Welcoming the Stranger: A Call We Cannot Ignore

This past weekend, we celebrated Word of God Sunday, which Pope Francis established in 2019 to strengthen our connection with sacred scripture and emphasize the living nature of God's word in our lives and the life of the Church.

The Scriptures we heard on Sunday have stayed with me throughout the week. Throughout my Wednesday morning pre-dawn run I was reflecting on Saint Paul’s reminder that we are one body in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-30) and Jesus’s proclamation from Isaiah (Luke 4:18-19) that “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” to bring good news to the poor and liberty to the oppressed, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

These words felt particularly significant considering the recent announcement of a significant funding shortfall for Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), an organization whose mission is to create an equitable community where refugees and displaced people can rebuild their lives with dignity. I’ve come to deeply admire IRIS’s tireless work. Here at STM, a devoted corps of volunteers has worked closely with IRIS over the years to welcome refugee families to our local community, and help them find housing, employment, education, and the tools to thrive in their new home.

Over these past few days, I have felt both challenged and reassured by the Word of God, which, as Saint Paul reminds us: “is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). And the Word of God consistently calls us to welcome the stranger, protect the vulnerable, and build communities rooted in compassion and hospitality. On these matters, the Word of God, could not be clearer. In Leviticus 19:33-34, the Lord commands:

When a stranger who sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do [them] wrong. The sojourner with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love them as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” The same commandment, along with a subsequent condemnation by God for doing wrong to the sojourner is echoed in Exodus 22 and 23. Jesus, speaking perhaps from his own experience as a refugee in a foreign land underscores the above in Matthew 25, reminding us of the measure by which we will be judged: “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Jesus’s words leave no doubt about where we will find Him: in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, and the oppressed.

On Sunday, February 9th, many of us will lace up our running shoes for the Annual IRIS Run for Refugees, a 5K that not only supports IRIS’s vital mission but also stands as a visible sign of solidarity with those who seek safety and a fresh start. For me, running this race is an opportunity to embody what it means to proclaim “a year acceptable to the Lord” by taking strides toward justice and mercy.

I encourage everyone—whether you’re running, jogging, walking, or praying for those who participate—to join me in supporting IRIS. The work they do is not only life-changing for the families they serve but also transformative for our communities. When we welcome the stranger in our midst, we live out the Gospel and strengthen the Body of Christ. Let’s work together to ensure that the good news proclaimed by Christ—the glad tidings for the poor, liberty for the captives, and freedom for the oppressed—becomes a reality in our time.