Trenton Henrichson is writing about the helpless and the helpful in Texas:
When I volunteered at Sacred Heart Parish, my favorite job was serving as the Pedialyte distributor. For those of you that don’t know, Pedialyte is pediatrician- designed, foul-tasting Gatorade. It is apparently the best stuff available for children who are grossly dehydrated. When the families were brought in on the trolley, all the volunteers would stand up and clap [welcome the stranger]. The first place they would go would be “intake,” where they would discuss bus routes in Spanish while the Pedialyte manager would rush around and make sure everyone had something to drink. I loved the
position because it was so simple and tangible. I was literally giving drink to the thirsty.
But the most powerful part was being able to look into the eyes of each family as they walked through the door. It was an experience I can only call heartbreaking. Faith doesn’t need to be complicated; seeing is believing. The question we should ask the Heavens isn’t when will we see, but how can we see? CCRGV set up three tents in the parking lot. Two were for families who had to stay the night either to catch an early bus the next day or to wait for their doctor’s permission to travel.
The third tent was the “media tent.” While I was there, NBC sent a full camera crew. But all the other volunteers told me I was lucky to arrive when I did because at least the “{expletive deleted} politicians are gone.” I’m not sure what those NBC cameras pick up, but I can tell you our leaders have some blurry vision.
They pose beside mothers and small children and see terrorists and drug dealers. They meet families fleeing their homes and see calculated political opportunists. They come face to face with tired and downtrodden families and see a threat to national security. They see the need to build fences and to hire agents, but they don’t see the need for food and clothing. When will they see the “least of these”?
It feels good to know Catholic Charities saw this crisis early, and they saw the crisis with moral clarity. Their good works are a blessing today. But they never should have had to bear such a heavy burden. The leaders of at least five nations [El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States] all failed to see this crisis coming. When the weight of global justice falls on the shoulders of volunteers in a local parish in a poor midsize town in Texas, it is our duty to look at the root causes of the crisis.
Most of these families are fleeing powerful drug cartels. Ultimately, the drug cartels get their power from the American consumer. If you’re surprised by that statement, you need to think it through. Drug cartels don’t make their money by selling to the rich suburbs in Nicaragua. The force that’s driving the violence is market demand at its purest.
As Catholics our immediate duty is to treat these refugees with dignity. We must see “the least of these” as Christ in disguise. Our second equally important duty is to do what we can to weaken the drug cartels and strengthen the economic future in Central America and Mexico. We must look past our political agendas to see the real causes of injustice. Even before they arrive at our doorstep, this injustice in Central America has pierced the entire body of Christ. If we can see that, perhaps we can make our news and our leaders see that.
My challenge to you [reading] this post is to see Christ at the border. Now you see Him as a stranger. Now you see Him thirsty. Now you see Him sick. If you cannot see Him, you cannot ask Him “when?”.
At the bottom of his post, you'll find ways where you personally can lend a hand.
Prayerfully consider doing so.
Carry on.
