No room at the table

In his book No Room at the Table Donald Dunson brings to our attention the miserable plight of thousands of children, especially those living in the poorer countries of the world. Many are homeless. Most go to sleep at night hungry. All live without experiencing fulfillment of the most basic human need – to be loved, to be welcomed into someone else’s life. Rather they experience the awful feeling of being cast aside as nobodies. Jesus said, Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me [Mt18:5]. One day the author took a group of abandoned children into a fast-food restaurant in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Almost immediately the manager asked them to leave because his more affluent customers could easily be offended by the presence of these “street kids.” They took their food and went out into the street to eat. There was no room for them at the table! He then makes a powerful statement. “I came to learn, however, that the sense of welcome had unspoken limits.”

About 15 years ago our Holy Father, John Paul II visited Madagascar. What a blessing for the country! Millions of people flocked to the capital, Antananarivo. Roads he would take from the airport to the center of the city were freshly paved. Buildings along the route received a new coat of paint. Stores and homes were decorated. Colorful banners were hung out to flutter in the breeze or be waved as he passed by. Songs and cheers filled the air. What an uplifting welcome for the Pope!

Less known, however,  was the fact that the day before the Pontiff’s arrival the military rounded up all the “street kids” in the capital and put them on a train destined for the city of Antsirabe, some 100 miles away, so that the Pope and his entourage would not be offended by their presence!

Something similar has been done in many countries around the globe when presidents or royalty visit a country. People want to “put their best foot forward” when welcoming foreign dignitaries. Many times children pay the price. I don’t know whether the Pope was aware of what had been done in welcoming him. If he had been, I’m sure he would have echoed the sentiments that brought Donald Dunson to write that poignant phrase some years later: “I came to learn, however, that the sense of welcome had unspoken limits.”

Jesus said, Let the Children be fed first [Mk 7:27]. Many of our missions have children’s “soup kitchens.” As we journey through Lent we could ask ourselves what limits we put on welcoming, caring, loving and reaching out to disadvantaged children on  [Jesus’] behalf. Would we be willing, for example, to set aside the price of a child’s “Happy Meal” each day during Lent and send that  accumulated amount at Easter to some organization that reaches out to poor children? It could be a valuable way of “welcoming” Christ into our lives. Let the Children be fed first ... Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me .