There's
something on my mind, and, for the life of me, I cannot let it rest. Over the
course of my entire stay on Facebook, I’ve read many posts from friends and
family which discuss illegal immigration and the state of our country’s welfare
system. The two go hand-in-hand and most of the people who post about it, are
against both. This troubles me greatly, because the overwhelming majority of
those who oppose both illegal immigration and welfare are Christians, and, those
who share with me the Catholic Faith.
This
morning, a friend posted the following quote from the Bible, which gave great
food for thought. She posted one verse, from Matthew 25:35, which reads:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I
was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome,” and,
it occurred to me that there is a strong connection between these current
events, and this particular Gospel reading.
In order to fully comprehend what is said, it’s
important to include the surrounding verses. Here is Matthew 25:34-36:
34 Then the
King will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you whom my Father
has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome,
36 lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited
me, in prison and you came to see me."
With these words, we read about Jesus
explaining that giving to hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, strangers and prisoners
is what God wants us to do. It is our ticket to His Kingdom. Despite this,
there are many Christians who are opposed to welfare and illegal immigration.
They are adamant that we should not help the families and children who scramble
to cross our borders in search of a better life.
These Christians claim that people take
advantage of our welfare system, and, that the Mexican children are bringing
drugs into our country and will grow up to take jobs away from Americans, as
their ancestors have done. This, of course, is false. Most illegal immigrants
labor for below minimum wage, and perform the labor that Americans refuse to
do. There are still ads in the Help Wanted section of any newspaper in this
country. No jobs are lost.
Another big fear is that there will soon be
more Latinos than white people in America if we don’t close our gates and
monitor the illegal immigration situation more carefully. Even our president,
Barack Obama, is under fire for not making illegal immigration a priority. Just
last week, I read that some conservatives are calling for his impeachment over
the issue.
According to the US Census Bureau, 77.7 % of
Americans are white, while only 17.1 % are Latino. These numbers will change
over time, but with the US having over 300 million citizens, there would have
to be 50 million more Latino immigrants (illegal or otherwise) brought into our
country, to bring that percentage up to 25%.
These people who cross our borders are seeking
refuge. They want freedom. They want a better life for themselves and their
families. Let’s not forget that Jesus said, “I was a stranger and you made me
welcome.”
Welfare is also a hotly debated situation. The
US Census Bureau indicates that nearly 15% of all Americans are living below
the poverty level. Without a shadow of a doubt, I am one of those, and, I work
two jobs. I qualify for welfare, also. I struggle to make ends meet and I’m
constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul. I went to college and earned both a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Communication and a Master of Arts degree in English and
Literature, yet, I am unable to find a full-time position in my field. I’m
unable to find a full-time position outside of my field.
When people oppose welfare, they cite instances
were a woman in Michigan won the lottery and still collected food stamps, or,
how they see people using food stamps at the grocery store to purchase a bag of
chips and soda pop, when those food stamps should be used to purchase
nutritious food, instead. The percentage of people who take advantage of the
welfare system is less than five percent, and, people are given food stamps to
help them to be able to eat food. Whether or not that food is healthy is no one’s
business. We are not to judge. Where is it written that we must treat the poor
as worthless individuals who cannot and should not be allowed to enjoy their
lives? Denying people the use of food stamps or welfare assistance of any form,
goes against what Christ taught us.
Here is the remaining portion of Matthew,
chapter 25:
37 Then the
upright will say to him in reply, "Lord, when
did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
40 And the King will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this
to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me."
41 Then he will say to those on his left hand,
"Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared
for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you never gave me food, I was
thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, lacking
clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited
me."
44 Then it will be their turn to ask, "Lord, when
did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in
prison, and did not come to your help?"
45 Then he will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected
to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me."
As it is written, this chapter tells us that
Jesus wants us to tend to the poor, and the needy, whatever those needs might be.
If we refuse to help them (as in “I’m not going to give that homeless guy any
money because he’ll just use it for liquor”), then, we are refusing Christ,
Himself. Those are His words.
It is better to give trustingly, than to refuse
judgingly.
That was the lesson that Christ taught His
disciples, and, that is the lesson to which we should adhere.