Be mindful of refugee and prisoner.

Friday, 2/3/17

Let’s take a look at two things from the readings.

“Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”

That puts us in mind of the hundreds of thousands of refugees

One of my old Korea stories is about them. I spent ten years as pastor of a town the had been run over by the Communists from 1950 to 1953. Afterwards, on nice evenings when we sat out after night prayers it was a common entertainment for both the old people and the kids to recall what happened to them on the road. A funny little boy named Chor-Wonny told about his grandmother having “The stinking disease “ until they cured her with gunpowder.

“Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment.”

What would be most unpleasant for you in you were imprisoned? I think it would be your losing control of your life. I experienced that about fifteen years ago. I was sideswiped by another car up in Georgia; and that had me charged with a misdemeanor, that was later dropped.

But six months after it was dropped, a clerk in Georgia put it down as a felony, and listed me as a felon who ad run away from Georgia. So, out of the blue one afternoon two big policeman brought me down for the line-up of people arrested that day. It was a long cold night, but at least it gave me a taste of what so many of what children of God put up with.

I never told anyone I was a priest, and I spent the next day playing cards with the guys. When a lawyer friend came for me after pointing out the mistake, my fellow card players all said they wouldn’t be held there is they had a lawyer to stand up for them.