April 3, 2020 11:33 pm

Pastor’s Pen:
I should perhaps dedicate this entry to thanking the dear souls of the parish who have “outreached” me and others in this time of need. I was moved, for example, to hear of people who craft protective masks to donate to hospitals. I could likewise spend more time legitimately praising those who–at a time of justifiable concern about their own well-being– think of the parish’s needs and send in their weekly envelopes. You are appreciated by all who you help in some way.
This period of soul-searching and society-searching and salvationsearching brought to mind the observation of the esteemed biblical scholar, Karl Barth. Called the
greatest theologian since Thomas Aquinas by Pope Pius XII, Barth said: “We must hold the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.”
Those words came to mind when reading about the horror of what’s taking place at the border. In short, if you think WE have it bad–go south, young man or woman–and see for yourself. Young children there will forever be scarred (if they survive the virus), and perhaps lose their parents at the same time.
The last surviving member of the Nuremberg trials prosecuting team, Ben Ferencz, 99, said that America’s handling of the immigrant issue was a “crime against humanity.” If you or I
made that kind of remark, we’d be dismissed for just pushing some political agenda. When someone like Ferencz says it–we should listen. If we don’t, we’re guilty of fashioning a golden calf (i.e., not listening to what God says in the bible).
I write this because in reading another article, I came across Leviticus 34: 19. It again brought the border issue to mind (which is to simply say that I was not LOOKING for this material; it just came to me when browsing different articles). Leviticus says: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
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