January 4, 2026 - "The Holy Family"

Both Christian and Muslim Arabs are fleeing today from danger in the hope of finding safety and a better life where they can survive and hopefully thrive.  These are very legitimate aspirations.  At the same time many are afraid of terrorist activity and want to remain safe in their homes, their schools, and their businesses.  Ten years ago, Cardinal Séan P. O’Malley wrote about this on December 17, 2015, in the opinion section of TheBostonPilot.com.  In “Walking in the Path of the Good Samaritan,” Cardinal O’Malley said that we must be careful about security, but we also must avoid allowing the darkness of hatred and prejudice to poison our hearts.  Let me quote some of the things he mentions in his article as they are well worth pondering in this Christmas season:

We cannot afford to be sloppy about security, but we must guard against letting the darkness of hatred and prejudice poison our own hearts.  Since there so few Muslims in our country, it is likely that there are many Americans who don’t have any Muslim friends or don’t even know anyone personally who professes Islam.  American Muslims are much less apt to be radicalized than their European counterparts.  The Muslims here are economically better off, better educated, and much better integrated into the mainstream.  And although Muslims comprise only 1 percent of our population, 10 percent of our doctors (20,000) in the United States are Muslim, my own [Cardinal O’Malley’s] dentist, here in Boston, is Iranian and Muslim…

 

This Year of Mercy is an invitation to live our faith more fully by seeking ways to reflect God’s love and mercy in the way that we treat each other.  In the beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus teaches us that the true neighbor is the one who shows mercy.  In the case of the Samaritan, it was not just a matter of reacting with compassion in the face of a suffering human being, it also required him to overcome any personal prejudice or animosity that he would have felt toward the religion and ethnicity of the wounded man.  The Samaritans felt rejected and despised by the people of the chosen race, and often acted accordingly, as when they refused Jesus and the Apostles hospitality.  There was a Cold War between the Samaritans and the Israelites, and so the Samaritan’s act of kindness was at the same time an act of forgiveness, an act of renouncing prejudice and group hatred.  Jesus ends the parable by saying, “Go and do likewise.”

 

As we mull over the debate about the refugees, let us remember the doors that were closed in the face of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.  We must ask our leaders to be vigilant and protect our citizens, but at the same time we cannot turn our back on so many innocent people who are hungry, homeless, and without a country.  

 I do not believe it is a matter of choosing one course over the other, we can be both vigilant and compassionate.  America is truly great when we do not succumb to fear and prejudice, but rather when we walk boldly in the path of the Good Samaritan.

 

Until next week, 

Fr. John