"God’s Bond is Love, and Peace" by Beth
DeCristofaro
The Holy Family of Jesus,
Mary and Joseph
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| Brother Mickey McGrath's painting, "Welcome the stranger," depicts the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. |
Piety
My son, take care of your father when he is
old; kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the
debt of your sins — a house raised in justice to you.
(Sirach 3:14)
Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God's chosen
ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. (Colossians 3:12-15)
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. (Colossians 3:12-15)
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel
of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child
and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going
to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child
and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-14)
and departed for Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-14)
Study
“O Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see
thee lie…” starts the beautiful hymn.
How infrequently are the still nights in places like Bethlehem,
Jerusalem, Tegucigalpa (Honduras), Escuintla (Guatemala), Chibok (Nigeria), Mogadishu
(Somalia), Aleppo (Syria), Rakhine (Myanmar), Asmara (Eritrea), Jalalabad
(Afghanistan)? Here live families who desire to be productive, to be good and
kind to each other, to be holy, to be graced through loving relationships. Here live families loved by God. Here live families desperate to live! And so they move (sometimes at significant
risk) to another country as did Joseph, Mary and their wee babe who was totally
dependent on them for his life as only a God with overreaching, substantial
love and lavish mercy might allow himself to be.
We are a right to life people of God. Are
national rules and regulations which keep people apart more important than our
commitment to God’s sons and daughters?
We welcome strangers from the womb.
Let us welcome the stranger who crosses deserts, seas, barb wire, and
human-made borders to safety especially during National Migration Week January
5-11, 2020.
Action
Listen to the reflection and consider how I
welcome the stranger in my personal life, my community, and my political
activities.
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