Introduction
The issue of people migrating and the problem of
refugees is an important matter of investigation in the present times. However,
the fact that migration is not a new phenomenon cannot be denied. Migration has
been in existence since the day humans came into being, even among the fauna
too. The primitive humans too felt the sense of belonging like the way it is
today. Nevertheless, in a few theories we can see that they were more welcoming
than what is seen in our societies today. The way in which nations handle this
issue of migration is more on the dehumanizing side. Human beings lose value
when they migrate to another nation when there seems to be a threat for
survival in their own land. However there seems to be a great number or
migrants for prosperity as well, but in one way or the other, they too go
through discrimination in a land in which they are aliens or strangers.
Being placed[1]
in the Netherlands, and interning with Inlia[2],
has given a wider knowledge on the issues of migration and the way in which the
various governments have handled it, and also the response of the church
towards this important and raging crisis. This study in and with the Protestant
Church in the Netherlands, especially with Inlia has given a wider perspective
to elaborate on the theological understanding of Eucharist and the shift of the
missiological base from Matt 28 to Matt 25. The "great commission"
as we call it, will be more meaningful if we can derive it from Matt 25 than
from 28 in such a context.
Method
of study
This study is purely based on interviewing method,
talking to migrants who have got asylum and as well as refugees who have not
got permission to stay in The Netherlands but are taken care by Inlia and the
Protestant Kerk en Netherlands (PKN). The understanding of the issue, is based
on the basic readings and the lectures on culture, biblical interpretation and
the issues of migration, refugees, and human trafficking. The daily reflections
have paved way for interrogations with the different contexts and cultures.
Context: Setting of study: The social study is based in the Netherlands. The
working environment is Groningen. It is to be understood the setting is purely
European in nature, and Dutch to be precise. For a person who visits any nation
for the first time will find very strange things, behaviours at the first
sight.
Of the many strange sights on the first note, time and
informality took the top place. Time as it was portrayed was seen as holy and
un-adjustable. It seemed so hard for a Dutch person to accept the delay by a
minute or two. They would rage in fury to see if it went even beyond that. However,
when encountered this notion of time, questions rang, as to, why would they not
understand the situation of the other? What if the other person had an
unavoidable reason for delay? That seemed nothing when compared to the
self-time spent to make it on time at the location.
Informality on the other hand was strange, to see men
and women hugging and kissing (thrice) was rather shocking to see as in the
Indian context that is rarely possible or maybe if based in a metropolitan /
cosmopolitan city. Tea and coffee were not served but was kept on the table and
guests were asked to join. There was an offer to drink coffee and tea along
with them but was not being served. The bread was such a common food that was
found prominent in all gatherings, offered to anyone who came to visit. For sure,
the Europeans would find it hospitable but people from other countries would
find it very rude especially the people from the hotter regions of the world.
The milieu of the migrants encountered
The refugees who have migrated to the Netherlands find
several sights that are strange to them. But, because they have no other option,
they force themselves to accept and adapt to the culture of the Dutch. The food,
being a prominent factor they need to adapt. Most refugees come from a land
where there is more of rice, wheat and barley, and bread is not their primary
food. When they arrive at the Netherlands, they have no other option than to
adapt to the food habits of the land. They find it hard to find food that would
suit them.
Climate is another aspect of adaptation for the
refugees. Even though it is a natural phenomenon, the migrants find it hard to
adapt to the climate of this part of the world, as many of them come from a
very hotter regions above and around the equator and from tropical regions. Hence,
it makes it hard for them to adapt to a colder and freezing climate, compared
to their homeland.
The official language of the Netherland is Dutch, and
all the legal procedures, and official, Government related documents and
conversation is in Dutch. This is a clear sign of discrimination of the people
who would like to migrate, as they are forced to learn the language, which most
of them do, but still find it hard to cope with. After speaking to a few of
them about their struggle to learn the language, it is noted that the
understanding of hospitality was known to have been understood only from the
Dutch’s perspective. The people at the Government of the Netherlands did show
tremendous hospitality according to their knowledge and as days and years
passed by, there were more people who were coming in, the hospitality
deteriorated. This is when the Church stepped in and opened the doors of the
church to give shelter to the ones in need of it.
