Refugees

 

 

I was listening to the ongoing tragedy of the movements of people, fleeing from and to.  From the horror of poverty and war to uncertain destinations defined only by less of both.  Theirs is the only hope.  We who are secure in our safety and security and wealth have little hope of doing much about this except shake our heads at the efforts of those between the sources of the flow and its destination.  These countries a bit better than the hells from which those fleeing come, have reached their limits.  They are building walls, shutting down railways, they have made being a refugee illegal and helping them equally punishable. 

I was wondering why I should be thinking that if only each of us could take one family into our own homes...  It occurred to me that I come by such sentiments honestly.  In the 1950’s when I was a small boy, a family came to stay with us from Hungary.  They were fleeing the failure of the revolution there, walking across minefields to seek something else, something safe.  I asked my father why they were coming to live with us.  He opened the Bible and read me the 25^th chapter of Matthew.  “Mercy is our business, David.”  It was that simple. 

I’m afraid nothing about this is simple.  There is no indication that happy endings necessarily go along with the strategies recommended by Jesus.  There is only the indication that to be about such business, to allow mercy to be our normality is to be changed by that same normality.  And to limit it is to remain secure behind our walls and status and excuses.  And if we pay attention to the lessons of history, there is no security there.  It’s that simple.

What’s our business?