have encountered are employed; however, most cannot afford representation.
The needs are vast and continue to grow. We need to build the fund as we are seeing increasing needs. I have had to subsidize and help church families by providing assistance from my Bishop’s Discretionary Fund. This is not sustainable long term. So please donate today. Your gift is tax deductible and it will be used to live out Jesus’ call to love all and to welcome the stranger.
I remember as a child hearing the stories my parents told when they first arrived to this country in 1962, fleeing Cuba to escape communism and the threat of death. There were those who housed them and helped them to get on their feet as they arrived to this beautiful country I love. My mother never forgot the generosity of those who welcomed her and she taught me to do the same. It also reminds me of Jesus’ infant narrative when Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egypt in order to keep from Herod from killing him. I am sure he had to depend on the hospitality of strangers and their generosity as they made their way to Egypt and start a life there until he could return.
As people of faith called to live out Jesus teachings and baptismal covenant, I invite you to give generously to the Immigrant Crisis Relief Fund so we can live out the mandate to love our neighbor and to clothe and feed and welcome Jesus in our midst. If you cannot give or not in a situation where you can give at this time, then feel free to contact us if you are willing to volunteer in other ways.
I also invite you to pray. As followers of Christ and people of faith, we ground ourselves in the promises of God. We invite you to pray for our immigrant neighbors, families, and communities experiencing fear, disruption, and instability.
We are an Easter people who affirm that God’s love is the most powerful force in the universe, and not even death can stop love’s healing balm from renewing the world even amidst the chaos around us. May we be so inspired by this love to be the change that the world needs, to ground our lives in the love of all and live every minute living this mandate.
Grace and Peace,
The Right Reverend Angela Maria Cortiñas
Bishop Suffragan of West Texas
