A detail is seen of “Angels Unawares,” a sculpture by Canadian Timothy Schmalz in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, June 3, 2024. The sculpture depicts a boat with 140 figures of migrants from various historical periods and various nations. CNS PHOTO/LOLA GOMEZ
God walks with His people: Encountering the face of the Lord in migrants and refugees
“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in.” (Matthew 25:35)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
For more than a century, the Vatican has sponsored the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (this year on September 29) to remind us that there are strangers among us, strangers who share in both our humanity and a call to care for one another. If we look at this century past, we realize that the aftermath of both World War I and World War II left tens of millions of people displaced. The Catholic Church has added its voice to calls to nations to welcome these people seeking to rebuild their lives.
One might hope that in the 21st century, the dangers left from the aftermath of war would be lessened. But violence and oppression still mar the lives of millions. Statistics are difficult to verify, but many estimate that there are today more migrants and more people seeking refuge across the globe than at any time since World War II.
Pope Francis has a unique perspective from which to observe the world, and the network of Catholic religious groups and relief agencies recognize a global crisis. Sometimes, when Americans hear the Holy Father addressing questions of migrants and refugees it is perceived that he is looking only at the crisis at the border of the United States and Mexico. Certainly the pope sees and hears of our nation’s challenges – but homeless people seeking safe refuge is a worldwide problem. Time and again he appeals to the nations of Europe to respond more generously to the world’s migrants.
In his 2024 Migration Day message, Pope Francis urges the nations of the world to provide humanitarian and spiritual support to migrants throughout their journey. He notes, “God not only walks with His people, but also within them, in the sense that He identifies Himself with men and women on their journey through history, particularly with the least, the poor and marginalized. In this we see an extension of the mystery of the Incarnation. In this sense, the poor save us, because they enable us to encounter the face of the Lord.”
Pope Francis stresses that Christ Himself was a once a migrant with Joseph and Mary, fleeing to Egypt to escape persecution. When we allow ourselves to see Christ in the refugees of our day, we permit ourselves to see and encounter Christ today.
May God Bless You Always,
Most Reverend William F. Medley
Diocese of Owensboro
Originally printed in the September 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
