20140928 MIGRANTS A BOON OR BANE?

20140928 MIGRANTS A BOON OR BANE? 

First reading

Ezekiel 18:25-28 ©

The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘You object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’

Psalm            Psalm 24:4-9 ©

Remember your mercy, Lord.

Lord, make me know your ways.

  Lord, teach me your paths.

Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:

  for you are God my saviour.

Remember your mercy, Lord.

In you I hope all day long

  because of your goodness, O Lord.

Remember your mercy, Lord,

  and the love you have shown from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth.

  In your love remember me.

Remember your mercy, Lord.

The Lord is good and upright.

  He shows the path to those who stray,

He guides the humble in the right path,

  He teaches his way to the poor.

Remember your mercy, Lord.

EITHER:

Second reading

Philippians 2:1-11 ©

If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, So that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:

His state was divine,

yet he did not cling

to his equality with God

but emptied himself

to assume the condition of a slave,

and became as men are;

and being as all men are,

he was humbler yet,

even to accepting death,

death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name

which is above all other names

so that all beings in the heavens,

on earth and in the underworld,

should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim

Jesus Christ as Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

OR:

Alternative Second reading

Philippians 2:1-5 ©

If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, So that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation           Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Or        Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 21:28-32 ©

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’

MIGRANTS – A BOON OR BANE? 

SCRIPTURE READINGS: EZEKIEL 18:25-28;  PHIL 2:1-11 (OR >< 2:1-5);  MT 21:28-32
http://www.universalis.com/20140928/mass.htm

Globalization today is a reality because of science and mass communications.  We cannot live as if we are an isolated village in the world.  Indeed, the world has become a global village.   One of the effects of globalization and information is migration.  It is only natural that everyone wants a better life, not just economically but also a life of peace, love and happiness.  With greater opportunities elsewhere, many are moving out of their confines and migrating even to uncharted territories.  With greater education and skills, a free economy that is determined by productivity and profits, there is ample opportunity for migrants to seek better jobs, salaries and living conditions.

What does it mean for the world?  Is migration a boon or a bane?  Negatively, it is a threat to unity as most of us live in homogenous societies with respect to race and religion.  There were lesser conflicts as all shared a common culture, common values and aspirations.   But with the influx of migrants, we see more and more clashes of cultures, values and religions.  Some of these conflicts have given rise to social, political and religious instability.  Among the local inhabitants, there is greater insecurity as they are afraid of being displaced by the migrants who are often more talented and hardworking.  As the economy is based on productivity, there is greater competition for jobs, housing and transport.   As a consequence, the natives become resentful, envious and angry with migrants, blaming them for the loss of income and opportunities.

Furthermore, because of unscrupulous employers and recruitment agencies, many are being lured into rich countries with promises of work and good salaries.   But instead of finding work, many, who had secured loans or sold properties in their homeland to pay for their passage overseas, often find themselves without jobs.  Some are tricked and forced into prostitution, drugs and child labour.  Many are often discriminated and have to suffer the injustices in a foreign country silently as they are voiceless and helpless.

As a consequence, the host country has to deal with many social, ideological and religious problems as well.  When people have no work or are without means to eat or to stay, they resort to crime, illegal activities and even murder.  There could be overcrowding and lack of resources and infrastructure to meet the needs of an influx of migrants.  Such are the challenges of migration that every country has to contend with.

Positively, migrants can certainly enrich the lives of the host country.  Migrants are rich in their cultures and religious traditions.  There is much that we can learn from them.  They have many values that are actually reflective of the universal values taught in the scriptures. Many of them are very talented and can actually help the country to progress economically and technologically as well.  So they are not necessarily a bane but a boon.  Migrants must not be seen as a problem, but as assets to the country.  There is a greater sharing of resources, knowledge and skills.  Competition is not necessarily evil but it ensures that we are not complacent.

