Commentary on the Gospel of
God of Bridges, Not Walls
“God bless America” is a bumper sticker you often bump into on the US roads. Whenever I saw one, I used to wonder: “What about other nations?” My concerns were put to rest one day when I saw a car with a bumper sticker: “God bless America. And every other nation. No exceptions!” That was a pretty good gospel, I thought – a message that captured the heart of God in today’s first reading. Yahweh declares that no foreigner will feel excluded in his Kingdom, and his house will be a house of prayer for all nations, none exempted or forgotten. Jesus underscores the same when he says that he has other sheep that do not belong to his current fold and he will gather them so that there will be one flock under one shepherd (cf. Jn 10:16). A key message that shall not be forgotten in these times when we are more eager to build walls rather than bridges between peoples.
