I once heard a homilist refer to Psalm 137, which will be proclaimed this weekend at Mass, as the immigrant’s psalm: “by the streams of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion… How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither. May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not.”
The Jewish people experienced separation from their homeland for about seventy years when the mighty Babylonian empire exiled them from Jerusalem to Babylon. The Jewish people stayed close together and persevered in their faith keeping their traditions and language. Their presence among Babylonians impacted Jewish belief and culture, yet they retained a unique character. Thankfully for us they did not forget Jerusalem. Had it been otherwise, God’s plan of salvation would have ended with Jews being completely assimilated and integrated into Babylonian society. It was a good thing the Jewish foreigners maintained their identity. Retaining their identity enriched world history and allowed for the continued unfolding of God’s plan of salvation.
Immigration and the coming together of peoples is not a new phenomenon, yet some respond to these realities as novel contemporary dilemmas that must be solved. Scripture gives us an ancient plan of action when dealing with the stranger. It challenges us to welcome and respect the foreigner, especially if they are brothers and sisters in Christ. Within the Jewish experience of exile, Psalm 137 gives insight into the challenges and mixed emotions which arise in every immigrant’s heart. The nostalgia and pain felt by the psalmist while sitting by the waters of the Euphrates River 2,500 years ago in Babylon lives in the hearts of millions of immigrants and displaced people throughout the world. As Christians we have the responsibility to reach out to the immigrant and foreigner, lest Jesus say to us on the last day, “for I was a stranger and you gave me no welcome.”
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