Lent is with us again, albeit somewhat later this year. Nevertheless, no matter when it is, Lent is always a valuable time in our faith journey. Being a Jubilee Year makes this Lent even more special. It is special because we have the Jubilee Year theme, ‘journeying as pilgrims of hope,’ combined with our usual reflections during Lent as a lead up to our celebration of Easter.
In his Lenten message this year (“Let us Journey Together in Hope” 25/02/2025), Pope Francis reminds us that the purpose of our prayer and fasting during Lent is to attune our hearts and minds to that of God. That is, we are called to make God’s concerns our concerns. Who might God be concerned about? The Sunday Gospels during Lent give us a hint of God’s priorities. This year they are all taken for Luke’s Gospel. This Gospel is written from the standpoint of God’s hospitality towards the poor and outcasts of society. Based on this background, Pope Francis invites us to narrow our focus and to be particularly attentive to the plight of migrants and refugees.
In today’s Gospel (Lk. 4, 1-13), Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert. There he fasted and prayed for 40 days. At the end of this time, he was tempted in three extraordinary ways by Satan. First, he was tempted to perform a miracle by changing stones into bread in order to ease his hunger, just for his own satisfaction. Next, he was tempted by the promise of total worldly power if he just sold his soul to the Evil One. Finally, he was tempted to prove to himself that he really was the ‘Beloved of God’ by taking an outrageous risk by throwing himself from the Temple. As we know Jesus resisted all three temptations. In so doing, he showed that he identified himself with the plight of the hungry, the oppressed and those who feel threatened. In so doing, Jesus made a striking statement about his mission. His mission was not about his own comfort but to journey with the poor, sick and the outcastes of society, leading them in hope to the fullness of life.
Through his own experience, we can say that Jesus understands the lives of migrants and refugees. So often, they are hungry. Numerous times, they feel helpless in front of those with power over them, such as the perpetrators of war, violence or persecution in their own country. They take terrible risks to escape, but they are often treated poorly in the country of refuge. During their perilous journeys, fleeing poverty, war, and violence, and subsequent long periods of detention, they must have felt like Jesus in the desert. They were hungry and went without food; they were often exploited by unscrupulous traffickers; they risked all they had, all for a better future for themselves and more particularly for their children. While theirs is a journey cradled by this hope of a better future, it must also be riddled with temptations to give up only they know about.
During this time of Lent, may we allow God to nourish and renew our hearts and minds through prayer and fasting. May God lead us to consider the situation of migrants and refugees. Let us pray for them that they will find security, acceptance, and a welcome in their new home.
Apart from prayer, we may ask ourselves what else can we do? We are often confused by this question. We wonder how we can be a practical part of these people’s lives. Some people are directly involved in the lives of migrants and refugees. However, all cannot do this. Perhaps another way of making a difference is to be kind to all people. Here, kindness is not just being polite. Here, kindness really means opening our hearts to others. It can be conveyed in a warm smile as we wait at the supermarket check-out, a pleasant greeting as we pass on the street or
a sincere apology if we inadvertently brush shoulders as we pass by in a crowded area. Kindness is sometimes reserved for those we know or for those who have done something for us. However, kindness is meant to be shared with all. It is a way of both respecting another person and wishing them well. Such kindness creates a sense of security, peace and welcome in our society. Feeling this atmosphere, migrants and refugees will also feel safe and welcome among us. Such kindness creates an atmosphere where all of us can flourish and be contributors to our community. In this way, we can experience ourselves as pilgrims together on a journey of hope in our common home.
Columban Fr Kelvin Barrett currently lives at St Columban's, Essendon.
