You Know The Heart Of The Alien

When you reap the harvest, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien.” — Leviticus 23:22

You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. — Exodus 23:9

Immigration is not an issue limited to the U.S. or the last few centuries. I like God’s reminder, “You know the heart of the alien, for you were aliens….”

I also like the concept of gleaning because it reminds us that all we have is a gift from God, and that we are not just to give to the poor, but it is an invitation to the poor and the immigrant to participate in and benefit from the harvest.

Not many of us are farmers these days, but Lent is a wonderful time for us to consider our own particular harvest and blessings from God, and to consider how we can invite the poor and the immigrant to participate.

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.