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July 15, 2016 By

Embrace Wisdom, Treasure Wisdom

by Damaris Mutua

Wisdom shouts in the streets / She cries out in the public square / ... Embrace wisdom, treasure her, she’s better than all riches

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Caring for refugees has deep religious roots, and welcoming the stranger is a core value for the three monotheistic faiths.

In the Jewish tradition, the mandate to welcome the stranger is rooted in remembering one’s own story of vulnerability; the descendants of Abraham were themselves once strangers in a foreign land: “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19).

In the Christian tradition the mandate to welcome the stranger is embedded in the notion that, in welcoming the stranger, you are welcoming the Divine. “I was a stranger and you welcomed me,” Jesus told his disciples in a parable (Matthew 24:35). “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,” urges the writer of Hebrews, “for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).

In the Muslim tradition welcoming the wayfarer is rooted in regarding all humans as children of God, and thus it is also seen as welcoming the Divine. Such hospitality demonstrates righteousness: “Whatever money you spend, spend it on your parents and relatives, and on the orphans, disabled paupers and wayfarers,” challenges the Qur’an (2:215).

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Latest Post 4

Embrace Wisdom, Treasure Wisdom

by Damaris Mutua

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