Over the course of history, it has been a tactic of the most cruel and oppressive powers on earth to rip families apart, to separate children from their parents, spouses from one another, siblings from each other. People afraid of losing white privilege and power have especially exercised this tactic.

Individual slaveowners in America did this to ensure that there would be no critical mass of enslaved persons on their own plantations that spoke the same language or had loyalties that might disrupt the slaveowners’ hegemonic control over these human beings that they bought.

Those afraid of too many people of color in the United States are especially heartless in cloaking their racist and greedy agenda by naming it “immigration enforcement” and insisting it’s simply about law and order. So whose law and what kind of order?

Today’s saint on the calendar, Deogratias (unlikely his given name at birth), was an African who resided in what is present-day Tunisia. Well, during the 400s, the (European) Vandals–Teutonic and Aryan indeed–captured and enslaved numerous Italians, Sicilians, Corsicans, and Sardinians (who were at that time NOT considered part of the “white race”!), and they took them across the Mediterranean to Carthage to sell them off as slaves. And, as it has been throughout history, the enslaver-Vandals were “separating them [their captives] without any regard or compassion (:) weeping wives from their husbands, and children from their parents.”

So Deogratias decided on a course of action even more practical and useful than organizing protests or writing to the capital city (Rome). Butler writes

Deogratias sold every thing, even the gold and silver vessels of the church, to redeem as many as possible; he provided them with lodging and beds, and furnished them with all succours, and though in a decrepit old age, visited those who were sick every day, and often in the night. Worn out by these fatigues, he died in 457, to the inexpressible grief of the prisoners, and of his own flock.

I would suggest that this is realpolitik at its most visceral: Money talks. Money helps. Money. Who’s kidding whom by any suggestion that principles higher than “money and power, i.e., money” motivates the cruel separation of families who are caught up in the work forces of countries and powers (irrespective of these workers’ places of origin)?! Sixteen centuries ago, Deogratias knew that gold and silver–AND caring true presence–could help these people even more than prayers and protests.

Question: If every church and synagogue and temple and mosque in America that has congregations that profess a concern for the families being torn apart by ICE (and more nefarious actors) were to divest themselves ONLY of their gold and silver and brass and finery–liquidate the pretty stuff, the art work, the shiny worship cups and plates–just that and no more….don’t you think there’d be enough money to buy off the mistreatment of undocumented persons in this country a hundred times over?!

Thank you, Deogratias, for teaching us something that we should have learned a long time ago. HE knew that there really are times when throwing money at a problem actually changes things!