 |
| Artist: Ricardo Vela, MD |
A good friend in Concord just sent me this fine drawing he's done of Pope Francis. Thank you, Ricardo!
As much as I love Pope Leo, it's wonderful to see Francis' eyes and smile once more. To remind us of his wise teaching, I offer these words from a homily he gave over 8 years ago...
Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an
encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and
rejected strangers of every age (Mt 25:35,43).
And for the
stranger, the migrant, the refugee, the asylum seeker and the displaced
person, every door in a new land is also an opportunity to encounter
Jesus.
His invitation “Come and see!” is addressed today to all of us,
to local communities and to new arrivals. It is an invitation to
overcome our fears so as to encounter the other, to welcome, to know and
to acknowledge him or her. It is an invitation which offers the
opportunity to draw near to the other and see where and how he or she
lives.
In today’s world, for new arrivals to welcome, to know and to
acknowledge means to know and respect the laws, the culture and the
traditions of the countries that take them in. It even includes
understanding their fears and apprehensions for the future. And for
local communities to welcome, to know and to acknowledge newcomers means
to open themselves without prejudices to their rich diversity, to
understand the hopes and potential of the newly arrived as well as their
fears and vulnerabilities.
From a homily given by Pope Francis
on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees
January 14, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please THINK before you write
and PRAY before you think!