Marcin Bogdan: Christian concern for immigrants, or inviting immigrants to fight Christianity?

Throughout the past of persecution, Christendom took a different form. In times of communism, the Church was marginalized, pushed out of public space, eliminated. It was considered, as Charles Marx put, that “Religion is opium for the people.” For communes, the fight against the Church took place in an administrative field, frequently personal, but not substantive. The communists did not argue with the Church's message, did not interpret this message in a convenient way, treated the Church just as opium did, fought the Church the way it fights drug abuse.

It was a hard time for the Church, but paradoxically, this approach of communists strengthened the Church alternatively than weakened it. The situation was zero-one, clear, unambiguous, without nuances and shades of grey. Catholics felt and understood that they were under attack, but they were attacked from outside. The enemy was known. present the situation is more hard and thus more dangerous to the Church. The church is attacked and shattered from within. Jesus warned against this saying: «Beware of being deceived. For many will come under my name and say, "I am" and, "The time has come." Don't follow them! » [Lk 21.8].

How do you fight the Church from within? What is deception? There are 2 ways, 2 main methods. The first is literal, literal reading of the words of the Gospel, and the second is overinterpreting the Gospel, making besides far-reaching and false conclusions. A typical example of the first method is the explanation of words: «While he was inactive speaking to the crowds, here is his parent and brothers They stood outside and wanted to talk to him» [Mt 12,46]. So Jesus was not an only kid erstwhile his “brothers” wanted to talk to him. This is an infantile explanation so far that it is more likely to perceive in various sects than in the Catholic Church. But specified an infantile method of literal explanation of the Gospel was utilized to implicate the Church in unconditional support for refugees coming to Poland. There were 2 Polish cardinals in the Church, specified “exegists”, and among them, of horror, 2 Polish cardinals, who recognized Jesus as a refugee, the full Holy household was refugees, as the Bible says: «OThe angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in his dream and said, "Get up, take the kid and his mother." go away to Egypt» [Mt 2,13].

So, since Jesus was a refugee, and through our religion we are to welcome Jesus into our hearts and our homes, it seems apparent that we should besides open our hearts and our homes to all refugees. But the Gospel cannot be read virtually without knowing the context of time and place. Editor Paweł Lisicki pointed out that both Israel and Egypt were under Roman protectorate at the time. Relating to modern times, he compared the escape of the Holy household to Egypt to resettlement from 1 state to another within 1 state as the United States. So it is hard to talk about refugees as we are dealing with today. Escape to Egypt was an escape from a very circumstantial threat, before Herod announced the slaughter of infants in the Bethlehem region. The Holy household did not decision to Egypt for economical reasons. Mary «She gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in diapers, and laid him in a manger, for there was no place for them in the inn» [Lk 2, 7]. If they had been guided by economical considerations, they would have gone to Egypt before Jesus was born in order to supply Mary with better conditions for childbirth. Furthermore, the Holy household did not settle permanently in Egypt. «And erstwhile Herod died, behold, to Joseph in Egypt the angel of the LORD appeared in a dream.And he said, Get up, take the kid and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who were waiting for the child's life have died.» [Mt 2,19-20]. And Joseph did so, and immediately returned to Israel. How, then, can Jesus and the Holy household be called refugees? This is nothing but the instrumental usage of the Gospel message for current politics, a politics de facto devoid of the remnants of the appearances of Christianity. So we request to keep reminding ourselves of Jesus ’ words«Beware of being deceived».

The question of Christians’ attitude towards refugees is simply a question of mercy. The concept of mercy is now being manipulated, unfortunately inspired from within the Church. The message is that mercy is unconditional, uncritical, that the merciful man must accept upon himself all the consequences that may befall him from a individual endowed with mercy. But is it not that the description of a Christian’s right attitude toward refugees is contained in the parable of the merciful Samaritan? Consider this text: «One man came from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. Not only have they torn him apart, but they inflicted wounds upon him, and left him half dead, and departed. A priest passed by this way by chance; he saw him and passed by. So did the Levite, erstwhile he came to this place and saw it, passed by.And 1 Samaritan, while traveling, besides passed by. erstwhile he saw him, he moved deeply: he went up to him and clothed his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; then he put him on his cattle, and brought him to the inn and nursed him. The next day he took out 2 denarii, gave to the host and said: Take care of him, and if you spend more, I'll pay you back erstwhile I get back. » [Lk 10,30-35].

Christ in this parable sets us a Samaritan as a model. Samaritan leaned over the needy, covered his wounds, but did not take him to his home. He took him to the inn and told them to take care of him while covering the costs. But he did not hand the money straight to the victim, but to the innkeeper. He covered the actual cost of treatment and maintenance, but only until the victim recovered. Mercy is not and cannot be unconditional. Yes, in the parable of the royal feast it is written «So go on the separate paths and invitation all you meet to the feast» [Mt 22,9]. But erstwhile the king saw that 1 of the visitors had no wedding clothes, that he had not complied with the situation that he had not respected the principles set by the host, he said: “Tie his hands and legs and throw him out in the dark! There'll be tears and gnashing of teeth» [Mt 22,13].

The issue of Christian relations with refugees is not just a substance of decently understood mercy. We are told that Christians are to be tolerant, though they are at home, and at that time the Muslims coming to us are putting their shoes on our lives. And spiritual persons, including the horror, the hierarchy of the Church, talk of the freedom of religion and spiritual freedom. It was as if in the zeal of creative explanation of the Gospel they had forgotten the words of Christ: «Go into the full planet and proclaim the Gospel to all creation! » [Mk 16,15]. Why does no 1 say that there is simply a unique chance to go on missions to preach the Gospel to the infidels? There is simply a unique chance and it turns out that «A large harvest, but fewer workers» [Lk 10,2].

Just as the literal, literal reading of the Gospel is wrong, so is its overinterpretation, the effort to read between the lines and to draw unwarranted conclusions. At 1 time, 1 of the priests of the Bible in a homily given at the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord interpreted in an incredibly first way the words of the Gospel: «And here's a large earthquake. For the angel of Yahweh came down from heaven, came up, removed the stone, and sat upon it» [Mt 28,2]. The Bible priest stated that it was not just Jesus, but women did not know Jesus. Since the disciples on their way to Emmaus may not have known Jesus, they may not have known the female at the grave. That's logical. Only that after reaching Emmaus, the disciples met Christ after breaking bread, which is clearly mentioned in the Gospel. But the “discovery” of the priest’s Bible student someway does not confirm the Gospel. Worse, the Gospel says «And the angel said unto women, Fear ye not. For I know you search Jesus Crucified. He's not here.Because he rose from the dead, as he said. Come and see where he was lying.» [Mt 28,5-6].

present the situation is more hard than in the times of communism and thus more dangerous to the Church, which is scattered from within. The various “taught in Scripture,” whether biblical or cardinal, either over-interpreting the Gospel or reading it without taking into account the context of time and place, besides virtually not to say thoughtlessly. Is it just or is it mindless? After all, specified interpretations of something or even service someone. It is crucial to consider whether this is truly a Christian concern for immigrants, or whether it is an invitation to immigrants to fight Christianity. So let us remember the informing Christ gave us: “Beware the scribes. They like to walk around in furry robes, they like greetings in the market,the first chairs in synagogues and honorable places at feasts. They eat widows' houses and do long prayers for appearances» [Mk 12,38-40].

Mr Bogdan

Bible quotes come from, for example, BIBLA TYYCLECIA, Publishing home Pallottinum in Poznań, 2003

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