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 WASHINGTON- The United States has a moral obligation to protect unaccompanied children and families from persecution in Central America, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, October 21. Bishop Seitz is an advisor to the USCCB Committee on Migration and a member of the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).

The humanitarian outflow, driven by organized crime in the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, continues, with nearly 40,000 unaccompanied children and an equal number of mothers with children having arrived in the United States in Fiscal Year 2015.

"If we do not respond justly and humanely to this challenge in our own backyard, then we will relinquish our moral leadership and moral influence globally," Bishop Seitz said.

Bishop Seitz pointed to the human consequences of U.S. policies which are designed to deter migration from the region, including U.S. support for Mexican interdiction efforts which are intercepting children and families in Mexico and sending them back to danger, in violation of international law.

Bishop Seitz recommended an end to these interdictions and the introduction of a regional system which would screen children and families for asylum in Mexico and other parts of the region. He also called for Congress to approve and increase a $1 billion aid package proposed by the Administration.

"If we export enforcement," Bishop Seitz said, "we also must export protection."

Bishop Seitz recalled the words of Pope Francis before Congress in September, when he invoked the golden rule in guiding our nation's actions toward those seeking safety in our land.

Quoting the Holy Father, Bishop Seitz repeated to the committee, "'The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.'"

"Mr. Chairman, I pray that time, and history, will conclude that we honored this rule in meeting this humanitarian challenge," Bishop Seitz concluded.

Bishop Seitz' testimony can be found at http://www.usccb.org//about/migration-policy/congressional-testimony/upload/seitz-ongoing-migration.pdf

Keywords: Bishop Mark J. Seitz, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Congress, Senate, Committee on Migration, migration, unaccompanied children, violence, Pope Francis
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(Vatican Radio) We bring you a reflection by Dominican Preacher and poet Father Paul Murray which is part of a series by the title of 'The Task of Happiness: human suffering and Christian joy'.

Listen to Dominican preacher and poet Father Paul Murray in a programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:

In this programme (part 5 of the series) Father Murray speaks to us  of what he refers to as the third road to joy: ".. the path that is most unexpected of all, the path that is most paradoxical. For here joy is attained by what is apparently is its very opposite, namely by the experience of suffering. But how since it is so often destructive of human happiness can suffering bring joy? In the Gospel Jesus links these two words, these two realities together in an astonishing way:  'Happy are you', he says, 'when people hate you, when they exclude and insult you. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day'..."

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Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2- 3a, 5-6; Mt. 2: 1-12

There was once a holy monk who lived in Egypt. One day a young man came to visit him. The young man asked: "Oh, holy man, I want to know how to find God." The monk was muscular and burly. He said: "Do you really want to find God?" The young man answered: "Oh, but I do." So the monk took the young man down to the river. Suddenly, the monk grabbed the young man by the neck and held his head under water. At first the young man thought the monk was giving him a special baptism. But when after one minute the monk didn’t let go, the young man began struggling. Still the monk wouldn’t release him. Second by second, the young man fought harder and harder. After three minutes, the monk pulled the young man out of the water and said: "When you desire God as much as you desired air, you will have the epiphany of God."

The Greek word Epiphany (επιφ?νεια) means appearance or manifestation or showing forth, marks   Jesus’ first appearance to the Gentiles.  "Epiphany" refers to God’s Self-revelation as well as to the revelation of Jesus as His Son.   Epiphany is an older celebration than the feast of Christmas, having originated in the East in the late second century.  In Italy and Spain, the gifts traditionally associated with the Christmas season are exchanged today, on the feast of the Epiphany. Among Italians, it is believed that the gifts are brought by the old woman, Befana (from Epiphany), whereas Spanish custom attributes the gifts to the Kings or Magi. The feast commemorates the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the Western Church.  In the Eastern Church, the feast also commemorates   the baptism of Christ. The angels revealed Jesus to the shepherds, and the star revealed him to the Magi, who had already received hints of Him from Jewish scriptures.  Later, God the Father revealed   Jesus' identity to Israel at His baptism in the Jordan.  In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus revealed himself as the promised Messiah.   These multiple revelations are all suggested by the Feast of the Epiphany.      

