Martin Luther King Jr. Said,
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
At this writing the terrorist attacks that claimed 130 lives in Paris happened about two weeks ago. Currently there is a massive manhunt in France, Belgium and elsewhere. For others connected to the bombings and other terrorist activities.
One thing that impressed me through all of this was the French President. When asked if he would stop Syrian refugees from entering France he said no. That it was the right thing to continue to accept them.
Here in Canada the government has announced that Canada will take in 25,000 refugees ten thousand before Christmas and the balance by the end of February.
Contrast this to the United States while the president wants to take the refugees in state after state seems to be saying they will not.
Republican presidential candidates are sowing fear by saying the States should not bring in refugees or at least limit them to “Christians”.
It’s shades of what happened during World War two when country after country refused entry to Jews suffering Nazi persecution.
Western countries and particularly the United States who calls themselves bastions of freedom should in love be welcoming these people.
Be you a Christian or not it is only the right thing to do, to help the helpless.
The Jews have a term called “Tzedakah” I a Christian thinks is appropriate for this situation,
The following is as good an explanation of Tzedakah. It comes from a Jewish website,
“Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word “charity suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.
The word “tzedakah” is derived form the Hebrew root Tzadei-dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act, it is simply and act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due.
Certain kinds of tzedakah are considered more meritorious than others. The Talmud describes these different levels of tzedakah, and Rambam (Jewish scholar) organized them into a list. The levels of charity from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are:
Giving begrudgingly
Giving less than you should, bu giving cheerfully,
Giving after being asked
Giving before being asked
Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows yours
Giving when you know and the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know yours.
Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity.
Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant.
In New York harbour stands the Statue of Liberty. On it are these words by Emma Lazarus,“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus.
If ever there was a time for these words to be put into action it is now.
We, people of all faiths and beliefs need to be calling on our governments to reach out in love and welcome those in need.
Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40
It is time to reach out to our neighbours in distress around the world in love and offer them a safe place for them to live.
Please think about it.
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