NOTE: Christ in Our Neighborhood is a parish-based program consisting of small Christian communities that gather in the home weekly to prayerfully discuss the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. It’s easy to form a community and you can find out more by searching “Christ in Our Neighborhood at the Diocese of Phoenix website, dphx.org.
This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. The Christ in Our Neighborhood commentary asks us: Have you ever met a refugee? What was his story? Have you contacted him or her to see how he or she is doing?
For many of us, the topic of refugees can seem like merely a political topic, but have you ever meditated on the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt with the newborn child Jesus? If so, you may have done that as part of the Seven Sorrows Rosary which considers some of the moments of heartache endured by our Blessed Mother. Imagine yourself in the scene: What was it like for this young family to leave behind everything and everyone they knew and travel to a far-off land where they would not know the language, customs or cuisine?
For millions of people in our world today, the reality of refugee status is vivid because they have lived it. Fleeing war, violence and oppression, many spend years languishing in refugee camps.
I’ll never forget a 14-year-old boy in my catechism class several years ago. He and his family were driven from their home in Iraq and lived in a refugee camp for four years. He had missed four years of schooling and was struggling to fit into the academic and social scene at his school. I’ve thought about this young man many times over the years and prayed for him and the thousands of others who were forced from their homes. May God have mercy on them all and may our hearts be ever attentive to the suffering of refugees.
If you haven’t joined a Christ in Our Neighborhood small group yet, perhaps you are being called to start one yourself. Check out our website today to find out more: dphx.org/Christ-in-our-neighborhood.
Watch the video of the weekly podcast segment featuring Christ in Our Neighborhood with Bishop Dolan by clicking HERE.
To sign up for our weekly Christ in Our Neighborhood newsletter that has everything you need for your next meeting, visit: https://phoenixdiocese.flocknote.com/CION
