Lazarus times 8,541

May 2012
Lazarus times 8,541
or, are we nationally destined for a place of torment?

• There have been 8,541 unaccompanied alien children picked up by US Border Patrol since October of 2011.
• I have written about my view of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus before, you can find that here.

God loves people, period. Regardless of socio-economic standing, race, nationality, etc. And scripture is filled with examples of God judging systems and nations. Isaiah, Amos, and Revelation are good places to begin a study on this.

Please read the parable below and change identities as follows - change this text to United States of America, change this text to Central American victims of injustice, systemic corruption, and violence.

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'"

• Why did the Rich Man end up in the place of torment?
• When are we going to stop policing the Middle/Far East and pay attention to our "gate"?
• How long can we ignore the things that God is interested in and expect God to bless us?

Feliz Cumpleaños Felix...

May 10, 2012

Feliz Cumpleaños Felix
or, What a Difference a Day Makes

On May 9, 2012 Felix was hanging out in this blessed place with his peers. He had been in this place for a few weeks - plenty of food, clean clothes, controlled climate, school, and a large group of people to help take care of him.

On May 10, 2012 Felix turned 18 years old. Happy birthday Felix! And in the eyes of the US government, he turned into an adult offender, a violator of our immigration laws. As such, he had to be separated from the minors (for their safety) and turned over to an adult immigration prison. He had to be isolated from the rest of the group at the Emergency Shelter until his transport arrived. I was called upon to sit with him in isolation. And that's what we did for the next eight hours. We shared a couple of meals, we didn't talk, he fidgeted on his cot, he sat up and prayed often.

Finally, about 5:30pm and thirty minutes from his transport time, his tongue broke loose...he told me about his family in Guatemala - his dad, his mom, his three younger sisters. He told me about the mountains of Guatemala and about the Resplendent Quetzal, the national bird. He told me about the freight train ride from Guatemala to the Texas border. He told about the two guys that died on that trip - one didn't get low enough going through a tunnel and the other fell off the top of the train and was sucked under. He told me about how he was coming to the Estados Unidos to work so he could send money back to his family.

After hearing his story, I told him that he was very brave and very strong and that I was honored to know him. He replied:

"El evangelio es mi confianza."

My Spanish is fairly weak so I had to confirm what I had heard - "Felix, por favor, repita."

"El evangelio es mi confianza."

"Otra vez..."

"El evangelio es mi confianza."

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At 6:00pm the transport arrives. Felix and I say our goodbyes.

"Dios bendiga, Felix."

"Gracias, adios."

And he was led away in shackles and handcuffs...