Today’s Old Testament reading, Isaiah 60:1-6, is chosen partly because it mentions non-Jews bringing gifts in homage to the God of Israel. The passage also celebrates the Divine Light emanating from Jerusalem and foresees all the nations acknowledging and enjoying that light and walking by it. Today’s Psalm (72), declares that all the kings of the earth will pay homage to and serve the God of Israel and His Messiah. Thus, these two readings express hope for a time when “the people of God” will embrace all nations. As a privileged recipient of divine “epiphany”, Saint Paul reveals God’s “secret plan” that the Gentiles also have a part with the Jews in divine blessings. Hence in the second reading, St. Paul affirms that Jesus extended membership in his Church, making it available to all peoples. Thus, the Jews and the Gentiles have become “coheirs, members of the same body and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” Hence, there are no second class members.  Today’s Gospel teaches us how Christ enriches those who bring Him their hearts.  Since the Magi came with joy in their hearts to visit the Christ Child, God allowed them to see wondrous things. At the same time, today’s Gospel hints at different reactions to the news of Jesus’ birth, foreshadowing his passion and death, as well as the risen Jesus’ mandate to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19).

The Magi were not Kings, but a caste of Persian priests who served Kings using their skills in interpreting dreams and watching movements of stars. The sixth century Italian tradition that there were three Magi, Casper, Balthazar, and Melchior, is based on the fact that three gifts are mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel:  gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Magi may actually have been Persian priests or Babylonian astronomers or Nabataean spice-traders. Eventually, however, they were pictured as representatives of different peoples and races.   The Orthodox Church holds that the Magi consisted of twelve Kings, corresponding in number to the twelve tribes of Israel.   Commentary on the Torah by Jewish rabbis suggested that a star appeared in the sky at the births of Abraham, Isaac and Moses.  Likewise, in the Book of Numbers, the prophet Balaam speaks of "a star that shall come out of Jacob."  Stars were believed to be signs from God, announcing important events.   Thus, the brightness of the Light to which kings were drawn was made visible in the star they followed.

Gold, frankincense and myrrh may be thought of as prophesying Jesus’ future.  Gold was a gift for  Kings;  frankincense (an ancient air purifier and perfume), was  offered to God in Temple worship (Ex. 30:37);  and myrrh (an oriental remedy for intestinal worms in  infants), was used by the High Priest as an anointing oil (Ex. 30:23), and to prepare bodies for burial.  These gifts were not only expensive but portable.  Perhaps Joseph sold the gifts to finance the Holy Family’s trip to Egypt.   The gifts might have been God’s way of providing for the journey that lay ahead.  

The Epiphany can be looked on as a symbol for our pilgrimage through life to Christ.   The feast invites us to see ourselves as images of the Magi, a people on a journey to Christ.     Today’s Gospel also tells us the story of the Magi’s encounter with the evil King Herod.   This encounter symbolizes three reactions to Jesus’ birth:  hatred, indifference, and adoration. a) A group of people headed by Herod planned to destroy Jesus.   b) Another group composed of priests and scribes ignored Jesus.   c) The members of a third group -- shepherds and the magi -- adored Jesus and offered themselves to Him.

A) The destructive group:  King Herod considered Jesus a potential threat to his kingship.  Herod the Great was a cruel and selfish king who murdered his mother-in-law, wife, two brothers-in-law and three children on suspicion that they had plotted against him. Later, the scribes and Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus because he criticized them and tried to reform some of their practices. Today, many oppose Christ and his Church because of their selfish motives, evil ways and unjust lives. Children still have Herods to fear. In the United States alone, one and a half million innocent, unborn children are aborted annually.

