At Pentecost the believers celebrated that they were “no longer strangers and sojourners, but a dwelling place of the Spirit” (Eph 2:19-22). With World Refugee Day just a couple of weeks away on June 20, I am reminded yet again that the experiences of refugees, who long to be “no longer strangers and sojourners”, and the celebration of Pentecost find a common thread in the life of Jesus and the message he gave to the Church.
From the beginning to the end of his life, Jesus was not received or welcomed by his own. He had to change residence on several occasions because of hatred. He knew well the experience of the homeless, and so he blesses those who welcome him in the refugee, and curses those who do not assist him in the migrant (Mt 25:31).
The Gospel story about the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13-18) tells us that the refugee, the migrant and the exile are the Lord himself. As soon as he was born, Jesus, the Son of God, was at odds with the political powers that silently spun around him webs of intrigue and hostility. His frail, defenceless family was forced to the only available defence, flight to a strange land.
Effective action on behalf of refugees touches the very heart of God. By stories and example, Jesus explained and lived out the commandment of his Father “You shall love the stranger” (Deut 10:19). This is a constant message of the Scriptures that he studied and prayed. Jesus was hunted down precisely because he constantly dared to remind both Jewish leaders and ordinary people that they had forgotten the message that God had entrusted to them. Ironically, he was captured and executed on the very feast that described the defining moment of the history of Israel – their liberation from the trauma of Egypt, their journey to seek refuge and their arrival in a new land, a new home.
Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church. A group of quite ordinary and frightened people had locked themselves away for fear of suffering the same fate as their leader, Jesus. This fearful group was nonetheless the first community of believers. Jesus gave them the spirit and heart to venture forth, despite their fears, and live with courage. Whatever efforts we make to lock ourselves away, to shut out our own problems or those of others, Jesus can still come through our locked hearts and doors and breathe his Spirit on us.
The massive human displacement we see today strikes fear into many hearts. Building on these insecurities, politicians are able to erect fantastically expensive deterrents, walls of insecurity, and even punishments for those who are strangers and sojourners. In this moment, the heart of our Christian faith is at stake. The Spirit of God calls us to move beyond the comfortable levels of good intentions and beautiful words to resolute action. We are asked to welcome the stranger, because we too were once strangers. The refugee, the migrant, the exile are the Lord himself. The Spirit enters our locked hearts to dwell there so that as we recognize him we may reach out our hands to him.
The celebration of Pentecost and World Refugee Day fit well together.
Mark Raper SJ
President, Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific
June 8, 2014