June 17, 2018 - "Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration"

In light of the recent news about immigration, I want to continue a reflection on Catholic Social Teaching on immigration and the movement of peoples.  I am basing this discussion on a resource that has been made available from the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  This week I want to talk about a Biblical vision of love for strangers.
 
Both the Old Testament and the New Testaments tell compelling stories of refugees forced to flee because of bitter slavery in Egypt.  They were utterly helpless by themselves, but with God’s powerful intervention they were able to escape and take refuge in the desert.  For forty years they lived as wanderers with no homeland of their own.  Finally, God fulfilled his ancient promise and settled them on the land that they could finally call home.
 
The Israelites’ experience of living as homeless aliens was so painful and frightening that God ordered his people for all time to have special care for the alien:  “You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt” (Lv 19:33-34).
 
The New Testament begins with Matthew’s story of Joseph and Mary’s escape to Egypt with their newborn son, Jesus, because the paranoid and jealous King Herod wanted to kill the infant.  Our Savior himself lived as a refugee because his own land was not safe.
 
Jesus reiterates the Old Testament command to love and care for the stranger, a criterion by which we shall be judged:  “for I was hungry and you gave me food.  I was thirsty and you gave me food.  I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35).
 
The Apostle Paul asserts the absolute equality of all people before God:  “There is neither Jew nor Greek. . . for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).  In Christ, the human race is one before God, equal in dignity and rights.
 
I shall continue this discussion next week.
 
Until then,
Fr. John Dillon