In truth, migration actually contributes to the building of a unified world.  It is in line with the gospel vision of a united human family when there will only be one nation, one family and one God who is the Father of all humanity.   For us, to be a Catholic means to be universal.  Indeed, only the Catholic Church is truly universal because not only is she present almost everywhere in the world, but wherever she is, all are united with the Holy Father, sharing the same doctrines and moral values of the gospel.  The Church is called to be the sacrament of unity in the world.

So it is our hope that one day we will all be united as one family, where there is no Greek or Gentiles, no Jews or slaves but all one united in Christ.   This is reflected in today’s scripture readings, especially in St Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  The city of Philippi was very much like Singapore, a cosmopolitan city.  That city was a thriving community where there were rich and poor, people who came from all classes and status in life.  Many were converted to Christianity.  Hence, St Paul, recognizing the threat to the unity of the Church, wrote to them saying, “If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind.”

Hence, taking heed of St Paul’s exhortation, we need to reflect on how we, as Catholics, promote greater cohesion and hospitality to those who are migrants on one hand; and how migrant Catholics must act and behave in their host countries.  We must from the outset make it clear that the issues associated with migration are not just the problem of the host country or the migrants themselves, but it is our common challenge.  In the first place, let us bear in mind that we are all migrants.  Our forefathers were migrants. So there is no land that belongs to us.  We did not own it in the first place unless you were born during the time of Adam and Eve.   Even Jesus was a migrant.  He came from heaven and incarnated Himself as a Jew.  Although, as the gospel tells us, He came to His own but they did not accept Him.  So let us all be thankful that we have a country to stay in, live and work.  Most of all, we should be thankful to our leaders who have ensured that all of us live in harmony and work together regardless of race, language and religion, for the prosperity and progress of the nation.

Having said this, we must also realize that unity among peoples and the integration of migrants into the host country is not something that we can leave to chance.  There needs to be some active intervention on the part of the government to manage the flow of migrants, otherwise there will be chaos and great inconvenience to all.  Once the unity of the peoples is destroyed, there will be social division, civil or religious and racial wars.  If there is no unity, then we cannot speak of progress, prosperity, peace and love.  The government has to do its part in ensuring justice and order in the country.  However, we as Catholics must also do our part within the Church and also as citizens of this country to help migrants to integrate themselves into our society.   We need to be good hosts, hospitable, welcoming, generous and accommodating with our guests. Likewise, the migrants must be sensitive to the needs of the local people and be accommodating to the values, ethos and cultures of the nation.  How, then, can we help each other to promote harmony, integration and a greater appreciation of each other?

Indeed, this is what St Paul urges us when he wrote, “There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus.”   As Christians, we are called to be like Christ.   “His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.”

We must put the interests of others before ours.  This is what Christian charity entails.  It is not about ourselves and our needs only.  We are the Body of Christ and every member’s happiness and well being is important to us.  We are the family of God.  Christian charity goes beyond justice.  The world seeks justice and their rights.  But for us, Christians, we seek the best for everyone.  St Paul reminds us, “Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.”  When we sincerely care for others, then they will also respect us.   By caring for each other, we grow in love and appreciation for one another.

Indeed, my dear brothers and sisters, we must not behave like the Israelites in the first reading.  During the time of the prophet Ezekiel, the people were blaming their forefathers for the sufferings that they were going through.  Instead of facing the consequences of their own sins, they attributed their sufferings to the collective sins of their fathers.   In some ways, it is true that we share in the consequences of the failings of our forefathers. Regardless, we are all affected by the examples and mistakes of our forefathers, and suffer the consequences of their actions.  However, this is not necessarily always the case.  There are those who come from dysfunctional families and turn out to be very good and holy people.  Thus, we cannot simply exonerate ourselves.  This was what Ezekiel was telling the people.  “When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.”  We too must not blame the migrants for all our woes.  Similarly, migrants must not always think that they are being discriminated by the citizens of the host country.  In the final analysis, it is how we work and live with others.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH


ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED