Sanctuary
August 16, 2006, 7:20 am
Posted by Grant Gallicho
The Chicago Tribune reports: “Elvira Arellano, who became a national spokeswoman for families facing
deportation, had been ordered to report to the Department of Homeland
Security by 9 a.m. Tuesday.”
She went to church instead. And says she isn’t leaving.
I have no sympathy for this lady. The government has allowed her to stay in the past but has now determined she must leave. She has been a guest and is now trying to take advantage of our laws.
“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” Jesus is telling us to respect the laws of the State when there is no compelling reason of justice or morality to do otherwise. This lady should obey the wish of her Lord.
Giving sanctuary is not the same as providing medical care, drink, food, or other necessities to preserve life. I support Cardinal Mahony’s position, which I do not at all equate with deliberately “sticking it” to the government in harboring a fugitive.
I would have no problem with law enforcement officers entering a fake sanctuary and deporting this lady and her son to Mexico.
Perhaps my sarcasm detector has broken, but the above comment is one of the most poorly made analogies I have ever heard. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s? Does this mean that every law made by every government is just, correct, and should be followed because God says so? It is doubtful that the wish of the Lord is for this woman to be deported. Merely, it is the wish of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I am sure there are countless revolutionaries we hold up as heroes who would disagree with using the Lord as a reason to support the enforcement of law in this manner. Was Rosa Parks wrong to take a seat on the bus? Did the Lord object?
This is not to say that I disagree with the legal enforcement of our immigraton laws. Ms. Arellano has apparently evaded the law for many years. And ignoring naturalization and immigration laws doesn’t seem to really solve our problems.
I actually agree that achurch doesn’t have a place in offering sanctuary in this case. Though others have tried (Vietnam or Iraq Wars) the concept of seeking church sanctuary doesn’t usually apply to those seeking to avoid the law.
Dan, I cannot speak to your “sarcasm detector.”
You ask, “Does this [render unto Caesar] mean that every law made by every government is just, correct, and should be followed because God says so?” You are ascribing meaning that is plainly at odds with my assertion, to wit: “Jesus is telling us to respect the laws of the State when there is no compelling reason of justice or morality to do otherwise.” I do happen to believe the State has a legitimate role in God’s scheme of things.
As for the Rosa Parks incident, I think it fits very nicely with my assertion that God expects us to obey the laws of the State except when doing so would be contrary to justice or morality.
If DHS wants to deport the lady, that is its legal and, in this case, proper prerogative. I am not prepared to “connect the dots” between the teaching of Jesus, on the one hand, and a specific exercise of State authority, on the other. Back in my school days, we were taught that this subject had to do with “promoting the common good.” That’s enough information for me with which to work in assessing a particular situation.