Daily Meditation for December 18, 2024

December 18 is International Immigration Day. In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly set aside this date for this observance. Care and concern for the immigrant has a long Biblical history. One may find many quotations on this issue in the Old Testament being carried out by Jesus in the Gospel stories and reinforced once again in the remaining areas in the New Testament. Many people of European ancestry who now live in this country are aware of ancestors who came to this land to settle in hopes of improving their lives. Reflection of this history may encourage current citizens to welcome the many immigrants who are fleeing beloved homelands for their own safety and that of their loved ones. Who can improve on Christ’s words on welcoming the immigrant when he says as we quote a corporal work of mercy, “I was a stranger, and you took me in”?

by Philip Zimmer, OSB