Environment of the work
Inlia
- International Network of Local Initiatives with
Asylum-seekers is an initiative of the churches in Groningen, Netherlands. They
have an office where the documentation process is taken care, a shelter
"Formula A" and a new emergency shelter (Half way Home) being setup
at Eeldawolde. The refugees go to the government and apply for asylum, a permit
to stay and work. However, many a time they are rejected and suggesting to be
deported to their own land based on sources that the Dutch Government has, say
that they can go back as there seems to be no threat for their lives in their
land. However, the Dutch Government fails to understand the society of the
migrants to understand their actual struggle. Therefore, they are not given
place to stay, but because they cannot go back to their land, they escape and
stay on the streets.
This is what the church felt was not
a solution but a huge threat to the social life of the citizens of the nation
and the guests. Therefore, they have come up with this initiative to give
minimum facility for those who are thrown on the streets. Inlia finds a way to
challenge every case legally and works with the municipality and the police
department to ensure there are no people on the street.
The police and the local muncipality
appreciate the work of Inlia. The migrants feel a lot like home because of the
warmth they receive. They receive a small sum of money on a weekly basis that
they use for their expenses. This is not enough for the whole week but it a
lesson being taught to them to work in groups to get things that helps build
communal harmony. The speciality of the work here is that the shelter is open
for the guests (refugees) for 24 hours which is not a common sighting in the
Netherlands. The inmates are addressed by name and are given a special identity
that they can show to the police when asked. The police do not get to
interrogate them as and when they need, they would seek permission from Inlia
and the officers would be requested to do their work in civil dress so that it
does not bring fear to the other guests living in the shelter. The police
department are happy and very cooperative with Inlia as their work has brought
a tremendous change in the irregularities in the locality.
During their appeals to the
government repeatedly for the permission of the government to permit guests to
stay, Inlia takes measures to do an extensive research about the person and the
information that they give, to make it easier for the inmates to get the
procedure done as soon as possible. The migrants feel secure to confide with Inlia
and most of the cases they have re-registered are on a positive note on the
procedural status.
A critique of the Dutch Culture
As a person
coming from India, with basic theological education in one of the premier
colleges in the country it makes it very hard for me to be judgemental on the
cultural context of the Netherlands. However, the comments made would rather
depend on how strange and different it is from the Indian context. In my
opinion, the culture seems imposed on those who you need to
treat as guests. The language food n clothing attitude, form the basic elements
of culture. However, the guest on the other hand is more of a person who would
love to learn the culture but not practice it because of the sacredness of
his/her own culture.
As
a participant of the program, we were taught by many in words, deeds and food,
the culture of the Dutch, but, there was not a place where one could see the
culture of the 'other' being learnt by the Dutch citizens. This on one hand is how
Euro-colonialism functions, or even to see it as cultural-colonialism. This is
more of using the vulnerability of the 'other' or the 'guest' to impose upon
the culture of the Dutch, assuming this would be the language of the future[3].
Yes to an extent, it would help them survive in the Dutch society but the
expectance of a complete shift to perpetuate into the Dutch culture is more of
executing the dominance in a subtle manner.
The
land becomes more Dutch and a closed society where diversity in not accepted or
seen as a threat. This can be a serious threat to humanity in subliming the
'other's' culture. What can be achieved by this? Nothing; but a society being
closed to the outer world and assuming the richness within and not in the
other. This could also be because of xenophobia -the fear of differences. How
much ever the claiming of the liberalization may remain, there seems to be a
subtle conservative thought within the liberalization of the Dutch.
Reflection:
Revelation
of Jesus the homeless
The
struggle of the people is where the quest for God begins. The preferential
option is always the poor, vulnerable and the ones in need. In this context,
the refugees fall into this category of being the preferential option. When we
refer to this issue in the context of India, it is easily visible that the
homeless on the street are the ones through whom one can see God as based on
Matt 25:35-36[4]. How
has the church responded to the issue of homelessness in India? Yes, the church
has projects for the poor, orphans, differently-abled, girl children etc. But.
what has the Church done for those lying on the road every day? What about
those who are neglected by everyone in the society? What about those trafficked
and abused in various manners and left to beg on the streets? If Jesus was that
hungry, thirsty and naked lying person on the road, then is it not the
responsibility of the church to move out of its comfort zone and reach out to
that person outside the Church's gate?
The
Church often disguises itself in and angelic attire with all the people coming
to worship dressed well and groomed extremely well. This makes the church more
of white washed tomb than a place of prayer and comfort for the poor. The
passage mentioned does not have the meaning of sending people out. It
nevertheless, is Jesus' indirect way of asking the people to do to the hungry,
thirsty, and naked and in prison, as they would want the other to do if Jesus was
that hungry, thirsty, and naked and in prison.
