It’s a bright sunny afternoon in early September. The Blue Jays run into the stadium 42,000 people are on their feet, clapping, shouting “go jays go!” if you scan the crowd the majority are men, children and a few of women. The rival Dodgers enter to a less thunderous roar but a roar just the same. Friends of mine look for their sits and since they had the no lunch look for a vender “Two hotdogs, two beers!” The vender handed them over to the tune of $37.50. They managed to scrap their chain together. They settled back “Play Ball!” The game begins.
And half way across the world thousands of refugees walked in the steaming sunshine. The guards ran among them beating their bats against them to hustle them along trying to stop them from moving around. Back at the Blue Jays game, hundreds of children were wearing team shirts, hats, signed gloves. Many parents were also decked out
Fans did the “wave”, 42,000 of them.
The only wave that the refugees did was fighting the waves that tipped their rubber dingies, drowning most. At the ball park, during the seventh in in stretch folks walked around and did the high fire. When the refugees got a stretch they were confronted by those who didn’t want them in their country.
Fortunately the Jays won that day, they seem to be on a winning streak with an occasional loss.
The refugees are on a losing streak with very few wins. The Jays and the fans leave the stands boarding buses or trains, going home to a hot meal and happy memories.
The refugees. ????? We each can write the next chapter. I wonder if the experience of Jesus, whose family also fled to Egypt, can help us.
“Wake up world!”
Barbara Vaughan, CSJ