Christmas Blessings!
Christmas is family time – a time for giving to and receiving from those to whom we relate. Our Home Visitors mission embodied from the outset on the streets of Detroit and on the roads of Nigeria and in the HVM constitution calls us to witness universal love to all people. Epiphany, or Little Christmas, raises our view that we are family with all people. The Magi followed their star, their dream. May we each have the dream that Christ puts in our hearts – that all will be one; we belong to one family.
Pope Francis’ encyclicals underscore that we share a common home; we are family. The pope says that Christians must offer a dignified welcome to migrants because every human being is precious and more important than things.
“The worth of an institution (our country, our self) is measured by the way it treats the life and dignity of human beings, particularly when they are vulnerable, as in the case of child migrants.”
Hope is the key to witness the Love we celebrate at Christmas. When we are hopeful we are energized by our Faith in the One who gifts us with Life, a life we share with all – all people and all creation.
“Jesus, in many ways you are leading strangers into my life. Give me a humble heart, open to receive gifts from others and to receive others into my heart. I will then learn that they are my sons and daughters, my brothers and sisters.” Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P., Biblical Meditations for Advent and Christmas Season.
World Day for Migrants and Refugees is January 15. National Migration Week will be celebrated in the United States January 8-14. This year’s theme is “Child Migrants, the vulnerable and the Voiceless.” As we repent may we work to change our laws and behavior so that solutions can be found to the war, greed and corruption that push people and families from their homes; solutions that benefit the entire family, especially the rights and needs of children.
Could you volunteer?
As Catholics who believe in the sanctity of life, we must not be complicit in the suffering of migrants dying in the shadows. Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center is one organization serving such people in our very diverse metro Detroit area. SWIRC seeks volunteers to assist with the pro bono legal services they provide. Volunteers are needed for translation and preparation of cases. Contact Sr. Rosemarie to see how you might help care for our brothers and sisters seeking life.
Might your parish organization in southeast MI be interested in an educational reflection on immigration? Contact Sr. Rosemarie for details.
Check out US Conference of Catholic Bishops or Latin American Working Group for news on immigration issues.