The views from the television screens this week are awful. Children locked in chain linked enclosures separated from their mothers. The mother's crime, being undocumented aliens. Whether these children will ever be united with their parents is still uncertain. The welfare of the children seem to be of little concern to an administration intent on enforcing the law rather than showing compassion.
Things are no better on this side of the world. How many children have been incarcerated in off shore detention centres because of government policy that says no more boats? How many other mothers have been left crying for their children?
In the bible, hospitality is one of the great lessons that is taught. Moses is adopted by pharoah's daughter when he found floating on the water. Moses is welcomed by his future father-in-law Jethro when he is lost in the wilderness. Joseph eventually welcomes his father and his brothers in Egypt. Esau welcomes his brother Jacob despite having been tricked out of the birthright. Sodom and Gomorrah are wiped off the earth because they wanted to humiliate visitors rather than welcome them. The bible constantly tells us to welcome the stranger. And even Jesus was a refugee who fled Herod's persecution and ran to Egypt. Everywhere in scriptures we are told to welcome others just as we have been welcomed.
I understand some people do not want massive amounts of immigrants flooding our shores. They think we already have enough people. They fear that joblessness might increase. They don't want foreign problems being imported here. But what if instead of our industries profiting from wars fought in developing countries, we invested in making life better in foreign countries. What if we ensured that people in the third world had access to food, clean water, education and health care? I think if we truly helped our global neighbours, fewer undocumented aliens would be showing up on our shores. Blessings.
