Aliens Among Us

"Being a foreigner is not a disease" (Alden Nowlan).

I have a confession to make: I am an alien. I was born in another place and raised in a completely different culture than the ones I have spent the last decade in. I know what it is like to be an outsider, to be limited in communication, to be restrained in getting a job, and feel like an oddball in everything from measuring systems to currency to religious traditions to food to all the little idiosyncrasies that make up a society. Not that those things were a bad experience. I get a kick out of finding my way in a new country or new society. By and large, we felt at home among the Irish eventhough our "yankiness" oozed from our every corpuscle.

Even now, living back in the United States, we find ourselves living in unfamiliar territory and serving a minority population. Quite often, I am the only white American in my classroom full of students. My Chicano, Latino, African-American and Native students remind me every day that we are very different. From them, I learn about other cultures, other religious traditions, other foods, other languages, and all the other little idiosyncrasies that make up their society. And I love it. They are beautiful people with fascinating stories of trying to make it in a strange place.

Somewhere along the line, I learned that changing your opinion was a form of compromise and that compromise was a bad thing. I must be a very bad person (and will probably be labeled as such by those who disagree with me). You see, my opinions on foreigners and immigration and tuition equity and affordable health care have all been dramatically changed for two reasons: first of all, I have been a foreigner and have become accustomed to thinking like one; second, on a daily basis, I have grown to love and appreciate the population of people that I serve on a daily basis.

It's easy to have exclusive opinions when we don't have a lifestyle that allows other people in. It's funny how our opinions change when we get to know the Mexican mother who crossed the river with her children on her back or sit down and hear the stories of your brightest students who are unable to continue their education because they don't have papers or talk with the family who are living in unacceptable and adverse conditions because they are too afraid to stand up for their rights as tennants.

For me, these are no longer political or social issues. They are spiritual ones. How many times have my opinions been shaped by political affiliation or my source of news rather than by my faith? Once again, Jesus rocks my world and transforms my opinions. I realize that he is not a Republican, Democrat, or a Libertarian but is someone whose love of people transcends politics and bureaucracy.

So what do I do when scripture says that the community is to have the same rules for the alien as we do for ourselves (Numbers 15:15)? Does that mean that the alien must have the same opportunity and be afforded the same justice? The Old Testament is full of reference to the fair treatment of the alien. Here are a few examples:

• "You must love foreigners..." (Deut. 10:19)
• "Do not cheat or hurt a foreigner..." (Ex. 22:21)
• "You must not mistreat a foreigner..." (Ex. 23:9)
• "Everybody should rejoice at your Feast...strangers, orphans, widows" (Deut.16:14)
• "Do not deprive the alien or fatherless of justice..." (Deut. 24:17)
• "Do not oppress the alien..." (Zech. 7:10).

The Lord reminded Israel that they themselves had been aliens and strangers in a foreign land and therefore had an obligation to care for the foreigners and strangers in their midst. I find it intersting that among some of worlds poorest and most transient societies, hospitality is among the highest values. Some cultures place such a high value on hospitality for the stranger and foreigner because they themselves quite often need a place to stay on their travels or in their time of need. Wayfarers understand the needs of wayfarers.

Jesus didn't talk much about the foreigner and stranger in the four Gospels. He didn't have to. What we lack in teaching on this subject from him, we see quite clearly in the way he lived. His life and ministry was not bound by politics or culture or even creed. He showed no favoritism. As a wayfarer himself, he went where there was a door open to him and shared what he had with whoever had need. Jesus calls us to think and live differently.

Perhaps a lack of hospitality is something only the rich can afford.

The authors of Hebrews and 1 Peter remind us that we are all aliens and strangers on earth. Perhaps we should recall that to mind when we consider the assylum-seeker, refugee, stranger, or foreigner in our midst. It's good to remember that we are all on a journey until we reach home. The Kingdom of God calls us beyond protecting and preserving our home to a place where our homes and lives offer welcoming hospitality in the love of Christ.

"I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me to your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me" (Jesus, Matthew 25).