May justice always be with mercy
Being the recipient of bigotry and insults due to race and/or culture can be devastating—especially to young children. When I was a young boy living in a small town that my family has been a part of for five generations now, our first house was in an old neighborhood that included some newly-arrived immigrants from Germany and Poland. Some of the new kids used to call my sisters, brothers, and I the N word because we are darker skinned. Some parents refused to allow their white children to play with us because of fear –from what only God knows. One of the neighborhood bullies a few years older and much larger than me was paid by some kids to beat me up after school. What he didn’t realize was that two of my buddies who are black were ½ block behind and spotted the unfair fight and came to my rescue- he lost two teeth and left me alone.
Eventually things changed, as I grew older. In part my strong sense of justice came from that experience, something God could use to help others. It also came from my mother who worked to provide jobs for the so called “unemployable”, women of color who had little to no education, but with huge family obligations, many were abandoned by husbands. Mom never used neither racial slur nor joke and taught us that races are the many faces of God! Such experiences and occurrences came to mind as I was reflecting on our readings for this weekend.
As we hear in our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord was gathering people from all parts of the world, “I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory. I will send fugitives all languages and cultures, to come and be one with Him and one another…They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD” (Is: 66-19a-20)They were to bring their offerings to the temple in clean vessels.
We are to be the clean vessels/temples of the Holy Spirit coming to God’s Church. And we know that there are times when we need to be cleansed by his mercy–forgiveness, like sins of bigotry, hatred, refusing forgiveness, and other faults that keep us from making an acceptable offering to the Lord. Perhaps we suffer from indifference to the needs of others—the fugitives and refugees from Middle East nations. NO I am not saying all are innocent, but there are ways to screen and vet and help the innocent. Bigotry can become blinded self-righteousness with condemnation! Could it be that we don’t want to do the work that Christ calls us to so we use bigotry as the scapegoat for indifference!
God also tells us in our first reading “I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations.” (Is.66:19) I couldn’t help but imagine the millions of homeless—children, women and men in the United States, Mexico, throughout Central and South America, India, Pakistan, Darfur, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria– Egypt Palestine, Haiti and throughout the world, asking God to help–for mercy. WE are to be the answer to those prayers. It is not only to rid ourselves of bigotry, but to help those who suffer in many ways, and to help others we know who are bigoted to see with the same heart as we do in Christ.
That is what Jesus is telling us when he states that to enter the kingdom we are to “strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many…will attempt… but many will not be strong enough.” The narrow gate of Jesus is discipleship concerned with improving the world. Our narrow path is to do the work of Jesus here; for us to work for God’s justice and overcome the sin of injustice that we encounter and/or may contribute to each day.
The entrance through the narrow gate is how we view and treat all of God’s children. It is how we welcome the immigrant/fugitive-foreigner– remembering how few of us are native to this blessed nation. WE enter God’s gate when we treat prisoners as human beings, and feed and clothe persons suffering in poverty; provide medical care and fresh water. It is how we overcome our own bigotry by encountering those we wish to ignore. For example: I’ve heard people say “…everything always goes to those Mexican kids!” What child ever had a choice as to where they were born, into what circumstances, family, country, race, creed, or culture? Shockingly, at times such derogatory insensitive bigoted statements come from those who are first generation here or others who emigrated here from different countries. The oppressed become the oppressors may be the way of some, but it is not God’s way in Christ.
If you are afraid of terrorists amongst the refugee children (which is an understandable fear of some) what are we doing about all the fugitives in our nation, including the millions that have been working. What are we doing about all the homeless Americans and Veterans? The merciful love of Jesus is open to all¾beyond human justice. And we become transformed while living His justice and mercy; especially in helping those who are most in need. And God turns the tables on us –we become blessed by those we help; they help us get through the narrow gate of discipleship by bringing out our goodness; our God-ness.
Being a welcoming faith family is witnessing the compassion and mercy of Jesus present in us that motivates and converts us. And it isn’t only our money, food, clothing, housing, water, it is blessing with our hands to reach and help others—going out to be with people in need—meeting them, acknowledging our humanity to one another. Whatever contribution we make-materially and of ourselves, become an offering acceptable to the Lord and how we walk through His narrow gate of justice with mercy.
Strive eagerly to live mercy, Fr. Gordon