No leap of theology is required to place ministry to displaced, uprooted persons in a fundamental relationship to our Christian calling. As we are initiated into our faith through baptism, we are reminded in the covenant made at baptism that we must "seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourself" and "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being". The Baptismal covenant is a call to reach out to those who are a part of a suffering community.

Commencing with the Old Testament, God reminds the people of Israel in Leviticus to extend themselves to strangers since they too experienced alienation as inhabitants of another land. To be linked to our immigrant origins and to affirm our nation as one having a vibrant immigrant tradition is to recall our roots as a basis for identifying with those who are repeating, although often under more traumatic circumstances, the journey of earlier sojourners. Unfortunately, our recollection must also include those periods in our history where nativism and parochialism painfully thwarted the aspirations of newcomers to find a comfortable welcome in their adopted homeland.

As Christians we also understand the many forms in which God's presence is made known and the myriad ways we are called to be receptive to God's grace. In Paul's letter to the Hebrews, welcoming the stranger was noted as the occasion when, surprisingly, God's people might find themselves entertaining angels. Among the unexpected ways in which God's message might be delivered is found in welcoming a refugee family into a community or parish. The reciprocal nature of hospitality is frequently evidenced when the life of the refugee welcomed into a community and the life of the sponsoring parish are both transformed and blessed.

Probably no Gospel story so clearly underscores the hospitality expected of us as than that of the Good Samaritan. On so many levels, the account of the Samaritan offering comfort and support to the wounded traveler underscores the Gospel imperative of hospitality. This parable reminds us that neighbors are often unlike us and may come from communities and regions that have been shunned or treated with disdain. Yet, we are told to embrace an inclusive view of family and community in expressing our faith. In the parable, the provision of hospitality is more than a gesture - it is a willingness to see the hurt friend through to recovery, to make a difference in restoring hope to the suffering. We are admonished to create the time and space to extend help. The story of the Good Samaritan calls us to invest ourselves in the restoration and recovery of others regardless of circumstance. It is also a message against the racism and prejudice that can affect our attitude toward refugees and immigrants.

Linked to all of this is the notion of extending help and hope to the most vulnerable. On virtually any continuum of vulnerability, refugees and displaced persons would rank among the most deserving of our friendship. Thus, our Lord's injunction that as we serve the least of those among us we are truly serving Him makes the critical connection between the ministry of assisting refugees and honoring the Gospel mandate to be hospitable.

Our tradition as an Easter people with a commitment to resurrection takes on special meaning when applied to refugees and displaced persons. Among the many characterizations attributed to refugees is their loss of hope and the despair which often accompanies their hopelessness. The trauma of being a refugee is profound. The refugee leaves home, family and friends abruptly - often in the midst of devastation and destruction. All that defines worth and identity are brutally annihilated. The Government which is to protect and provide safety is often the perpetrator of persecution and violence. Neighbors not of your religion or ethnicity might suddenly become your enemy. Treachery surrounds you as you attempt to suddenly reorganize your life. It is against this reality that receiving refugees into our parishes and communities occurs. The restoration of hope in one's self and in one's ability to move forward without traditional social and behavioral underpinnings is a formidable challenge - one that those who extend hospitality help meet. The motto of refugee resettlement could well be "from death to resurrection".