Danielle Levy

Recently, the governor of Alabama made a speech in which he said that only Christians were his brothers and sisters. Right away he was assailed and had to have a meeting with Jewish and Moslem leaders and of course issued an apology for his statement reassuring everyone that he vowed to work with people of all faiths. No one, as far as I can tell, praised his honesty. In an age when politicians try to fit into the mold of what they think their potential voters will want to hear, I find the governor’s willingness to say what he thinks and what he believes refreshing. It’s difficult to believe that his Christian beliefs are a novelty, that this is the first time he alludes to them. I would suspect that they are known to his constituency and may lie behind their voting for him. If I’m somewhat correct, it could be that the problem is not in what he said but that what is said is widely believed by those who elected him.

To be an immigrant is difficult enough, to be a migrant is a fate that is often at the forefront of my compassion. There are 250 million migrants in the world, usually in search of work, or safety or better conditions. They brave hardships foreign to most of us, in addition to conditions which bring out racism, sexism, and the consequences of ethnic and political tensions. Because of their status, they often have no churches to go to or to cater to their needs. Finally, Churches are beginning to be sensitive to what those needs and problems may be. At a recent meeting in the Netherlands, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order, their program on Just and Inclusive Communities, the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism along with the Ecumenical Network on Multicultural Ministry and Mission organized what they called an international consultation. They will prepare a statement for the WCC next assembly in South Korea in 2013. It may not seem like much, and it really isn’t, and yet it stands to make a difference because at last the issue is recognized as a challenge to how the churches sees themselves as well as their mission to migrants.

It’s the beginning of the year, the wheels of commerce begin anew. It’ll be Valentines and St. Patrick’s, Easter and Mother’s day, and more all the way ‘til next Christmas. Thinking of it as a whole-yet-to-happen can make one dizzy. In between there’ll be disasters, accidents, unexpected deaths, new conflicts, old ones flaring up. It’s predictable and unpleasant to think about. Yet, whether or not we like it, they will all happen and dictate the use of the media and the flow of what is news. The unfolding of time is beyond anything anyone can control. That is not what disturbs me. What does is how the pattern of our lives is determined by commercial considerations, how the way we shall experience, celebrate or remember these events is influenced by profits, ratings, the priorities of corporate entities for whom our best interest is alien. Somewhere ought we not to reclaim our own priorities and experience, celebrate or remember these milestones according to our own values, not those of others?