Keeping politics out of anything these days is becoming quite the challenge. That includes the Scriptures, which are frequently cited by both the left, the right and those in the center to bolster their stance on policy issues, including the immigration crisis consuming this country. You see it on t elevision commercials, protest signs, social media posts and network news. You hear it in casual conversations, official statements, public debates and yes, even in Sunday morning sermons. For Christians, the moral compass revolves around the phrase “What would Jesus do,” and draws heavily from the Beatitudes which call believers to compassion and justice for the poor and oppressed. But compassion without respect for authority can only lead to chaos, argue those on the right, who cite Romans 13:1-7. And, while left-leaning Christians see the child Jesus as an immigrant displaced by violence and dependent on the mercy of a foreign land, the more conservative say that unlike some of this country’s undocumented, the Holy Family did not cross borders illegally, and eventually returned to the homeland of origin. And so Scripture has become a lens for politics, which leads to debate and divisions. What Christians universally believe in, however, is the power of prayer, turning to it not only for moral clarity but when feeling helpless, hurt, bitter or vengeful. And more than ever, our nation is struggling with all the above. Which is why, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently called for an “Hour of Prayer for Peace” in parishes across the country, a request linked to the killing of two people in Minneapolis by federal agents, as well as the death of a detained man in Texas. As Archbishop Paul Coakley also noted in his statement, this hour of prayer is to address how “powerless” so many feel “in the face of violence, social injustice and social unrest.” All of which seems as if the Catholic Church, which leans conservative but does not remain neutral when core moral principles are at stake, is making a strong statement against the current administration’s immigration tactics. But the Rev. Michael Lavan of Holy Angels in Aurora describes the archbishop’s request as “pastoral rather than political” and says it is intended to “ratchet back the rhetoric and violence on the ground” while also asking for “God’s blessing and grace on a very messy situation.” Messy is a polite way to describe the silos of vitriol that have turned hate into a national pastime. At Rockford Diocese Bishop David Malloy’s Hour of Prayer for Peace, held Jan. 30 at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford, he posed a question – asked by Archbishop Timothy Broglio last year – that should haunt all of us: “What happens to a nation when violence no longer shocks us?” Malloy then cited a list of some of the bloody acts that took place in the last two years alone: the assassination attempt on Donald Trump that wounded him and killed a bystander; the slayings of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.; as well as the shooting at a Catholic mass in Minneapolis that left many injured and two small children dead. Hatred, the bishop added, crosses all boundaries, including politics, ages, religions and opinions. The problem is that too often it is based “not on what the person actually is but on a caricature” of what we think they are, said Holy Angels’ Father Lavan, referring to such things as labels, stereotypes, headlines, viral clips and political narratives. And so, instead of talking to each other, we talk past each other. But how will talking to God make any difference? For one thing, it sure can’t hurt to ask for wisdom among those who lead us, especially in a climate where reaction often replaces reflection and common sense can seem in short supply. And, as Father Lavan reminded me, “when God lets us make a mess of things, prayer helps us remember we do need God’s grace and wisdom to help us be more patient with those whom we disagree.” This United States Conference of Catholic Bishops call for an hour of prayer, which can be offered publicly or privately, went out to every bishop, priest and the laity, according to Rockford Diocese spokesperson Penny Wiegert. Some have called the office and written through Facebook indicating they will be praying at their local adoration chapel and will follow the format posted online from the council of bishops, she noted, adding that “those private hours of prayer and adoration are very important as well.” In the Fox Valley, parishes like St. Gall in Elburn, St. John Neumann in St. Charles, St. Peter in Geneva and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Aurora have already held that prayer hour. Others, including St. Katharine Drexel in Sugar Grove and Holy Angels in Aurora, plan to put it on the schedule. At St. Gall’s on Wednesday evening, the Rev. Max Striedl used part of the 60 minutes to reflect on passages from Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace message, delivered in January of 2005, just weeks before the beloved pontiff’s death. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” the pope cautioned the world even as his health was dramatically failing. “To pray for peace is to open the human heart to the inroads of God’s power to renew all things,” John Paul had said, adding that to pray for peace “is to see God’s forgiveness, and to implore the courage to forgive those who have trespassed against us.” In other words, peace begins not at a protest but within each and every one of us. Perhaps even on our knees. [email protected] ...read more read less