Today is the feast day of Mother Cabrini, the first American citizen to be named a saint. While in Italy she became aware of the plight of immigrants in the United States and brought the religious community she had formed, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, to the United States to care for them. She is the patron saint of immigrants. The recent election in the US was characterized by a strong anti-immigrant sentiment — which is ironic given that we are a nation of immigrants. When reporters asked voters about why they supported a candidate hostile to immigrants their answers suggested that they had worked hard to get ahead and this new group threatened their prosperity. What we tend to forget is that whatever we have is not simply the product of our hands but a gift from God. We have life, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of divine mercy. If we have a more grateful heart for what God has done for us, as Jesus suggested, we will have more compassion for those who are currently in need.
