Great is your Faith

 Who knows about the passenger ship St. Louis during WWII? It was a ship filled with mostly German citizens, who were Jews trying to flee the Nazi regime that was supposed to go to Havana, Cuba. When it arrived in Cuba, the government changed its mind and the ship went up the East Coast of the United States, looking to dock and save the 937 passengers from what was going on during the Holocaust. Cables were even sent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt but went unanswered because of the "American First" propaganda was strong in our nation. During our trip to Washington, DC and the Holocaust Museum, as we were talking about it the night before, I mistakingly told the youth that Anne Frank and her family were on that ship sitting in the New York harbor just out of reach of safety before they were turned back to Europe. The Frank family did apply for refugee status here in America, but were denied, again, because people and leaders didn't think or act that their lives mattered as much as Americans. In reality, it didn't matter if they were on the ship, they would have been turned back anyway. 

I have heard far too much that the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should only apply to American citizens, 'real Americans', in my life in the MidWest, especially living in the Dakota's. I have heard far too much the denial of their humanity and the bozo claims that they are mainly criminals, bringing drugs, crime, and disease. What I haven't heard is that those coming from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, and many of the Central and South American countries are Christians, our brothers and sisters in Christ, quien necesitan al ayudar, who are in need of help because of America's policies in the 1980's that supported dictators for the fear that communism would spread onto our hemisphere and our drug habits that fund the drug cartels that created the instability that many countries are facing today. We have failed as a nation too many times by putting "America First". 

We have this story in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke that shows Jesus in a debate, arguing with a foreign woman. She is desperate because she has a possessed daughter who may be dying. She probably has went to her local doctors, went to the temples of the gods and priests who are supposed to be able to heal and cast out the demon, the sickness, if the right prayers and right payment is made. She hears of a man who has healed people in his own country and land and has come over here. Why would this prophet come over to these people if not to heal them as well? She is going to make her voice heard. At first, this holy man and his disciples try to ignore her, as she calls for help, for mercy; maybe they have a mission, a meeting to go to. Finally one of his disciples tells his master to send her away. So he faces her and tells her, "Israel First!" She doesn't back down but kneels right in front of him so he has to see her, deal with her, not ignore her. He may have been tired, distracted, or just didn't know any better and cuts her to the bone, "It is not right to take the food from children's tables and throw it to the dogs." Now, we don't know the exact translation, however, a female dog in our language is called a 'bitch'. Nevertheless, she persisted. "Yet, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table" saying there is enough for all, even table scraps. The man takes a breath, startled like he is waking up, finally looks into her eyes and lets love and compassion fill his. "Great is your faith!" he proclaims and he does what is asked. She goes home to find her daughter alive and well and rejoices in the health and wellbeing of her family. 

We would be comforted to believe that Jesus was going to heal her daughter all along and just putting on a show for his disciples and the crowd. Nonetheless, she persisted. In the simple reading of this story, it was her love, her persistence, and her faith that got Jesus to do the right thing. As Jesus was fully human and grew in wisdom, maybe this was one of those times that he learned and became a better human being. What we do know is that humans too often deny others help or rights or life because they are not one of us. What we do know is that Jesus tells us that the Golden Rule is to treat others as we want to be treated and the one who shows mercy is the one who loves their neighbor and we are to go and do likewise. What we do know is that Paul writes in his letters that in Christ, there is no American and illegal immigrant, male or female, rich or poor, only followers of Christ who are called to care for the least of these whether they are hungry, sick, in prison, or at the border. Amen? Amen.