While serving as a missionary in
southern Mexico, I listened to a Roman Catholic catechist describe her
experience trying to immigrate to the United States. A group of men had
come upon their small group, vulnerable and far from home. Tears filled
her eyes as she told me her story. She related that today she
is still haunted by the sounds of the men being killed and her female
friends being raped and murdered. She hid until she knew the
slaughter was finished and then began the long trek home.
As a person of faith, I grieve what
is going on in this election cycle. Holy words like “sanctuary” and
“amnesty,” are words we sing beautifully in hymns to convey God’s sabbath,
grace, and mercy. In the current, toxic
climate these words have been demonized. Psalm 23, our most
treasured Psalm, is written as the enemy pursues, God giving rest, sabbath,
sanctuary, and refuge. The psalmnist eats a meal, presumably in a
sanctuary city, while the enemy watches.
We don’t even pretend to practice
faith any more. Instead of protecting vulnerable communities like the
widow, the orphan, and the immigrant as a major part of the Jewish, Christian,
and Muslim traditions, we select obscure Scripture passages to justify our
cruelty and hate. We mock God.
I had hoped that once a candidate’s
misleading ads did not carry him to victory in the primaries, other candidates
would not make misleading hate and fear a central part of their platform. Certainly Montanans want something deeper,
more relevant. Is it foolish to ask for something more compassionate for these
vulnerable people? Yet, candidates have made fear and hatred of the immigrant
community, people entering the country over a thousand miles away, central to
their run for office. In response, one candidate even has an ad showing
he has the support of border patrol! I don’t think he is playing upon our
fear of those good-natured Canadians, eh?
President Trump is now trying to
win votes by bringing the military to the border to stop a caravan of war-torn
and hopeless people. The Trump Administration is also threatening to
reinstitute separating parents from their children. Our holy stories tell
us that such violence, cast upon the waters, grows exponentially and returns to
haunt our children and grandchildren.
I pray that we will demand our
elected leaders be more relevant, more deeply courageous, and profoundly more
compassionate with people who are dear to God’s heart. Soon the groans
and cries of immigrant and refugee peoples will reach God’s ears. We will
be held accountable for whether we were people of God’s own heart or peddled in
the hate and fear ginned up by those who say they want to be our leaders.
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