We are all foreigners

Monday 30th November, 2020

Today is the feast day of St Andrew, the Apostle. He is the Patron of Scotland. How he achieved this honour is somewhat uncertain but it may have been because of the Angles! One of the Leaders of the Picts and Scots in the ninth century was fighting off the marauding Angles. It seems that the Angles had overwhelming numbers. The King of the Scots vowed after prayer to St Andrew that should they win, obviously with the help of the Apostle, he would make him the Patron of his lands. He duly won and duly honoured his vow. In the sky came the image of the Cross of St Andrew, the Saltire, to confirm the appointment I assume.

Our Nigerian Parish Priest cancelled his 'dies non ' and presided at Mass. It was the first sermon I had heard him preach. I am not good at deciphering his accent so did not catch all of the content. I did hear how St Andrew was the first called and the first to recognise Jesus as the Christ. He then called his brother Peter, Simon.

Two points were made. First how inclusive Andrew was, searching out others and bringing them in to the fold. Also he had no jealousy or envy rejoicing, so the sermon went, in allowing or accepting or acknowledging Peter as the Rock, the one chosen by Christ, to lead his Church. It was a good sermon on that point of holding no grudges but accepting the talents and precedence of others. It was a security in being oneself and not needing baubles or titles or public acclamations to make one oneself. I think it is called being comfortable in one's skin. The next point was about the Country Scotland and somehow it sounded mildly nationalistic.

I have ever been a disliker of barriers. The Trump wall, the Berlin Wall, the Wall against the Palestinians....they all deeply upset me. I dislike the Nationalism that leads to leaving the European Union. Such bodies as the United Nations bring me hope that we as a race of human beings can coalesce for the good of each other. On leaving the Church I made a comment to another parishioner as to how I sensed a nationalistic side to the sermon. To my surprise and shock the parishioner was testily, even nastily, confrontational and rabidly nationalistic. I backed off but I did feel snubbed, almost unwanted. I felt a huge sympathy with those who are immigrants or refugees or those who are singled out to be attacked and abused by zenophobes.

I recall years ago when my Father worked in Jordan. It was the Country where I was born, a Country I have a deep love of, an affinity, an admiration and a fellowship with. I recall nothing but generous hospitality, a trait the Bedouin especially are renowned for and, to me, the whole Arab world. Yet there was the story of my God Mother. She had come to stay with us: I think I was 6 years old. She was a typical English woman, a spinster, who had been brought up and nurtured on the British Empire. Her Father had been a Governor General of one of the Colonies. Anyway she was leaving and my Mother and I took her to the airport. Our wonderful chauffeur, Hamid, whom we considered as part of our family, drove us. As my God Mother got out of the car so she commented on the thousands of Jordanians milling about preparing to travel on their sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. She turned to my Mama and said ' who are all these foreigners'? She did not mean to be rude. Hamid, picking up her suitcases, said in the gentlest way 'I think Madam you are the foreigner here'.

With whom do I identify? With my family obviously. Then England and Jordan and Europe, as well as Wales whence came my beloved Grand Mother's family. I identify with my religious tradition of Roman Catholic Christianity. I identify with freedom, with democracy, with justice, with peace and other such principles. Most of all I identify with the God who is love or in another way with Love who is God. I do not know the absolutes. I do not know whom or what I would die for but I hope I would have the courage to die for love before Country, for a person before an idea. I hope I would not die for my Country rather than justice, freedom, democracy.

Certainly I would not snap at a person about my Nation. Or would I?