January 6, 2023

Inside this issue

• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• Faith and the Common Good
• Trivia
• Connections

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: Over the Christmas/New Year holiday season, Congress approved a $1.7 trillion omnibus to fund the federal government for FY2023. Some of the provisions that intersect with the Catholic Charities ministry include disaster aid, protections for pregnant women at their workplaces (including accommodations for breastfeeding), nutrition assistance, child care, homelessness prevention, affordable housing, rural broadband, security grants for nonprofits and support for the environment. One major item advocated for by Catholic Charities, but not included in the spending bill, is the enhanced child tax credit. Additionally, support for Afghan refugees and their legal status, and key immigration related provisions, were also not included in the final agreement.    

Editorial credit: Ajdin Kamber / Shutterstock.com

This week, many people around the world mourned the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Dec. 31, 2022, and whose funeral was Jan. 5, 2023. Pope Benedict wrote many books and articles over his lifetime, but “Deus caritas est” might be considered the Magna Carta of the Catholic Charities ministry. This is just one of the many quotes that bear on the work of Catholic Charities:

“Love of neighbour, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire ecclesial community at every level: from the local community to the particular Church and to the Church universal in its entirety. As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community.”

Economy: In the week ending December 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 204,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 225,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,750, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 221,000 to 220,500. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 223,000 in December, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent.  Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care, construction and social assistance.

Restorative Justice Advocacy Network Webinar: Join Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition as we welcome five talented panelists who are representatives of national Catholic organizations working for legislative change within the prison/detention system and the elimination of the death penalty. Presenters include: David Jimenez (Prison Fellowship), Emma Tacke (Catholic Mobilizing Network), Ingrid Delgado (USCCB), Tom Mulloy (Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States), and Christy Williams (Catholic Charities USA). This will be an opportunity to learn about the foundations of advocacy and how to get involved. When: Jan. 18, 2023, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada). Register for the webinar.

Immigration: President Biden revealed a new "parole" program — effective immediately — for 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Up to 30,000 individuals per month from these four countries, who have an eligible sponsor and pass vetting and background checks, can come to the U.S. for a period of two years and receive work authorization. Those who do not meet these qualifications or who cross unlawfully into Panama or Mexico will be ineligible for the program. Other measures to be enforced include imposing new consequences for individuals who attempt to enter unlawfully, increasing the use of expedited removal and expanding legal pathways for safe, orderly and humane migration. Read the White House statement.

Proposed Changes to Immigration and Naturalization Fees: The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which evaluates non-citizens’ eligibility for immigration benefits, announced on January 3 a proposed rule to adjust its fees for various immigration benefit requests. USCIS generally publishes a fee rule biennially and proposes changes to account for its operations, including the management of various visa programs, staffing requirements and other essential investments. The proposed rule will increase fees for several immigration benefits for which many low-income filers often apply, such as application for Naturalization (i.e. Citizenship), Adjustment of Status (i.e. Green Card application) and application for an Employment Authorization Document. It would also decrease fees for certain benefits, including the replacement of a Permanent Resident Card (i.e. Green Card). The 60-day comment period for the proposed rule is open and will close on March 6, 2023. Catholic Charities agencies needing assistance with submitting comments on the proposed rule may contact the Social Policy team at [email protected]. 

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign invites you to attend one of its webinars on recognizing and responding to potential cases of human trafficking. Members of the public are invited to attend this webinar where representatives from Blue Campaign will provide an overview of what human trafficking is, the indicators, how to report a suspected human trafficking situation and available resources to raise awareness in your communities. The dates and times of the webinars are as follows:

Session 1: Tuesday, January 10th, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET
Session 2: Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET
Session 3: Tuesday, January 24th, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET (Spanish)

Register via the following links:

(English) Registration 
(Spanish) Inscripción 

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  Faith and the Common Good  
 
The feast of the Epiphany, which will be celebrated this Sunday at most U.S. parishes, relates the Magi's journey to find the baby Jesus, whom they considered "the newborn king of the Jews."

"King of the Jews" does not reveal the full identity of Jesus. Indeed, only a few people at the time of Jesus' birth would have been aware of his uniqueness: Mary and Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, and John the Baptist. As salvation history rolls out — and particularly Jesus' ministry, passion, death and resurrection — the full truth of Jesus becomes known more and more: He is the light of the world, the Savior of all, God incarnate.

The evangelist Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit to share the details surrounding not only Jesus' birth but also his whole life, wants the reader to notice the dispositions of those who hear about the little child. The aim is to help readers be open to the full truth of Jesus. So, Matthew draws a contrast between King Herod and the Magi.

The first thing one notices about Herod is that he has no care for any other king; the only kingship he cares about is his own. When he hears about a new king, his first thought is to get rid of him, as he would any rival. Never mind what might be good for the people or what God might want. Herod even orders "the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under," just to save his own position. That his decision is short-sighted — he would die only a few years later — is the least troublesome aspect of his thinking; the most is that he would kill so many innocent people simply to stay in power.

The Magi, in contrast to Herod, decide to investigate the signs of the time, according to their understanding. They believed that a new star indicated the birth of a new ruler. Again, the Magi had no idea about Jesus' full identity, but they were open to good news outside their own, typical routines and personal concerns. Jealousy, fear, selfishness, nor megalomania moved them. They sought the truth, despite obstacles, wherever it might lead. The gospel doesn't tell us, but one wonders how their encounter with the Christ child affected the rest of their lives.

Perhaps the reason Matthew leaves the Magi's story open-ended is that it spurs us to consider how we have responded to the encounter with Jesus. The way of Herod is closed to Christ; Herod seeks self-preservation at all cost, including using deception and murder to save himself. The Magi are open to Christ; they make great efforts to seek the truth about him. They are even willing to change their plans if it leads to a greater understanding and a sharing of the good news about Jesus. May we walk by the same light that guided the Magi.
 
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  Trivia  
 
Q. Pope Benedict XVI, officially, authored three encyclicals during his papacy. What other encyclical did he have a part in writing? (The other author says it’s an encyclical completed by “four hands.”)

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. What country is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition?

A. Many thanks to Michael Granger, chief operations officer at Catholic Charities Diocese of Lubbock, who was first to answer that Germany is the country credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition.
 
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  Connections  
 
Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!

Be sure to text "CCUSA" to #50457 to receive our action alerts! 

You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.

Stay connected with our work to end poverty: Follow us on Twitter: @CCharitiesUSA.   

If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty, you can contribute here.
 
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