Is there room at the inn? Welcoming the stranger in our midst

Gabino Zavala, JPIC Director
Missionaries of the Precious Blood 

“While they were there the time came for Mary to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7). 

During this season of Advent, we prepare for the coming of Emmauel, God with us. The themes of our expectation are hope, peace, love, and joy. We celebrate Advent with Advent calendars, Advent wreaths, scripture readings. As a child, my fondest Advent tradition was celebrating the Novena of the Posadas, which is celebrated annually from December 16–24.

The Posadas commemorates the journey of Joseph and the pregnant Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, remembering the difficulties they faced. Joseph and Mary were vulnerable and in need. When they arrive in Bethlehem, Mary’s time to give birth has come. Not finding a place of welcome in the crowded inns, they are forced to seek shelter in a nearby stable.

I have heard many Christians say that they would have made room for Mary and Joseph if they had come to their door. But what would they do if those knocking at their door and looking for a place to stay were named Juan, Omar, Rosalia, or Jean-Pierre? Who is the stranger like Joseph and Mary seeking a place of welcome? Who is the stranger in our midst? It’s the undocumented immigrant, the refugee, the asylum seeker, or someone of a different color, language, or culture. Don’t forget that immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and those different than us are human beings to be treated with dignity and respect. 

We are experiencing the worst global displacement crisis in history.  The reasons for this are many: climate change, oppression, war, hunger, violence. Those disproportionately affected are the poor, the vulnerable, the dispossessed. They come from many places and all are our sisters and brothers. Pope Francis writes in Fratelli Tutti that “global society is not the sum total of different countries, but rather the communion that exists among them.” (149) We are part of the communion of the human family, the vulnerable family all over the globe and the vulnerable family here in our midst. As members of the human family, how can we express love and solidarity with our sisters and brothers in times of crisis?

In our country, we have demonized the immigrant. We fallaciously claim that they are criminals, that they are invading our country, that they just deplete our country of all that is good. It is not surprising that many applaud the threat of mass deportations. Our lack of seeing migrants as worthy of being treated with human dignity says more about us than the immigrant. In Missouri, a state senator is proposing a bill that would pay anyone a bounty of $1,000 for turning in an undocumented immigrant. Yes, hard to believe.

 And so, during this Advent season, while we may claim that we wouldn’t have closed our doors to Mary and Joseph searching for a place to welcome, let us ask that we may keep our hearts open to welcome and embrace the poor, the vulnerable, the refugee, the migrant, the stranger.