Another Fasting Friday is upon us, and another opportunity to consider the suffering in the world, and how we can have an impact.

Today, I’d like us to consider the stranger, the migrant, those seeking safety and peace. Immigration (particularly illegal immigration) has become a hot topic, with diverging opinions. There is no value in us wading into that debate. Regardless of political views, we can’t deny the real, human impact. We can’t deny the suffering.

So I ask that we set aside our differences on the topic and focus on empathy. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes today, understanding the motivation of a father or mother escaping danger and crushing poverty, hoping for a better life for their children. Remember the biblical injunction on the topic :

Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 10:19

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me

Matthew 25:35

We forget so easily that we (or our fathers) we once also sojourners. That is why the Statue of liberty has an extract of a sonnet by Emma Lazarus

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Emma Lazarus

It’s worth a reading of the Atlantic article to get a sense for the intent behind the words of this sonnet. In any reading, it is clear that America and American values were built on hospitality for the stranger. And indeed, this value is not limited to America. Faith communities have long emphasized the need for hospitality to the stranger, and to the vulnerable.

I grew up in the Middle East before we moved to the US. My grandfather was one of the early Indian nationals to come to Qatar (and that too, on a dhow as I understand it!) And I must be honest, the Middle East has changed from how my grandfather described it. Money and affluence has had a corrosive effect on the society. Once a deeply hospitable culture, where providing for the stranger was a requirement, it has now become a cesspool of arrogance and inhumanity. Money is indeed the root of all evil.

I see the same attitudes taking hold in my adopted home of America, and that saddens me. The same attitudes now are prevalent across the globe. Rising nationalism across the globe, in places like Australia and Europe is powering a wave of rhetoric and violence against immigrants, already a vulnerable group of people.

How should we choose to respond?

With all the rhetoric around immigration (illegal or otherwise), lets take some time to consider the plight of those that leave difficult circumstances in search of a better life. There are numerous videos that document the plight of the refugee, across different migrant routes. There is the European route through the Mediterranean, as well as the American route through the Darien gap. The common thread is both are dangerous, due to the geography as well as the human predators on the way.

Seeing pregnant women and children complete this journey cannot but impact you. While we live in stability and even excess, there are those dreaming of 3 square meals a day, and future for their children.

I’ve highlighted the American immigration route, but many videos document the human tragedy in migration routes in Europe as well.

The never ending journey

The journey of the migrant never ends, not even once they reach the shores of their destination. Often what waits for them is refugee camps or immigration detention centers, where sexual violence, hunger and humiliation await. The dangers here are well documented. Even the NiH has a paper on it (here). A quick google search will demonstrate the extreme prevalence of sexual violence committed by guards. The very people intended to protect the refugee and migrant!

Once the refugee and immigrant make it into the country, they are beset by difficulties in adjusting to life in their new country. Culture shock, economic shock (keep in mind they have no credit in their new countries), language barriers, educational barriers. The life of a migrant is to go from one precarious position to another.

What can we do?

There is no easy answer to the global issues around illegal immigration. Instead of getting mired in the political debate, we can provide for the immigrant. Many cities and communities are looking for host families for newly settled immigrants, you can teach English to those that have recently arrived, you can support charities that work in this space.

So let us take our lunch hour to pray over those right now who are in danger and in pain, seeking safety and refuge. Let us put our hand to good work and consider how we can have an impact to our brothers and sisters (and remember that they are indeed our brothers and sisters).

If you have any connections to organizations who work in this space, please reach out. I’d love to include them in our resource list.