Belittling Humans

     I need to return to a subject I wrote about a couple of weeks ago – demonizing, dehumanizing, or hating the other with whom one has disagreements or differences. I wrote that Jesus himself never did such a thing. He maintained tremendous patience both in trying to stay engaged with his opponents as well as giving them time for conversion. Jesus is our model.

     In society as a whole as well as in church and politics, the aforementioned demonization has occurred continually through the centuries. And, it has always been wrong! The dynamic of belittling those with whom one disagrees persists, especially in relation to current “hot button” issues. For example, anti-abortion people and pro-choice persons have looked at each other as the epitome of evil. In another case, pro-gun people and those who want to limit gun purchases and seek evaluations of a person’s mental health before allowing gun purchases have viewed each other as morally wrong or unpatriotic or worse. Additionally, capital punishment has often brought polar opposites to conflict and demonization. And as I pointed out in the previous article, public debates about immigration have resulted in immigrants being referred to in derogatory terms and treated inhumanely.

     No bad behavior of the past may be used as an excuse for present bad behavior. Using dehumanizing language about the other was wrong in Jesus’ time. It is still wrong today. NOW is the only time in which we are called to act. NOW is the time we have. We cannot change the past and the future is not guaranteed.

     Pope Francis shared a message at a special Mass for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants earlier this year saying that while fear was an understandable human response to immigration, it should not lead to anger and rejection: "Local communities are sometimes afraid that the newly arrived will disturb the established order, will 'steal' something they have long labored to build up… [while the newly arrived] are afraid of confrontation, judgment, discrimination, failure. Having doubts and fears is not a sin," the pope continued. "The sin is to allow these fears to determine our responses, to limit our choices, to compromise respect and generosity, to feed hostility and rejection.” (Homily of the Pope from the Mass for the World Day of the Migrant and Refugee)

Peace, Fr. Andy