Through Smoke and Fear, We Stand Together

Fr. Joseph Matitu, SSSAttention Parishioners!

The wildfires threatening Pueblo have turned our familiar landscape into a place of smoke, fear, and uncertainty. Families have fled their homes, unsure of what they will return to. Some escaped with only the clothes they were wearing. And now, just a 0.9-mile journey and about a 3-minute drive from St. Joseph Church, an evacuation center at 1531 Taos Road has become a temporary refuge for parents holding infants, grandparents comforting toddlers, and neighbors trying to stay brave for one another.

Faith does not allow us to look at this suffering from a distance. Scripture is clear: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Solidarity is not a feeling — it is a responsibility. It is the Christian instinct to move toward those who are hurting, not away from them. St. Paul commands us: “Carry one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Today, those burdens are literal — babies who need diapers, wipes, formula, blankets, and clean clothing.

The evacuation center has asked for help. This is our moment to respond as people of faith and as people of humanity. Isaiah reminds us of God’s promise: “When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2). Often, God fulfills that promise through the hands of His people — through our generosity, our compassion, our willingness to act.

To help the victims of the Pueblo wildfires is not simply charity; it is discipleship. It is choosing to be the presence of Christ for families who are frightened, exhausted, and unsure of tomorrow. It is saying, “You are not alone. We will carry this with you.”

The flames may be fierce, but our solidarity must be fiercer. Let us bring diapers, wipes, baby formula, and whatever else these families need. Let us show them that when Pueblo burns, Pueblo also loves.