The
Church(es) in India is more concerned with the process of 'evangelization',
which is a prominent mode of 'outreach' as based on Matthew 28:19. This has
made the Church not only drift from the gospel but has also made an harsh
impact on the society, which has in turn implanted in the mind of the people
that Christianity is all about forcing one to 'accept Christ'.
Is
this all what God wants from us, to 'accept him' and focus on a 'personal'
spirituality? Or has God made the Church a called-out community to be a channel
of peace and comfort to the nations and its peoples? Truly, the latter is the
mission of Christ as seen in Luke 4:18 the Nazareth manifesto. On a positive note,
the church has made a great impact in the past and has continued to do so until
the present. The contributions in the fields of education and social
reformation are indeed impeccable. The zeal was so high that the society
changed in the process of this reformation. However, one needs to question, why
has the reformation not continued, and stagnated as the years rolled by? Is the
Church really reflecting the preaching? Or is it mere words being preached?
These
questions are hard to answer, as the contexts of the churches differ. In this
situation one question rises, as to, who is the church? Is it a mere building
or the gathering of the people of God? The latter is the meaning. If so, what
have we done to reflect Christ in our social setting?
The
Poulos Kerk, PKN, Rotterdam was an inspiring place to visit. It is a church on
Sundays and a home for the homeless during the other days in the week. They
provided the guests with unlimited coffee and bread, access to internet to
contact people at home etc. The Church is this context is making itself dirty
by opening the doors of the church for the homeless. This is a striking example
of how Christian-fellowship ought to live out in the society. This is one way
the church celebrates Eucharist.
What
is the crux of the celebration of the Eucharist when it invites 'all'
irrespective of whom or what a person is?
The
pain of the people in struggle reveals the suffering-Jesus to us. These
revelations of a suffering Jesus needs addressal through the various people in
the society. Matthew 25:35-36 poses a serious question to the missiological
understanding of the gospel. To a person who is hungry, thirsty, dying, or in
pain; what is the gospel that can be preached? To this, if the love of God that
needs to be preached is the answer then it would be a very fundamental attitude
towards the preaching of the Gospel. Instead, food, water, medication and
healing of the wounds would be the reply for the same, then the gospel seems
more practical and worthwhile sharing. This is expected of us as the gospel
writer mentions of in Matt 25. Jesus not only poses this question to challenge
the notion of how to serve God, but also implies God’s revelation to all as a
person suffering in front of our eyes.
A
Call to ‘Do’ Mission
There
is a need for a shift in the way in which mission is done. In such a context, it
is not in the preaching but in the doing, which we would be serving the Lord as
expected. The analogy of Jesus breaking bread sounds relevant for this
reflection, where Jesus takes bread and breaks it; in this we see that the
bread, being the body of Christ is silent, but when broken a subtle noise is
made to denote the breaking. It is in this way that the church is expected to
be silent, and in its silence, allow God to break it so that the world would
experience the love of God.
On
the contrary, we see the church preaching a lot about the love of God and that
we all are the people of God but still end up showing the difference in various
manners, like caste, class gender, hierarchy etc. There seemed to be a lot of
difference shown among the people. There always have been minority elite and
the majority oppressed. This disparity is because of the greed of dominance,
accumulation of wealth and money and the coziness of the luxury enjoyed by
those in power.
The
message of Christ through the breaking of the bread is quite simple yet strong
for the Christian community. Christ calls us, the Church to be silent and allow
ourselves be broken by God to show love to all of creation. However, most of
the time we end up with just preaching of the Gospel that God is love, forgetting
to follow what that love truly means. Are we ready to be silent and work
silently for the good of creation? Are we ready to obey the voice of Christ
that cries out when broken on the cross, like the bread at the table of
communion? Let us therefore change our missiological view that, preaching alone
is the God given mandate and be transformed by allowing God to take us and
break us and show us that doing to the ‘least of these’ who reveal God to us,
would be encouraging others around to be Christs in their own contexts.
[1] For a short term of 45
Days, with the CWM Face to face program. (April- May 2016)
[2] INLIA , Groningen,
Netherlands the International Network of Local Initiatives for Asylum Seekers,
is an organization dedicated to providing assistance to asylum seekers in need,
explained in detail below.
[3] A statement made by one of
the Ministers of a church we visited.
[4] 35. "For I was hungry, you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, 36. I was naked and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you took care of
me, I was in prison and you visited me."
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