National Migration Week 2007
Now that very day, two of the disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel…
And Jesus said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" (Luke 24: 13-17, 19-21, 25-27, 30-32)
Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus were so distraught by the terror they had witnessed in Jerusalem that they were unable to recognize Jesus when he joined them on the way. They failed to observe.
How often we find ourselves in the same state: harried, burdened, confused. We are so caught up in the business - the busy-ness - of our lives that we fail to recognize Jesus in those who are on life's journey with us: the poor, the oppressed, the migrant, the stranger.
So, we pause each year to observe National Migration Week. While the dates of the observance may vary in some schools and parishes, it is important that we take time to welcome newcomers, to hear their stories, to share our table, and to find to our delight that God is with us!
In two recent pastoral letters, Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity and Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, our bishops call us to engage in a continuing process of Conversion, Communion, and Solidarity.
Conversion is an invitation to transformation, in our individual lives, in our communities, and in our world. Change is often uncomfortable, and like the disciples, initially we may resist. It is at these times that Jesus challenges us: ""Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!"
It is through prayer and reflection that our hearts and minds are opened to conversion. We become malleable to the will of God. Lent is a good time to take this step on the journey. Praying "The Migrant's Way of the Cross", reflecting on the stories of migrants' and refugees' journeys, or participating in a school or parish study group are just a few of the ways we might embark on this conversion. Like Cleopas and his friend, we may find ourselves amazed at how we begin to see what we have always known in a new light, when we look at it through the eyes of the strangers in our midst.
It was in the breaking of the bread that the travelers to Emmaus recognized Jesus. It is no accident that our Eucharist takes the same form - the breaking of bread and sharing of table. Sharing a meal is where true intimacy with God and with each other begins.
Such sharing often entails risk. When Cleopas invited the intriguing stranger to stop on the way and share a meal with them he knew nothing about who this traveler was, or where he was going. It was in the gesture of hospitality and acceptance that the presence of Jesus was revealed. So it is that our Eucharist embodies both the meal of the Last Supper and the suffering of the Crucifixion. Genuine communion - union with another - requires risk and sharing.
As our bishops invite us to enter into communion with the migrants and refugees in our country and around the world they are asking us to take a risk. We must develop empathy with the sufferings of others. We must open ourselves to new traditions and ways of doing things in our parishes, schools, and community. We must reach out to welcome newcomers with a willingness to share the blessings God has bestowed on us and to accept the gifts that others bring. In our openness we risk finding ourselves hurt and our trust misplaced. Yet when we experience genuine communion with each other our hearts will burn with the recognition of Jesus in our midst!
During this year, welcome newcomers in your parish by celebrating multi-ethnic or multi-lingual liturgies. Include an international potluck as part of your NMW celebration or at your summer 4th of July picnic. Invite a migrant family to share a family dinner in your home. Seek the genuine communion that is the fruit of sharing meals, minds, and hearts with each other.
Once we have experienced conversion and communion, solidarity is the next way station on our journey. In solidarity with one another we translate what we have learned in conversion and experienced in communion into action. In our outreach to migrants and refugees solidarity often takes three specific forms: social service, pastoral care, and advocacy.
Contacting your local refugee resettlement office is an excellent way to volunteer in providing much needed social services. Bringing awareness of and sensitivity to migrant cultural and linguistic needs in your parish council or school planning can enrich the pastoral care your parish or school is able to provide. Keeping abreast of the many legislative initiatives to protect human rights and abate the suffering of refugees and migrants can enable you to become a more effective advocate for those in need. The USCCB/MRS web site offers many opportunities for both groups and individuals to express their solidarity with newcomers in each of these ways. Visit the www.usccb.org/mrs/nmw web site for suggestions of how you can become more involved, and for links to the MRS Policy Network.
Scriptural texts used in the National Migration Week resources are taken from the New American Bible, copyright © 1991,1996, and 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved.
Illustration: Stephanie Bianchi Author / Editor: Marcia Timmel
Copyright©2003, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.