Immigration, Part 4

Immigration, Part 4

…I was a stranger and you did not welcome me…Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. Matthew 25:43,45

While the spiritual/religious part of me recognizes the importance of caring for those less fortunate than me, the logical/practical part of me questions how it can be done in an impactful way and how effective the efforts of one person – me – will be against the magnitude of issues like homelessness, marginalization, and immigration. As I read the words of Jesus recorded in the gospels, I can rationalize that he spoke of caring for the foreigner, as in caring for someone with immediate needs without family or friends nearby, and not necessarily allowing an immigrant the full benefits of citizenship into one’s country. One can argue that Jesus taught that we should not withhold acts of mercy – addressing the immediate needs of others – and not necessarily that we should take responsibility for accepting suffering persons into our communities as permanent residents. Yet, this justification rings hollow for me. I believe Jesus cared much more for the person than their race, ethnicity, or nationality, not to mention than our material comfort and stability.

It seems to me that Jesus addresses what we as individual Christians – as members of the larger body of Christ – can and should do apart from what the nation we are a part of decides.  In other words, the question is not “What should the US do about its immigration mess?”, but “What should I do about the immigration mess?” The immensity of the larger problem is beyond our personal ability to solve, but that does not excuse us from doing something. Easing the suffering of one person may do little to help the millions of others in need, but it is still easing the suffering of someone. Identifying and accepting personal responsibility is a spiritual issue and requires focusing on what is within our capability to reasonably do and not comparing that with the magnitude of what needs to be done. Regardless of whether we believe in open or closed borders, which is a national decision, we can still find something we are able and gifted to do to help ease the suffering. As a society, we have allowed the treatment of immigrants to devolve into a political cesspool of ineptitude instead of an issue about the humane treatment of our brothers and sisters from other parts of the globe.

Of course, we should also examine the conditions that cause people to want to leave their homeland and immigrate to the US. We know migration is a difficult, dangerous, uncertain, and expensive endeavor for many, so something at home must be intolerable enough to make the attempt worth the risk. We know many are trying to escape political unrest, gang violence, drug and human trafficking, civil wars, and other abysmal conditions that make living a normal life nearly impossible. Are there diplomatic and/or political actions we can take to help stabilize volatile conditions elsewhere? Certainly, there are government and non-profit organizations working on those issues, but given the dramatic increase in immigrants seeking entry to the US, those efforts appear to be inadequate, outdated, or both.

I suggested recently that we look at immigration issues as spiritual issues first. What sorts of solutions might emerge from that change in perspective? If our first priorities were to welcome the stranger, give to the poor, and have compassion for the suffering, how might we change our handling of immigrants? If we saw the faces and heard the stories of the individual souls seeking entry instead of lumping them into a giant mob of troublemakers threatening to take what we think belongs to us, what would we do differently? If we saw the face of Jesus in the faces of immigrants (see Matthew 25:31-56), how might that alter our view of we can and should help them? If we were to face a personal choice to leave our homeland or allow our children to be abducted by gangs, trafficked as sex objects, or killed in the crossfire of a civil war, which would we choose? Assuming our choice is to leave, how would we hope to be treated by the country in which we sought refuge? If we begin with the assumption that those seeking refuge for legitimate reasons can and should find a way into our country, perhaps we would focus on ways to welcome and integrate them into society instead of making excuses and erecting new barriers to keep them out. The social pandemic of immigration is not relenting, and we should be directing our efforts toward humane integration and away from inhumane denial.

This is the 28^th in a series titled The New-Old Social Pandemic. The opinions expressed here are mine. To engage with me or to explore contemplative spiritual direction, contact me at ghildenbrand@sunflower.com.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s

Mass on the World

A Contemplative Audio-visual Experience

View at: https://youtu.be/m2EzRmZzCe0