Those of us who regularly peruse Catholic periodicals online often overlook local diocesan newspapers. One would certainly never claim that these are great sources of hard-hitting investigative journalism. Still, I often find the kind of inspiring stories that nourish my faith.

In the most recent issue of the Diocese of Phoneix Catholic Sun online, there is a story about a group called No More Deaths that go out to the desert near the U.S.-Mexico border to bring food and water to migrants. They call out in Spanish "We're Samaritans. We're the Church. Do you need water or medical assistance?"

We can all debate the intricacies of immigration policy until the cows come home and there is truth found in many of the positions that have been taken. But is there any doubt that when there are people at risk of dying in the heat of the desert, that is where the Church needs to be, providing material and spiritual sustinance? In Deus Caritas Est (25), Pope Benedict makes the following observation:

The Church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being.