B) The group that ignored Christ:  The scribes, Pharisees and the Jewish priests knew that there were nearly 500 prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the promised Messiah.  They were able to tell Herod the exact time and place of Jesus’ birth.   They were in the habit of concluding their reading from the prophets on the Sabbath day by saying, “We shall now pray for the speedy arrival of the Messiah.”   Unfortunately, they were more interested in their own selfish gains than in discovering the truth. Hence, they refused to go and see the child Jesus -- even though Bethlehem was quite close to Jerusalem.  Today many Christians remind us of this group.   They practice their religion from selfish motives, such as to gain political power, prestige and recognition by society.   They ignore Jesus' teachings in their private lives.

C) The group that adored Jesus and offered Him gifts:  This group was composed of the shepherds and the Magi.  The shepherds offered the only gifts they had: love, tears of joy, and probably woolen clothes and milk from their sheep.  The Magi offered gold, in recognition of Jesus as the King of the Jews; frankincense, in acknowledgment that He was God, and myrrh as a symbol of His human nature.

Life Messages: (1) Let us make sure that we belong to the third group.  a) Let us worship Jesus at Mass, every day if we can, with the gold of our love, the myrrh of our humility and the frankincense of our adoration.  Let us offer God our very selves, promising Him that we will use His blessings to do good for our fellow men.   b) Let us plot a better path for our lives.  Just as the Magi chose another route to return to their homes, let us choose a better way of life, abstaining from proud and impure thoughts, evil habits and selfish behavior.  c)  Let us become the Star,  leading others to Jesus, as the star led the Magi to Him.   We can remove or lessen the darkness of the evil around us by being, if not like stars, at least like candles, radiating Jesus’ love by selfless service, unconditional forgiveness and compassionate care.

(2) Like the Magi, let us offer Jesus our gifts on this feast of Epiphany. (a) The first gift might be friendship with God.  After all, the whole point of Christmas is that God’s Son became one of us to redeem us and call us friends. God wants our friendship in the form of wholehearted love and devotion.  (b)  A second gift might be friendship with others. This kind of friendship can be costly.   The price it exacts is vulnerability and openness to others.   The good news, however, is that, in offering friendship to others, we will receive back many blessings.   (c)  A third gift might be the gift of reconciliation.    This gift repairs damaged relationships.   It requires honesty, humility, understanding, forgiveness and patience.   (d)   The fourth gift of this season is the gift of peace:  seeking God’s peace in our own lives through prayer, the Sacramental life and daily meditation on the Word of God. It is out of humble gratitude that we give Him from the heart our gifts of worship, prayer, singing, possessions, and time.
As we give our insignificant, little gifts to God, the good news is that God accepts them! Like the Magi offering their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, we offer what we have, from the heart, in response to what that Child has given to us - Himself.

Let us conclude with a 19th century English carol, Christina Rosetti’s A Christmas Carol, which begins, “In the bleak midwinter.” The carol sums up, in its last stanza, the nature of "giving to the Christ child.”

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I could give a Lamb.

If I were a wise man, I could do my part.

What I can I give Him?  Give Him my heart!”

Consider a true story of a young man named Tony. He travelled all over the world, appearing widely on stage and on television as a drummer in a world-famous music group. Then one day Tony felt called to the priesthood. When he resigned from the music group to enter a seminary, some people thought him to be a fool. The story could end here. And if it did, some would consider it to be a sad story. It would be the story of a young man who let a dream slip through his fingers. But the story doesn’t end here. Tony’s now a priest in the diocese of Dallas. And he’s tremendously happy. Jesus will someday say to him what he said to Artaban: “You’ve been helping me all your life, Tony. What you did for your Parishioners, you did for me.”

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Tony Kadavil) 

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(Vatican Radio) Over one million refugees and migrants have reached Europe by sea since the start of 2015.

A report released on Wednesday by the United Nations refugee agency more than 80% of them arrived in Greece, with the majority landing on the island of Lesbos.

They made the crossing from nearby Turkey. Most of the others crossed the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. 

The eastern Mediterranean route continues to see the largest increase in the flow of forced migrants and refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

But although the crossing is relatively short, it is perilous and as the winter months descend the death rate amongst the migrants continues to climb.

