blessed are the weak

My Christian Ethics class is blowing my mind. I already knew this would happen. People that have gone before me have warned me that this Ethics class with this professor was amazing.
Each week there is an insane amount of reading (like a book a week) and then we sit in class and discuss issues such as remembering suffered wrongs, poverty, immigration etc. Today we have an immigration specialist talking about the current immigration situation in the US and the Ethics we are called to in response.
This guest lecturer (who is awesome btw) is a Catholic theologian and talks about how the beginning of a person, in Catholic anthropology, is the fact that they are created in the image and likeness of God. This is the right of Human Dignity in the 4 rights that Catholics teach in their Social Teaching. Human Dignity states that the human person precedes the state.
Within the question of immigration, human dignity asks – how does your position on immigration that “those people” are made in God’s image and likeness”?
I know that the discussion on immigration is big and complicated. And to be completely honest I have stayed a little bit out of this conversation because of my personal connection to the issue. Which I know, means I should have educated myself on it but considering some of the experiences I have had with anti-immigration people and groups – I’ve decided to be hands off. Until now.
We had to read a book for this class called Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church and the Bible by M. Daniel Carroll R. (Who is a prof at Denver Sem…by the way). It not only lays out the history of immigration in the US but also how the Bible deals with issues of immigrants and immigration. It’s actually a great read that makes you see the side of the argument that as Christians, we are called to care for those in our country who are seeking refuge or a better life. To borrow a commonly used phrase around seminary, that could preach.
As I’m learning more about myself and more about my call I realize that if you want to get my attention on something – show me a person who is unfairly having their human dignity stripped. My heart will be wrenched everytime. I will want to jump in and do something about it. Last week we went to the juvenile detention center and ever since then I’ve had this thought about wanting to work there. I went to a meeting at Midwinter about education in the US and the court systems and again – I wanted to get involved.
Seminary has rocked my world in a lot of ways. Not entirely the classes (they’re good too) but the experience of being educated by people who are passionate about various issues and educate others on those issues. My eyes are being opened to things I knew were problems but I’m finally educating myself on. Fascinating.