Minor Friar has a good post regarding May Day 2006 and the the current immigration debate. He’s also got a link to a good book on Catholic Social Teaching. The media and corporations have framed this debate falsely. Gee, what a surprise! The real issues is the greed of corporations in driving American citizens from their jobs through low wages and lack of benefits. This has created a vacuum into which comes the illegal immigrant day laborers many of whom remain in the United States. Both the American worker and the illegal immigrant workers are the victim while the corporations are dehumanizing both. The current plan to make illegal immigrants felons is yet again another way to dehumanize and marginalize working people. All of this got me to thinking of St. Matthew’s Gospel, ” For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Both the native worker and the immigrant among us need our prayers and help. The greedy corporations and employers need our help too. We’re not called to exclude or hate them, but to help them to see the dignity of all creation and bring them to repentance and conversion. Peace.
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May Day, immigrants, gospel, conversion, repentance