My wife and I had wooden fence installed by a local fence company about 8 years ago. It is the second fence the company placed around our backyard in the 44 years that we have lived in Dyer. The fence protects little ones from wandering into the backyard, where we have a swimming pool. It also keeps our dogs from running away. Fences can be good things.

In time, fences tend to bow with age, causing the picket sections to become unfastened. Such was the case for our fence. The fence company does do repairs, although their ability to squeeze in such repairs can be limited, due to major fence installations they do elsewhere or delays because of bad weather. 

We had to wait almost seven weeks to have the bowed section replaced and the loose boards reattached. We were about to give up and do the repairs ourselves, when, at last, the company came unannounced late last week and fixed everything. This unexpected surprise brought a huge smile to my face. It took the fence company just two hours to fix everything, when it would have taken my wife and me at least four hours, due to our modest carpentry skills. I found myself saying, “Thank you, dear God, for helping us. What a nice surprise!”

As I thought about it, I was grateful that we had this luxury. I then realized that there are different forms of “fences” that can be placed in life. There are fences that are designed not to protect, but to differentiate, and sometimes even discriminate. There are fences that keep others away due, to their race, sex, ethnicity, age or religion. There are fences that lock people out, based on their personality traits, and there are fences that show prejudice in the way others can be treated.

Jesus calls us to unity through our faith. That unity calls us to love our neighbors, and it is meant to eliminate the sins of racism and prejudice.

My God, give us the grace to not place such fences in our lives. Amen.

By: Deacon Tom Gryzbek