A publication of Sacred Heart University. All opinions are solely those of the authors.
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From the Other Side of the Border

The Feast of the Nativity, we know, is a story beginning with a journey: the beleaguered family searching fruitlessly for safety and shelter. It includes a questionable border crossing: was the Holy Family free to enter Egypt? Every Christmas cycle calls us, as Christians, to search for ourselves in that journey of Divine Incarnation, where we see humanity in its essence—in short, humanity in need—embodied in the Christ child. For people of faith, Christmas isn’t meant to be marking a historical event, but it is the journey of discovering God with us, in us and for us. Yet our place in the journey of the Holy Family this year, in North America, seems neglected (or perhaps distorted).

The U.S. enters this Christmas having chosen—with the support of a majority of Catholics—a political path that promises drastic reduction of immigration and deportation of millions already in the country. The targeting of “the other,” “the foreigner” is sadly a perennial human vice. Canada has caught this anti-immigrant trend as well. On both sides of the border, arguments create a scapegoat for our social ills: inflation, job/housing shortages, homelessness, the list goes on. We say immigrants are “sneaking in illegally” and destroying the lifestyle we believe is our (God-given) right. Few seem willing to critique our institutions and economic priorities in order to recognize and address social inequalities that exist regardless of immigration. It is easier to blame the newcomer, the refugee, for our current problems.

When we, as Catholics, jump on the anti-immigration bandwagon, we are abandoning the Christmas journey, choosing the comfort of the inn that turned away the poor couple, exhausted, homeless, about to give birth to their first child. Once we are ensconced in the “inside” with others guarding their privilege and security, we conveniently forget that overwhelmingly in the U.S. and Canada, Catholics are an immigrant people. Historically, except for our Canadian provinces of Québec and New Brunswick, Catholics have lived as a minority within the various jurisdictions—wanderers seeking shelter, wanting to belong.

How disappointing it is when “wanting to belong” results in forgetting how we came here (who we subjugated), who we are following and who we could be. The recent election reinforces the extent to which Catholics in Canada and the U.S. have become “just like everyone.” Forgetting where we came from—an immigrant people, searching for a better life—we close our hearts to the cry of the world’s poor and the laments of those whom we displaced. Regardless of which side of the border we call home, we accept as “reasonable” the anti-immigration rhetoric that immigration (legal or not) threatens our “scarce” resources in economically challenging times (although we live in two of the wealthiest countries in the world). We prioritize our fear over our compassion. We, who are called to be in the world but not of it, set aside our prophetic call in favor of standing in unison with the men of this world.

Thankfully, Church leaders have spoken out. In response to the election of Donald Trump, the president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, Archbishop Broglio, reminded us that the United States must show concern for “those outside our borders and [be] eager to offer assistance to all.” Echoing this sentiment, Cardinal Cupich said, “We must never tire of living our tradition of service to the needy, of welcoming the stranger, of respecting the dignity of human life, care of the planet and outreach to all those living at society’s margins.” Catholic bishops have spoken out against the dehumanization of immigrants and advocated for the need to strengthen our Catholic commitment to the Church’s social teachings. But their words are not enough: you and I must stop our acquiescence to the anti-immigrant, anti-refugee blame game!

As Christians, we cannot give up our vocation of witnessing the Gospel in exchange for stability, comfort and acceptance by the mainstream. Rather, we must remember that at the core, our faith is the faith of a wandering people who journeyed through the desert, lost, but with hope of a future home. We want to find true comfort and solace in following Christ, our Lord, born homeless, whose parents then had to flee with him to a foreign land. Our faith compels us to be a people of welcome and compassion. Borders are not the answer to that critical question: “And who is my neighbor?”  In Luke (10:37), even the lawyer recognized that “neighbor” was not defined by law, but by mercy.

Merry Christmas! Christ is Born!


Myroslaw Tataryn is professor emeritus at St. Jerome’s University, Canada, and a Ukrainian Greco-Catholic priest.