As masked, armed men clad in tactical gear swept through the New Orleans area Wednesday conducting immigration "enforcement," a smaller group of men in central Louisiana were engaged in a far nobler pursuit.
Those men, 19 Buddhist monks, are in the midst of a 2,300-mile trek that began in Fort Worth, Texas, and will conclude in Washington, D.C., in an effort "to raise awareness of peace, loving kindness and compassion across America and the world."
Wednesday morning, the Venerable Monks, as they are called, left Pineville and headed out along La. 28, accompanied by local law enforcement vehicles.
By the afternoon, they had entered LaSalle Parish, Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood told me.
"They are walking every step of the way," he said, sounding impressed. "I think it's pretty neat."
Wood said he had spoken with a few of the monks as they walked. "They were very humble, very meek," he said.
Louisiana is the second state on the journey that began in October. Accompanied by their dog Aloka, they walked south to Houston before turning east toward the nation's capital.
Thursday was Day 40 of their journey.
It hasn't been an entirely peaceful stroll. On Thursday, for instance, the cold and rain meant Aloka rode in the monks' support vehicle.
Far worse, on Nov. 19, a truck hit the vehicle near Houston, and two monks were injured. One had his leg amputated earlier this week, according to a social media post. That same post said the injured monk was resting comfortably.
What struck me particularly about the monks' quest was the contrast with what is going on in southeast Louisiana right now, as hopped-up, camo-clad Border Patrol agents have descended on Louisiana in this, one of Christianity's holiest seasons.
The former group is humbly walking for peace; the latter is here to spread fear through entire communities, not just the "worst of the worst" they are allegedly targeting.
They and their supporters brag about how their actions have not just led to the detainment of many hardworking, innocent folks, but also caused others to "self-deport," as if that's something to be proud of.
I think of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, who also were forced to "self-deport" to Egypt to escape Herod's brutal policies.
That irony seems lost on so many who support these efforts, believing somehow that Christ's teachings are best accomplished by those hiding their faces and wearing bulletproof vests.
Meanwhile, a couple of hundred miles north, some monks clad only in orange robes and simple shoes are literally walking the walk.
Their mission is to encourage people to live peacefully, both with themselves and with others. "Goodwill on earth and peace among men," we might paraphrase it.
At various stages in their journey, other walkers have joined Walk for Peace, and ever since they entered Louisiana in Merryville in Vernon Parish, they have had law enforcement escorts. They have been greeted at times with food, water and other aid.
Their Facebook page includes a link to a map of their journey, photos and thoughts along the way. I pray their journey remains safe and also offers hope and encouragement amid so much angst and injustice.
They, at least, more so than many others, seem to get the real reason for the season.