“Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s
house there are many places to stay.” These words have been set to music in a
well-known Zimbabwe song. They console us. There is room for everyone. I was
thinking of them this week when I attended a workshop in Zambia on prison
ministry. There is “no room” for people in our prisons, not just in Zambia. We
learnt of the “over-crowding and under-funding” of prisons all over Africa and
elsewhere.
It is an
offence against human dignity when a person is so cramped for space they cannot
even lie down. They have to take it in turns to sleep. Statistics overwhelm us
- all telling us facilities build for, say, 400, now house 1000. But, what is
worse, there is “no room” in the thinking of civic society for the plight of
these most vulnerable people. And because it is not a priority for us, the people,
it is not a priority for the politicians who represent us.
And what is
equally disturbing is the way politicians sometimes use the flaccid nature of
our electorates to stir up hostile feelings towards people who are “not like
us.” We have no room for foreigners. “Xenophobia” is becoming more marked in
our time than before. Jesus’ ancestor Ruth said, “your people will be my people.”
But Jesus own parents found the innkeeper in Bethlehem less accomodating. He answered
their knock on his door with, “Sorry, no room!”
We need a
“paradigm shift” in our thinking if we are to “image” the thinking of God who
welcomes everyone and has room for all. The good news is we are making
progress. Germanyfor instance, under Angela Merkel, has opened its door to
migrants in a stunning signal to other countries. There are many problems
connected with welcoming people but it is the right thing to do and gradually
we can meet the challnges.
“We are all
immigrants” has become a popular saying, though it is probably used less by
those who are threatened by an influx of migrants into their district than by
those, and I include myself, who are desk philosophers and not personally
affected. But we are all called to metanoia,
changing our way of thinking. For what it is worth, I know there was a time
when I was afraid of handicapped people, prisoners and foreigners. But my
circumstances allowed me to grow out of my fears – especially when I actually
met such people and held their hand.
Easter calls
us to “enlarge the site of our tent, and let the curtain of our habitation be
stretched out. Do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your tent
pegs.” (Isaiah 54:2)
14 May 2017 Easter
Sunday 5 A
Acts 6:1-7 1 Peter 2:4-9 John 14: 1-12
