August 7, 2017
A few days ago, a national Catholic organization held its
annual convention, and issued a revealing and challenging pair of resolutions. (There
were a dozen resolutions, actually, but two that belong together.) The group is
intelligently and honestly committed to service to the Lord and to the Church,
and actually sworn (!) to serve the Pope and bishops. But in a resolution about
abortion, the organization reiterated its stance: we will defend children.
Faced with a resolution on another issue of grave importance in the eyes of the
Church’s leadership – immigration – the organization urged prayer for our country
in a time of division and tension.
Prayer. I’m in favor of prayer. But I am wary of a call for
prayer when there’s a need for action as well.
Suppose you ask the Lord to do XYZ, and he responds, “Good idea! I give
you the power to make it happen!” And then you ask him again to do XYZ. That
may not be prayer; it may be simple laziness, or simple disobedience. It could
be prayer: maybe we all have to talk to the Lord – and listen! and LISTEN! –
for a little longer. So maybe it’s prayer, and maybe it’s not; who am I to
judge? For sure, I had better be serious about prayer.
I have tried to pray and listen, regarding welcoming
strangers. And once again, before God, I commit myself to explaining carefully
what I think the Lord has said.
I went to the Lord with seven questions, in sequence.
First. Jesus said, quite firmly, welcome strangers or make
your own arrangements for eternity. Okay, but when Jesus talked about welcoming
strangers, what did he mean? Who was he talking about? Who’s supposed to do the
work? And who’s a stranger? To get at that, I tried to understand what “stranger”
meant in Israel 2,000 years ago. That is, could I figure out what the teaching
was about welcoming strangers in the Old Testament?
That was fun! I wrote a couple of short books about it. See “Strangers:
21 Claims from the Old Testament.”
Second. If I understood the shockingly abundant Old
Testament (the Hebrew Bible) teaching about welcoming strangers correctly, then
it must also show up in the New Testament. Is it there?
That was fun too! See “The Persistent Other.”
Third. If it’s true that welcoming strangers is fundamental
in the teaching of Moses the Prophets, and is central in the teaching of Jesus,
then it must show up in the life and writing of the Church throughout the ages,
beginning with the Fathers. Is it there?
And again: what a rich array of delights! The teaching is
there, in abundance, and it has a fascinating twist that – I believe – makes it
possible to explain the Social Gospel to resistant skeptics. In the Old Testament,
the command to “remember that you too were once a stranger in a strange land”
is addressed to the Hebrew people. The people, the nation, the society. In the
New Testament, the command to welcome strangers (and feed the hungry and clothe
the naked, etc) seems to be addressed to individuals. You – and individual,
standing alone before the throne of God – must explain what you did. But in the
life of the Church for centuries, the responsibility for welcoming strangers
was delegated to the clergy – to monks when available, or to pastors. The
responsibility was understood to be solemn and urgent, but what most people
(the laity) did about it was to support the people who provided hospitality. (Book
close to finished.)
Fourth. If
hospitality was key in the Old Testament, and the New Testament, and the life
and teaching of the Church for centuries, what did it look like in American
history? Another treasure trove! There’s Mary’s work at Guadalupe: she visits
to be host, saying simply that she is here among us, praying with us. Her
appearance shapes the Church in Latin America; will the norte-americano
Catholics pay attention to the Mestiza Virgin? In the USA, St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini are remembered as servants of immigrants.
Their male counterpart, Fr. Michael J. McGivney, also served immigrants, but
his followers are a little unsure what to make of that aspect of his ministry.
(Book sketched.)
Fifth. I have a lot to say about welcoming strangers, and
about immigration. But, hey, who am I? What does the Church say today about
welcoming strangers? The Church has taught about immigration for over a
century, with clarity and eloquence, and I embrace every syllable of that
teaching. But also, I think I can help “conservative” and “traditional” Catholics
who are truly committed to the Lord and his Church, but are nonetheless quite suspicious
of Socialists and Commies and leftists who seem to have invaded the Church. To
understand the Social Gospel and Vatican II, it might help to back up to the
whole body of Patristic thought on welcoming strangers. One simple point: Moses
saw hospitality as a social responsibility. Jesus spoke of it as a personal
responsibility. The Fathers didn’t reject Moses to embrace Jesus; they were serious
about listening to both – and developed a THIRD approach, hospitality as the
responsibility of the Church. If there can be a third way, after Moses and
Jesus, then there can be a FOURTH. Pope Leo and all the Popes following in his
footsteps up through “The Church in the Modern World” developed a new pattern –
inspired by Moses, obedient to Jesus, imitating the Fathers – but focusing on GLOBAL
responses of GLOBAL challenges. (Book sketched.)
Sixth. Global, schmobal: what about us right here in the
USA? What are we supposed to do here in this divided and worried nation? How do
we apply the teaching from the Second Vatican Council and from a list of Popes right
here? Well, actually, the American bishops cooperated with the bishops of
Mexico to answer that question. They say: the right to migrate is a God-given
right, but the right to control a border is also a real right, even a duty.
These two rights must be balanced – justly. I had an entertaining scrap of a
conversation with an educated Catholic who got that far and then almost –
almost! – said, “Justice! What is justice?” I was reaching for a bowl of water
for him to wash his hands, but he recovered his senses and bit his tongue. Justice
is real, objective, achievable – and commanding and indispensable. It may be elusive,
and it is often hard to implement. But before God, that’s the task, and we can
do it. (Book sketched.)
Seventh and finally: How do we start? This is a workbook, to
help people get past the paralysis of analysis. The work that needs to be done
is already underway; how do we build? This is a series of essays and exercises –
some complete, some roughed out.
God willing, I’ll finish this thing.
I am certain of this: the opposite of xenophobia is not
tolerance. Tolerance may be a step up, but it’s not enough. The opposite of
xenophobia must be far more robust and pro-active than tolerance. It’s love –
if we can find any meaning in that word. If “love” is too over-worked to convey
a thought, then try “solidarity.” John Paul II said that the word for love in
our time is “solidarity,” a deliberate decision to act for justice. He stated
firmly that the route to freedom from a massive social evil is solidarity with
the victims of that evil.
Should we pray? Sure! Here’s what I asked, in prayer. And I
will explain what I think I heard, in prayer. Real prayer will spill over into
action, in due time.