There once was a stranger in a foreign land. His mother and father had run away with him to protect him from the threat of death at the hands of a tyrant ruler.
As a babe in arms, he did not know the danger that faced him or the challenges his parents encountered. But as a man, he had heard the stories of his youth and the difficulties his family had endured: an arduous journey, a foreign culture, a different language, a longing for family and home, a father having to find work to feed his family and a mother making a home out of what they could carry on a donkey’s back. Hopefully, they had someone in Egypt who welcomed them.
Jesus had a soft spot for the stranger because he was one, even in his own country. As he preached throughout the countryside, in village after village, city after city, he was welcomed by the rich and the poor, the prostitute and the tax collector, as well as the ordinary person. Only in his hometown was he not welcomed.
One day, Jesus was talking to his disciples and said, “When I was a stranger, you welcomed me.” His disciples, confused, asked, “When were you a stranger and we welcomed you?” Jesus replied, “When you did it to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.”
Since the spirit of the Divine dwells in each and every one of us, let us, through the eyes of love, recognize the face of Christ in others. Now, more than ever, let us welcome the stranger who has reached our shores, the refugee, Christ in our midst.
Associate Fernanda Estoesta, Eagles’ Wings, Chatham