Do Unto Others…

Lent Thing: Less Grievance/More Gratitude

The final sentance in today’s readings was:

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you, this is the law and the prohets” Matt 7:12

I sat on this most of the day because I was torn between all of the readings. But this was the one that pricked my conscience and here is why; it seems like everyday is a new challenge to practice this law and it feels that in many ways it has been forgotten. I am guilty of forgetting it or ignoring it when I choose not to give someone the benefit of the doubt, or when I jump to conclusions or worse, rely on my own counsel. All three of these things are tendancies I have and ones that sometimes embarrass and shame me. Would I want someone assuming the worst about me? Probably not. But in today’s climate the go to reaction is a knee-jerk one and more often than not we end up finding we didn’t know the whole story or assumed something that wasn’t necessarily true.

But there are also a lot of times that we do the right thing. Times when we advocate on behalf of someone that we feel is being treated unfairly or standing up for someone we see as being on the margins. Sometimes we quietly give to causes or programs that care for the vulnerable and those who are in need. Or maybe we listen to someone who needs to be heard or pray for someone we have never met. This is a way to do unto others in the spirit of this Gospel passage.

While in the car today I heard a segment on NPR about a Honduran man who had come to the southern border with his 15 year old daughter seeking asylum. They were fleeing gangs and were afraid for their lives. When they reached the border (a harrowing journey to be sure!) they were told he was being arrested and she was put in a cell. He never imagined that they would be seperated. When he got out of jail he couldn’t find her and was told by a guard that she was gone, “where” he asked, “I don’t know.” He was told.

Hearing the story absolutely broke my heart. I have a 15yo and a husband who would lose his mind if he was seperated from her with no knowledge of where she was. Just imagining their terror was too much for me, I couldn’t imagine living it.

I will link the story for you because I am going to fast forward to the end. After many months, the father and daughter are reunited and are being welcomed into a family’s home in Seattle, Washington. From the NPR website:

“Sarah Riggio is a stay-at-home mom and a devout Catholic. She found out about the Honduran family on a Facebook post, and decided that her family had to act. They have a spare room in their home.”

“When we first heard the news of the family separations taking place at the border, we were absolutely sickened by it,” Riggio said by phone. “Having five children of our own, I cannot imagine being separated from one of my children. We felt that our faith compelled us to open up our home to do whatever possible to help the families that were separated at the border.”

Hear the whole story here

The radical generosity of this woman and her family sits in juxtaposition with the radical inhumanity of the guards that were present during the seperation. It is a clear example of someones ability or inability to connect with the other. But the Gospel and the world requires us in some way to be more like the Riggio family. To be more open to inconvenience so that other people can have a chance at peace.

We are in a big battle right now and the way to win it is with this radical spirit of generosity. Just as her faith compels her so should ours compel us to step outside of our comfort zone, whatever that looks like, and to step into God’s grace. It doesn’t have to mean taking in a family, though if you are called to do so I bet there are still many out there. But it is worth taking time in prayer to ask God to help you to understand what it means for you to be compelled to love radically. This is the very essence of the Lenten message as it was God’s radical love for us that compelled Jesus to pick up his cross and make his way to Calvary.