Mexico seeks evidence of border shooting that prompted US troop deployment as reflected on by Father Raymond Connolly
From the rectory steps at St. Jude, I look down toward the river. Old freight lines cut through our valley here. You learn quickly how easily boundaries turn into battlegrounds. News reached our parish: American troops are deploying along the southern border after a disputed border shooting. Mexico’s president questions the evidence and the breach of sovereignty. My thoughts return to the men and women who sit in these pews every Sunday. We have steelworkers, retirees, and first-generation immigrant families from Michoacan and Jalisco. They share the same hymnals. They know powerful nations never bear the cost when countries reach for rifles before establishing truth.
Catholic social teaching has long insisted on a moral test for any society. It lies in how a society treats the stranger, the worker, and the neighbor. Pope Francis reminds us of this in his great encyclical on fraternal love. He states that borders are not fortified walls. Instead, they serve as checkpoints of mutual care and shared responsibility. Deploying armed soldiers into an already tense borderland on contested pretexts represents an abdication of moral prudence. Prudence is not cowardice; it is a deliberate, courageous commitment. We must seek the truth before unleashing the instruments of violence.
Truth, Dignity, and the Border Shooting
State officials act unilaterally when they ignore established norms of cooperation and mutual respect. Consequently, they foster an atmosphere of contempt. Sovereignty is not an excuse for arrogance. True statecraft requires humble dialogue, transparent verification, and a sincere acknowledgment of our neighbor’s dignity. Two nations share thousands of miles of soil, water, and human livelihood. Therefore, peace cannot be maintained through intimidation. Only when both parties consent to walk together under the discipline of law and mutual accountability can nations secure peace.
Here in our industrial river valley, we understand the bitter fruits of suspicion. For decades, working people were pitted against one another. Native-born residents fought newcomers. Each group was told their survival depended on keeping the other down. Yet grace consistently proved otherwise. We saw it in the union halls, around parish soup pots, and on assembly lines. We learned that an injury to one is truly an injury to all. Militarizing border communities treats ordinary human beings as enemy combatants. These are families seeking bread and safety, not enemies. They are souls made in the image and likeness of God.
Seeking Peace, Not Fear
Scripture does not mince words regarding our obligations across lines of division. Leviticus tells us a clear command: Treat the stranger residing among you as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt. Governments prioritize armed postures over verified facts. Thus, they feed an idol of security that demands human fear as its tribute. A nation that relies solely on force to define its neighborhood ultimately imprisons itself. It hides behind its own fortifications, blind to the neighbor knocking at the gate. This is the real cost of a disputed border shooting.
At the altar each morning, I break the bread of Christ. He tore down the dividing wall of hostility between peoples through His own wounded flesh. We cannot celebrate that holy sacrament with integrity if we remain indifferent. Escalating rhetoric and armed standoffs at our national thresholds demand our attention. We must demand sober discipline of evidence from our leaders. We must demand the patience of diplomacy. Furthermore, we must demand the humility to respect our neighbors. Only then can we replace the anxious posturing of troops with the enduring, quiet labor of justice and peace.
Leave a Reply