Over this past week, WPI has run a series of articles and reflections focused on the current suffering of U.S. immigrants and the risks to those who are working to protect them. Central to all of these posts has been the concept of solidarity, the belief that the entire human race is a single family and that our thoughts, words, and deeds must reflect this reality.
In the Catholic faith, solidarity derives from our understanding that we were all made in the image and likeness of God, that we are our brother and sister’s keepers, that we are to be neighbors even to our enemies, that we are all sinners in need of grace, and that God loved each and every one of us enough to sacrifice His son for our redemption.
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis wrote:
Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community. It means that the lives of all are prior to the appropriation of goods by a few. It also means combatting the structural causes of poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, the denial of social and labor rights. It means confronting the destructive effects of the empire of money… Solidarity, understood in its most profound meaning, is a way of making history, and this is what popular movements are doing.
Today, Catholics in America are called to act in solidarity with their immigrant brothers and sisters. For many of us, our response to this call risks coming at a cost, whether that cost is financial, emotional, social, or reputational. For some, it may even come at the cost of our lives, as the situation in Minnesota made clear.
It is tempting to weigh the cost of solidarity and respond as the disciples once responded to Jesus: “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Yet, throughout history, Christians have responded to similar calls with costly obedience.
One of the great heroes in Protestantism is Casper ten Boom. During his life, he was also an incredible example of solidarity. One story, which is poignantly depicted in the 1975 film, The Hiding Place, expresses his heart for his brothers and sisters in a way that is difficult to forget.
A faithful member of the Dutch Reformed Church, Casper owned a clock shop in Haarlem, Holland, which he ran with his daughters. Above the shop, they carried on a tradition that had been started by his great-grandfather and held weekly meetings to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. When he was 80 years old, the Nazis invaded Holland.
When the Nazis began requiring the Jewish inhabitants of Haarlem to wear a yellow Star of David for identification purposes, the elderly ten Boom decided to wear a yellow star himself, an act which created a powerful, visual symbol of solidarity.
While it is unclear whether he continued to wear the star or was ultimately persuaded to pursue more impactful forms of resistance, what is clear is that Casper and his family became active members of the Dutch resistance, helping to get vulnerable Jewish neighbors to safety and eventually hiding them in their own home. In response to the peril of his activities, Casper said, “I would consider it an honor to give my life for God’s chosen people.” On March 10, 1944, Casper ten Boom died doing just that.
As a result of their living in solidarity with their Jewish brothers and sisters, Casper and the whole ten Boom family is thought to have saved the lives of approximately 800 Jews during the Holocaust.
As Catholics in the United States, we must prayerfully discern how we are called to live out solidarity with or immigrant neighbors at this moment in history. As Pope Francis reminded us, this will require more than sporadic acts of generosity. We can draw the strength to carry our mission through by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, nourishing ourselves with the Word and the Sacraments, turning to the Father who hears us in prayer, and finding encouragement from the faithful men and women who have gone before us.
Image: “The Hiding Place” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by ✿ willem ツ
Ariane Sroubek is a writer, school psychologist and mother to two children here on earth. Prior to converting to Catholicism, she completed undergraduate studies in Bible and Theology at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. She then went on to obtain her doctorate in School and Child Clinical Psychology. Ariane’s writing is inspired by her faith, daily life experiences and education. She is currently writing a women's fiction novel and a middle-grade mystery series. Her non-fiction book, Raising Sunshine: A Guide to Parenting Through the Aftermath of Infant Death is available on Amazon. More of her work can be found at https://mysustaininggrace.com.
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