Why Do We Welcome The Stranger?

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

To “welcome the stranger” appears in nearly every culture and religion. It’s worth reflection: To meet a stranger puts us at risk. When we read of how Abraham ran from his tent and bowed down before the three strangers passing by, we find both a moral exemplar and an ancient custom of remarkable prudence. Abraham lived in a lawless land, where hospitality kept neighbors at peace. Having hundreds at his command, he might have felt secure in his worldly power, but he knew better than to abuse or to ignore the strangers. Indeed, he encountered the Lord among them.

However, holy fear is only the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom sees the stranger, not only as a risk, but also an opportunity. The stranger, precisely because he is strange to us, introduces something new into our world. Unlike the birds that God led before Adam in Eden, the stranger (in this case, Eve), introduces an opportunity for the greatest of earthly goods – an opportunity for friendship. C. S. Lewis says, “What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.” Herein lies the root of our dignity, the very image of God within us, and of our positive desire to welcome the stranger; We are capable of friendship in the truth.

No worldly wisdom will expect to find a friend in every stranger, yet Christ surpasses worldly wisdom. In Him, the stranger to all creation – God Himself – has called each of us into friendship: with Him and through Him into friendship with every friend of His. To love one another as called into friendship with God is Christian charity. We know the risk of such love, so we must remind ourselves of the cross of Christ who welcomed the world estranged from Himself. We also know the reward: we welcome in every stranger, a friend in Christ.

Henry Cappello is President and Executive Director of Caritas in Veritate International