September 26, 2020
“Recognizing the Lord Jesus in our midst”
(A pastoral message for the 2020 World Day of Migrants and Refugees)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Greetings of Christ’s peace!
I first came to Saipan as a migrant worker. I finished my philosophy degree from San Jose Seminary at the Ateneo de Manila in the Philippines and took the mandatory regency program – a time spent outside seminary walls in order to be immersed in the bigger world and to further discern the calling to the priesthood. I applied for a teaching post in the diocese of Chalan Kanoa and was assigned to Eskuelan San Francisco de Borja in Rota. It was the first time for me to live by myself and to be out of my country. A small island, Rota seemed to be just like my home island of Siquijor in the Philippines. I recognized many similarities between life in the island and back home. And recognizing those similarities made things bearable in the first few weeks, and helped me eventually to adjust to the life of a migrant worker.
“Recognizing” – I believe – is a key to reading the message of the Holy Father for the 2020 World Day of Migrants and Refugees. This year’s message carries the theme, “Forced like Jesus Christ to flee.” Pope Francis recalls his 2018 message and reminds us that in the face of this contemporary challenge, we are called to “welcome, protect, promote and integrate” displaced persons (cf. Message for 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees). To these words, he adds “another six pairs of verbs that deal with very practical actions and are linked together in a relationship of cause and effect.”
1. Indeed, the call for us is to recognize the Lord Jesus in the migrants and refugees in our midst. This is fundamental. Jesus himself told us that he is present in the poor, the needy, the vulnerable and the oppressed (cf. Mt 25: 35-36, 42-43). In our displaced brothers and sisters, we are given the opportunity to encounter the Lord. In them, we are called to see the face of Christ.
However, there are some blocks that prevent us from seeing the Lord who is right in front of us (cf. Lk 24: 16). These hinder us from recognizing the Lord.
In the first place, we might think that we are not connected or related in any way to displaced persons, and so, it is not our concern. And yet, as this current pandemic has shown us among others, we are very much interconnected and we need to face crises and challenges with a greater sense of compassion and solidarity.
It is possible, too, that we harbor some fears: that these migrants and refugees pose a threat to us; that they are a danger to us; or that they will take away our resources. And yet, these fears are unfounded and misguided. Once we have come to know a migrant or a displaced individual, such fears and biases will surely disappear.
Finally, we just might be too turned inwards and focused on ourselves. We worry about ourselves, our loved ones, our own situations. Certainly, this is understandable: it is a spontaneous sentiment, a very human reaction. And yet, as disciples of Jesus, who commands us to love one another (cf. Jn 15: 12), we are called to go beyond ourselves and our limited circle of family and friends. We are called to love our neighbor (cf. Mt 22: 39; Mk 12: 31; Lk 10: 27) and to see them especially in those who are suffering and in need of help (cf. Lk 10: 25-37).
2. In his message this year and in 2018, Pope Francis enjoins us to welcome, protect, promote and integrate our displaced brothers and sisters. The Holy Father, in other words, is directing us to recognize the migrants and refugees in our midst: who they are and what they are experiencing.
To welcome our displaced brothers and sisters is to recognize that they have a place among us, that there is room for them in the inn that is our Church, our community (cf. Lk 2: 7).
To protect them is to recognize the precariousness of their condition. It is to acknowledge that migrants and refugees are vulnerable, that they have particular needs, and that therefore they need assistance.
To promote them is to recognize their gifts, talents and abilities. Displaced persons are not just “objects” of our help, but they are also “subjects” who can contribute positively to our community.
To integrate them is to recognize that they have come to be part of our community. It is to move from seeing them as having a place among us to recognizing them as members of our community: that they belong with us; that actually, they are us.
3. This year, the message of Pope Francis centers on the following six pairs of verbs: to know in order to understand; to be close so as to serve; to listen in order to be reconciled; to share and thus, to grow; to be involved so as to promote; to cooperate in order to build.
I think these words, more than anything else, direct us to turn to ourselves and to examine ourselves. They urge us to recognize who we are and where we are as we face the reality of migration and displacement of persons.
Have we exerted any effort to know and to be close to our displaced brothers and sisters? Have we tried to listen to them, their stories, and their experiences? How much of ourselves and our resources have we shared with them? Have we shown the willingness to be involved and to cooperate on this important matter?
As the Holy Father points out, with these six pairs of verbs that indicate concrete courses of action, we are dealing with a “cause and effect relationship.” Unless we have done the “first part” (that is, to listen, to be close, etc.), we will not be able to carry out the “second part” (that is, to understand, to serve, etc.).
I believe most – if not all – of us strive to follow the Lord and his words. And yet, perhaps, there are things that we are asked to do that we have not yet really done. Perhaps, we are just like the son in today’s parable, who said “yes” to his father, but did not proceed to work in the vineyard (cf. Mt 21, 28-32). Perhaps, we already know what we should do, and yet, we have not come around to doing it.
I know that the Church of Chalan Kanoa is a caring and compassionate community. I know that the men and women of this local Church have a tremendous capacity to be kind and generous, to be open and welcoming to strangers, to migrants and to the displaced. I know this because I myself have received such kindness and generosity.
More than twenty-five years ago, this community welcomed me as a migrant worker, a teacher from a small island in the Philippines. Now, this local Church calls me its bishop, and considers me as its pastor trying to bring people closer to the Lord. I do not just feel that I have a place among you, but rather, I feel that I belong, that I am part of this community.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are blessed indeed that we have this tremendous capacity to be kind and generous, to be open and welcoming to migrants and the displaced. I know of many personal ways by which members of our community have come to their aid. Some have worked hard to help our displaced brothers and sisters to meet civil, social and other requirements. Our Karidat has programs to assist migrants. And still, we can find creative ways to welcome them and to receive them in our parishes, ministries and families – as valued brothers and sisters; equals before God, equals among us.
Indeed, let us recognize this wonderful grace – this capacity to help – that has been given to us. Let us remember this always.
But in case we may have forgotten this, let us not despair: all is not lost. In his mercy and love, the Lord gives us the chance to mend our ways and to recover our bearings. He continuously sends us people, just like Pope Francis, who speaks to us the truth and reminds us of the call to charity.
Indeed, let us be grateful for the chance to welcome and to receive our displaced brothers and sisters. Let us be thankful for the opportunity to encounter the Lord in them. Let us give thanks that the Lord is present and truly in our midst!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
/s/ Most Rev. Ryan P. Jimenez, D.D.
Bishop of Chalan Kanoa