In response, the Italian Aid Corps of the Order of Malta (CISOM) has launched a new humanitarian mission on board a Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) in collaboration with Greek coastguards.

Every day, thanks to funding, resources and professionals provided by CISOM,  medics and rescue divers pluck vulnerable people travelling in rubber dinghies from icy waters and provide them with assistance.

Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni spoke with Doctor Giada Bellanca, one of the medics on board MOAS and asked her about ongoing search and rescue operations.

Listen to the interview: 

Doctor Bellanca explains that although Lesbos is Greek territory it is very close to Turkey and is logistically neuralgic as many migrants have chosen to flee Syria through this eastern Mediterranean route.

The crossing from Turkey to Greece, she says, is very short but it is also very dangerous.

Bellanca explains that aboard the MOAS every day, together with a team made up of medical doctors, nurses, rescue divers and volunteers, she patrols the waters between the eastern Greek islands and Turkey, ready to pluck migrants in distress from the sea.

She says the typical vessels used by the migrants in the Aegean Sea are rubber dinghies that can carry from 20 to 60 people.

“Imagine a lot of little boats in the sea, so we have to look out for many small targets every day” she says.

Bellanca explains that in a sea such as the Aegean that is a “closed sea” there are abrupt changes in weather conditions and there can be very big waves.

Often from the harbor, she says, the water appears calm and this encourages the migrants to set out on their journeys. But weather conditions change quickly and especially now in winter, she and her team mates have often to deal with deep hypothermia and related problems because many refugees are not practical with swimming.

She says in the boats there are a lot of children and pregnant women because “Syrians move with the whole family, so it really is a humanitarian disaster because of the presence of so many vulnerable people and this makes it very difficult psychologically sometimes”.

Bellanca says the migrants they rescue come from Syria, Iraq, and Palestine and there are also a lot of Kurds.

She explains that for the rescue itself MOAS operates a search-and-rescue mother ship and two high-speed rescue craft.

“We arrive with two professional rescue divers who are ready to go into the sea in every condition and pluck from the waters people in need” she says.

Afterwards Bellanca and the nurse who assists her, Antonella La Licata, are able to provide immediate medical assistance to migrants on board the mother ship.

Bellanca, whose field as a doctor is disaster and combat medicine and who has already worked in similar contests within the “Mare Nostrum” and “Frontex” Operations patrolling the waters between Libya and Lampedusa, describes her experience with migrants as immensely rewarding.    

“What I give is always less than what I receive and what I learn” she says.

“The dignity of these people allows me to grow in my work and in my life. The dignity of the women and the smiles of the children, the stories of our colleagues - medics from Syria, professionals from Palestine, people who have lost everything but continue to dream - give us more and more and more” Bellanca says.

“That’s why we continue to do this, and this is the force behind CISOM. This is our mission”.

For more information on CISOM click here.

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Extending the joy of Christmas to all the people, an interdenominational Christmas fellowship was held on 26 December 2015 at Sacred Heart Church in Neotan village of Changlang District in Minao diocese.

Former District Director of Secondary Education, Changlang District, Mr. Mungrey expressed great joy at the initiative of Fr. Felix Anthony from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, gathering representatives from all the church denominations from around Neotan village. “Christmas is not all about eating and making merry. It calls for reflection on how God loves us in Jesus Christ”, he said addressing the different leaders of the Church present for the occasion.

Earlier on the 17th of December the diocese inaugurated the year of  Mercy at the Christ the Light Shrine in Miao. Opening the holy door by Bp. George Palliparambil said anyone who enters through this door in prayer and contrition will experience inner healing and God’s mercy. 

The Diocesan council also has declared two other Churches in the Diocese to be places of Pilgrimage to win God’s Mercy during the time of Mercy. Every districts in the Diocese has planned to celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy with animation, pilgrimage, confessions, and other corporal and spiritual works of Charity. 

The Diocese of Miao is  also celebrating  10 year of its existence on February 10, 2016. 

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