Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I must admit that as I sit to write these Christmas greetings, I am more than a bit unsettled. I am unsettled because as I reflect on the profound meaning of Christmas, that as God entered creation and took on humanity, he entered a broken world. What prompts my unease is the fear and anxiety so many of our brothers and sisters carry today, especially those who are immigrants to this great country, those who are refugees, and those who seek asylum.
Jesus entered a broken world. He was born into a poor family. At Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, all Joseph and Mary could offer for sacrifice was a pair of turtle doves as allowed by Mosaic law for those who could not afford a lamb (cf. Lev 12:8). The Gospels tell us that Joseph and Mary found no place at the inn when they traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus would be born. Thus, Jesus would be born in humility amid the service animals (Lk 2:7). While likely unintentional Jesus’s birth was marked by rejection from the outset.
We know well the story of King Herod hearing of Jesus’ birth and seeking to kill him. Thus, Joseph would receive a message from an angel to flee to a foreign land, to Egypt, to keep the child safe (Mt 2:13-23). As a matter of fact, a parish that I have visited multiple times in Gaza City, in the Holy Land, is named Holy Family Parish precisely because tradition holds that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, spent the night in Gaza on their way to Egypt. I here pause to pray for all the children who grow up, especially in the Holy Land, amid violence and war. How heavy that burden must be. The climate of Jesus’ birth and infancy, as recounted in the Gospels, was one touched by fear and uncertainty.
And I also think of the Magi who come from the East to worship the newborn Christ-child. They were foreigners who brought gifts. As a pastor for some 31 years, that resonates deeply with my experience in the Church: people who come from other lands so often strengthen not only our parishes, but our wider community.
Here in Santa Clara County, I think of the Korean and Chinese communities whose deep faith, commitment, and ingenuity enrich our community life. I think of our Vietnamese and Filipino communities, the Vietnamese who originally arrived as refugees from a war-torn country, and the Filipinos who have contributed greatly to the local workforce in many of our economic sectors. Both have brought appreciated joy and devotion in our local church. I think of Hispanics/Latinos communities, some of whose families have lived in these lands when it still was part of Mexico and others who have immigrated for economic opportunity (like my own parents) or safety reasons (like many I have encountered in pastoral life). They work hard in the service sectors of society to provide peace and stability for their families. Jesus Himself worked with Joseph as a craftsman until about his thirtieth year before beginning His public ministry.
Jesus would later identify Himself with those on the margins: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Mt. 25: 35-36).
While we do not expect the laws of our country to be based primarily or exclusively on teachings from the Bible, we do expect them to be shaped by reason, by lived experience and by a concern for the common good and for the dignity of every human person.
This Christmas, as we welcome the Christ-child into our homes, hearts, and lives, let us also open our hearts to the stranger with whom Jesus identifies.
Merry Christmas!
Most Rev. Oscar Cantú
Bishop of San José