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Day 2: Refuge

Editor’s Note: On the second day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” DC Service Corps volunteer Cecilia Gillis reminds us that we are all refugees.

You may have a hard time finding a central story in the Bible that does not involve migration or movement of some kind. God’s chosen people are always on the move, often not by choice. Many Old Testament heroes spend time as foreigners in a strange land: Jacob, Ruth, and Joseph for instance. They depended on the hospitality of others for safety. Moreover, the Israelites spend centuries in captivity abroad, waiting to go home. They were enslaved and taken advantage in the countries where they remained. This experience was so traumatic that God commanded the Israelites to take special care of strangers: “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). This command returns again and again throughout the Bible.

As for the New Testament, the Holy Family themselves were refugees in Egypt, fleeing Herod’s persecution. Our Lord spent roughly the first three years of His life there until it was safe to return to Nazareth. He reminds us to see Him in every stranger or foreigner: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35).

Advent is a time not only to welcome the stranger in a special way, but also to remember that we are all strangers on Earth because this is only our temporary home. This can be so easy to forget amidst the comfort and business of modern life. Refugees or migrants fleeing from war or poverty might make us uncomfortable, because they remind us that not everyone has equal opportunity in this life. Some uneasiness is good; it should remind us that the world is not yet as it should be. Pope Francis says “the presence of migrants and refugees—and of vulnerable people in general—is an invitation to recover some of those essential dimensions of our Christian existence and our humanity that risk being overlooked in a prosperous society.” (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2019). As we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas, let us remember to turn our hearts towards others and therefore to Christ Himself, as we wait to go to our true home.

Question for Reflection: Who is God inviting you to welcome and comfort this Advent?

Posted On: December 4, 2024/Advent

Tagged in:

welcome, advent, refuge, Following the Holy Family in Solidarity, The Holy Family

Cecilia Gillis

Cecilia is originally from New Hampshire but has spent the last four years in snowy Montreal where she studied Political Science and French at McGill University. She is excited to spend the next year with the DC Service Corps growing closer to God and serving others along with the community. Her placement is with the UN High Commission for Refugees where she will work as a Protection Officer. Cecilia loves to learn about different cultures and ways of life, and looks forward to discovering DC. In her free time she enjoys long walks, reading, and playing the piano. She is grateful to have this opportunity to engage with both the beauty and hardship of the world, through Franciscan spirituality and practices.