Children, furthermore, are often separated from their parents. As followers of Christ we must always remain sensitive to the needs of strangers. We can do that by constantly putting ourselves in their position, by realizing that immigrants have the same human needs as we regardless of their language or cultural background. They have much to learn from us, but we also have much to learn from them. It is this learning, this interaction, which enriches everything in American life from food to sports, from music to our own uniquely American language.
Variety is a great strength of our nation and is a key to our vitality.
But it is only a key, for the Lord who created both variety and vitality is the one Creator to whom we all pray, immigrant or native-born. It is He who will one day ask us what we did to clothe and shelter our brothers and sisters. It is He who reminds us that to care for our brothers and sisters, whatever their race or nation of origin, is to care for Him. In affirming the Church's commitment to caring, especially for the strangers among us, I assure you of the active commitment of the Archdiocese of Newark to immigrants and to improving the laws affecting them. It is true of all of us that when we look into the mirror each morning, we see the face of an immigrant or the descendant of an immigrant.