32nd Week in Ordinary Time (C) : Saturday 12th November 2022

John refers to “strangers” who visit the local community to which he writes this very short Letter. However, the fact that he calls them “brothers” shows they are already Christians. John does not develop the theme, of course, but his words remind us that in the Church, there are no strangers, for all of us are brothers and sisters, and there is one God who is Father of us all.

In an ideal world, we would live in countries without borders, without the need for passports and visas. But we are thousands of years away from such an earthly paradise. At least in the Church, we can begin to live this reality by contemplating the face of Jesus in each of our brothers and sisters.

One day, one of our French Jesuit fathers was on a bus in Beijing. He heard a little Chinese boy ask his father: “Is he a foreigner?” With great wisdom, the father answered: “we are all foreigners.” On this earth, we are indeed all foreigners, exiled from Paradise, but in Christ Jesus and his Church, we are no longer foreigners or strangers.

Lord Jesus, bless Your Church with a deep spirit of hospitality and acceptance so that all may find a spiritual home in this community of love.