Reflection - Where do you come from?

As I walked the venerable cobblestone streets of old Jerusalem where Jesus once walked, the shopkeepers called out to me, “Where do you come from?”

A shopkeeper along the cobblestone streets of old Jerusalem.
When I answered, “Australia”, they urged me to buy their wares.

I quickly learned to deflect their commercial enticements by asking in turn, “Where do you come from?”

Most had answered, “From here”, “From Jerusalem?”, “Yes!” or “Mabruk!” (You are blessed!”).

In the Muslim quarter the answer was often, “From Palestine”. This proud national sentiment was also a political statement, leading to interesting conversations about land, identity and occupation.

One day when I asked, “Where do you come from?”  again, a shopkeeper replied, “From my mother!” I laughed. This unexpected reply was so startling that I started using it too, to the puzzlement and amusement of others also, leading to very different conversations about identity, nationality and politics.

The cobblestone streets of old Jerusalem.
As I reflected more on this seemingly humorous answer, I realised that it is actually very profound. Each one of us is born of our mother. There is no exception, not even Jesus! If we recognized our common humanity first, rather than our national, ethnic or religious identity, then we would know that the other is our brother and sister and mother; then we would truly realize that we are all children of the one Father in heaven; and would celebrate our national, ethnic and religious differences, not as dividing us from one another, but as enriching our shared humanity.

Among all the wonderful goods and souvenirs for sale in the markets of Jerusalem, thronged by Jews, Christians and Muslims and tourists and pilgrims of every nation, this realisation of our common humanity was the most precious gift of all, and it costs nothing other than letting go of the narrow stereotypes that limit our appreciation and opening of ourselves to the riches which we are to each other.

Perhaps the new question then becomes, "Where are you going?"

Rev Fr Patrick McInerney is the Director of the Columban Mission Institute, Coordinator of its Centre for Mission Studies and Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, and the Coordinator of Missiology at the Catholic Institute of Sydney.

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