Mohammed's family, the Holy Family and the whole human family
Boston, 1 March 2012 – The gospel image of the Holy Family, escaping to Egypt to avoid death threats from the king, resonates in the lives of refugees and for those who serve them. Like the infant Jesus, many refugees are young and extremely vulnerable. But in a plight even more terrible than that of the Christ child, their families are often forced apart. The Holy Family escaped the mortal peril of Herod's sword. Mohammed's family was not so fortunate. Nor can Mohammed expect an angel to announce a time of safe return!
The icon of the Holy Family assures all displaced families – and those longing to be reunited with their families – that Christ is with them in their flight and exile. The faces of the Holy Family inspire in JRS workers an active compassion for asylum seekers, and a renewed commitment to accompany, serve, and advocate.
Consistently denied protection of their basic human rights, the stateless, predominantly Muslim Rohingya people encounter a Catholic, Jesuit spirit of hospitality that restores dignity and sustains hope. Cambodian JRS members work hard to help the Rohingya find shelter, make a living, and rebuild their lives amid uncertainties.
Mohammed's story also shows why the JRS mission today goes beyond meeting individual needs. JRS mission includes multilevel forms of accompaniment, service, and advocacy. JRS workers support legal appeals for the Rohingya within Cambodia. As an international organisation with political visibility, JRS also exerts moral pressure on governments, brings attention to endangered human rights, and has a voice at the table of regional and global policy-setting.
According to JRS Asia Pacific Director, Bernard Arputhanasamy SJ, international JRS teams accompanying refugees 'internationalise' the significance of specific situations, motivating action. JRS addresses root causes of refugee crises and improves global responsiveness.
A deeper sense of family
'Family' is a concept or image that brings to mind the closest human bonds—which is why the Holy Family powerfully conveys the human suffering of refugees. But 'family' is a multivalent concept. Why did Jesus warn that love for mother, father, sisters, brothers could stand in the way of the gospel?
'My family' is those who are 'like me' and 'with me'. Families are the building blocks of all societies, yet the idealisation of 'our family' can be the basis of exclusionary visions of class, clan, tribe, ethnic group, race, people, or nation.
Modern Catholic social teaching has repeatedly used the image of the 'human family' or 'the whole human family' to expand our attachments beyond people who are 'like us' or 'close to us'. The human family embraces those who are far away or different: Muslim or Christian, African or European, Asian or American, poor or privileged, secure at home or on the run.
In 2010, Benedict XVI chose 'One Human Family' as the theme of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. He proclaimed all people to be "one family of brothers and sisters in societies that are becoming ever more multi-ethnic and intercultural, where also people of various religions are urged to take part in dialogue…."
The family of Jesus represents the closeness of family ties. The Holy Family evokes compassion for refugee families because Christ is present to and in them. The Holy Family is also a reminder that every family is equally precious in God's sight. All families belong to one human family, whatever their race or religion.
The right of all kinds of families to a secure existence deserves international respect. The local and global voice of JRS promotes the human dignity and rights of asylum seekers like Mohammed, his family, and persecuted minorities like the Rohingya.
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The love of the Holy Family evokes active compassion for all members of the human family, especially those forcibly displaced and seeking refuge. (Tess O'Brien/JRS) |
"I just want to work and live peacefully and look after my family. I want the same things as everyone else", Mohammed, a Rohingya refugee from Burma told JRS Cambodia Director, Denise Coghlan RSM.
Boston, 1 March 2012 – The gospel image of the Holy Family, escaping to Egypt to avoid death threats from the king, resonates in the lives of refugees and for those who serve them. Like the infant Jesus, many refugees are young and extremely vulnerable. But in a plight even more terrible than that of the Christ child, their families are often forced apart. The Holy Family escaped the mortal peril of Herod's sword. Mohammed's family was not so fortunate. Nor can Mohammed expect an angel to announce a time of safe return!
The icon of the Holy Family assures all displaced families – and those longing to be reunited with their families – that Christ is with them in their flight and exile. The faces of the Holy Family inspire in JRS workers an active compassion for asylum seekers, and a renewed commitment to accompany, serve, and advocate.
Consistently denied protection of their basic human rights, the stateless, predominantly Muslim Rohingya people encounter a Catholic, Jesuit spirit of hospitality that restores dignity and sustains hope. Cambodian JRS members work hard to help the Rohingya find shelter, make a living, and rebuild their lives amid uncertainties.
Mohammed's story also shows why the JRS mission today goes beyond meeting individual needs. JRS mission includes multilevel forms of accompaniment, service, and advocacy. JRS workers support legal appeals for the Rohingya within Cambodia. As an international organisation with political visibility, JRS also exerts moral pressure on governments, brings attention to endangered human rights, and has a voice at the table of regional and global policy-setting.
According to JRS Asia Pacific Director, Bernard Arputhanasamy SJ, international JRS teams accompanying refugees 'internationalise' the significance of specific situations, motivating action. JRS addresses root causes of refugee crises and improves global responsiveness.
A deeper sense of family
'Family' is a concept or image that brings to mind the closest human bonds—which is why the Holy Family powerfully conveys the human suffering of refugees. But 'family' is a multivalent concept. Why did Jesus warn that love for mother, father, sisters, brothers could stand in the way of the gospel?
'My family' is those who are 'like me' and 'with me'. Families are the building blocks of all societies, yet the idealisation of 'our family' can be the basis of exclusionary visions of class, clan, tribe, ethnic group, race, people, or nation.
Modern Catholic social teaching has repeatedly used the image of the 'human family' or 'the whole human family' to expand our attachments beyond people who are 'like us' or 'close to us'. The human family embraces those who are far away or different: Muslim or Christian, African or European, Asian or American, poor or privileged, secure at home or on the run.
In 2010, Benedict XVI chose 'One Human Family' as the theme of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. He proclaimed all people to be "one family of brothers and sisters in societies that are becoming ever more multi-ethnic and intercultural, where also people of various religions are urged to take part in dialogue…."
The family of Jesus represents the closeness of family ties. The Holy Family evokes compassion for refugee families because Christ is present to and in them. The Holy Family is also a reminder that every family is equally precious in God's sight. All families belong to one human family, whatever their race or religion.
The right of all kinds of families to a secure existence deserves international respect. The local and global voice of JRS promotes the human dignity and rights of asylum seekers like Mohammed, his family, and persecuted minorities like the Rohingya.
Lisa Cahill PhD, Theology Faculty, Boston College
For the story that inspired this reflection, click here
Please click here for Praying with Refugees in Cambodia
