photo #4745721

Have you ever thought that the Holy Family were refugees just as Israel and his family were when they went to Egypt to escape the famine? They fled from those who would kill them to a country not their own, trusting that they would be safe. They weren’t asked for a passport; they weren’t asked if someone there would vouch for them; they most likely didn’t know the language and they probably didn’t have a job lined up. Joseph did what he needed to do to keep Mary and the child Jesus safe. How many fathers and mothers today must flee from persecution? How many leave everything they know to find safety for their children? Those of us who have always lived in freedom can’t begin to understand what this means. Yes, many of us know poverty, discrimination, fear of the violence of the streets, but not the unrelenting fear that many of our neighbors have faced. How might our attitudes be different if we looked at every family seeking asylum as a "holy family?" Would we open our minds and hearts and offer help, or would we worry that "those people" might take away our jobs or put our way of life at risk?When my sister lived in student housing in Iowa thirty plus years ago, she met another student from Thailand who couldn’t believe the wastefulness of Americans. We speak of overcrowding; this student couldn’t believe that we used perfectly good farm land for golf courses. It’s a good time to remember that our ancestors were once refugees on these shores looking for a new way of life and freedom from tyranny. God wants us to welcome foreigners and care for them just as the Hebrew people were welcomed and the Holy Family were welcomed. What can we do to make today’s holy families feel welcome?Prayer: Loving and gracious God, you welcome all your children and care for them and you ask us to do the same. Open our hearts to welcome the stranger into our land and care for them as you would. Amen.