Marianne Budde "Who is My Neighbour?"

                                   

 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”  He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.”  And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

 But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”  He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10: 25-37 NRSVue 

Remember Bishop Marianne Budde, the Episcopal priest who was willing to speak the truth directly to President Donald Trump as he sat before her during an January worship service? I was one of millions who were impressed by her courage to be a Christian seeking mercy for the vulnerable in America despite Trump's power.  Honestly, she had totally slipped outside my radar until I saw that she will preach in Sweden in September, the country from which her mother emigrated to the US. 

It seems appropriate to post a look back on this Sunday when the gospel passage is Jesus' answer to  the question "who is my neighbour?" At the time Budde spoke we couldn't anticipate how cruel and small America would become in such a short time.

 In the event you need a reminder, here is a portion of Marianne Budde's  sermon contained in a story from the National Catholic Reporter shortly after it was preached. She answered Jesus' question eloquently. 

"Millions have put their trust in you. As you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now," Budde said in her sermon. "There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in both Democratic, Republican and independent families who fear for their lives."

Budde also made a plea for immigrants, a group under fire from Trump’s incoming administration, saying they include people who "pick our crops" and "work the night shift in hospitals," among other vital roles.

"They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals," she said. "They pay taxes, and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques and synagogues, gurdwara and temples."

It was a forceful rebuttal of Trump’s approach to immigration: He has pledged to enact the largest deportation in history, with early reports that his administration may begin conducting deportation raids as early as Tuesday. In addition, among Trump’s first executive orders included a move to end birthright citizenship and a measure declaring a near-total halt of the U.S. refugee admissions program — a move widely opposed by Trump's religious critics.

Budde then implored the president to "have mercy … on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. Help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here."

She added: "Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land."

Budde concluded: "May God grant us all the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, speak the truth in love and walk humbly with one another and our God, for the good of all the people of this nation and the world."