I was a Stranger…

"To welcome the stranger is to acknowledge him as a human
being made in God's image; it is to treat her as one of equal worth
with ourselves - indeed, as one who may teach us something out of the richness of experiences different from our own."

-- Sister Ana Maria Pineda

Every once in a while an extraordinary opportunity comes along – and you pray only that you recognize it and take advantage. Maybe it’s meeting someone who just might be the love of your life. Or the job offer that comes your way, and you’re not sure – should I accept it or not?

The writer of Hebrews says something about wonderful opportunities that come our way. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2) I think the great opportunity is not that we hit the hospitality jackpot and have angels in our living room, although that would make for an interesting evening. The really important opportunity is to love someone who you do not know and who does not know you (a stranger).

Interestingly, the phrase “hospitality to strangers” comes from a single Greek word, philoxenia. Philoxenia itself is a compound word: from philos, meaning love (like Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love) and xenos, meaning stranger (as in xenophobia, fear of strangers). So what the writer tells his readers is that they “must not fail at loving the strangers” among them.

Why? Maybe it’s because when we love the stranger we love as God loves -- with a love that puts us at risk, a love that gives expecting nothing in return.

According to Jesus, the chance to do something truly great comes along more often than we may think. Problem is, we’ve been trained not to see the opportunities, or not to see them for what they really are (and the world has a way of making good students of us all).

The poor, the lonely, the hungry, the weak, the fallen, the strangers – all the marginal people – from one angle they are our opportunity to do something great: minister directly to Jesus himself. “I was once a stranger to you,” Jesus says, “and you took me in.”

The Thai family - strangers to us and we to them. PCC is thrilled to have the opportunity to reach out with the love of Christ to the Thais. Arriving this Tuesday (5/13) from Burma, the Thais bring to us an incalculable gift.

Compassionate God, make your loving presence felt to refugees, torn from home, family and everything familiar. Warm, especially, the hearts of the young, the old, and the most vulnerable among them. Help them know that you accompany them as you accompanied Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their exile to Egypt. Lead refugees to a new home and a new hope, as you led the Holy Family to their new home in Nazareth. Open our hearts to receive them as our sisters and brothers in whose face we see your son, Jesus. Amen. (taken from United Nations High Commission for Refugees)