“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

We have quickly formed a strong, joyful bond. A group of pilgrims with an array of life experiences and socioeconomic backgrounds, we have discovered big hearts in each other. A heart of compassion and courage is born when we are created by God and affirmed in our baptismal life. But regardless of its size, a heart is not immune from pain and suffering.

A pilgrimage is an intentional experience of seeking and transformation in Christ. Therefore, a pilgrim is vulnerable to facing urgent truths of faith and creation, hour by hour, day by day. God touches our hearts when we least expect it.

Earlier we visited the birthplace of our Lord and Savior. We stood with the shepherds and sang “Glory to God in the highest.” We knelt and touched the ground where Jesus died for the sins of the world. And we stood looking over the Old City, where Jesus wept for humanity’s future pain and suffering.

And so we were transformed by our visit to the refugee camp in Bethlehem. It was challenging to learn of the plight of Palestinians deprived of water and electricity for weeks. Thousands of years of debate and fighting aside, the suffering of the people was unavoidable. It was tempting to blame governments, presidents, prime ministers, etc. Yet, in my life, I have learned that when I feel uncomfortable, I need to pay attention. What is God trying to teach me?

As we walked through the refugee camp, I stepped back from the group and asked our guide, “What scripture comes to mind?” He paused for several minutes, then said, “Be merciful.” In San Diego, a city that borders Mexico, we watch in real time the stress resulting from global economics, border-patrol issues, and the movement of people. We struggled today because we were forced away from our TVs and news apps, away from our political and policy affiliations … and were forced instead to look another human in the eye and see Christ—see God—within them.

The gospel in the raw is unsettling because it transcends the limits of governments, civil law, politics, and economics. It begins with the great commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor/enemy as yourself.” This, I find, is where I and others from first-world countries are “convicted by the Spirit” (Billy Graham). It’s easy for me to deny Christ when I don’t know the person of Christ in others. It’s too easy to remove myself from God’s people and judge from the safety of my home.

Even as I write this, I ask for your forgiveness, as what I write may feel uncomfortable. I confess to you again that I am a sinner, despite giving my life to Christ. I, too, wrestle with these very words.

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Jesus follows this by teaching us, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.