Welcoming migrants and refugees -- in laetitia!

Today is World Day of Migrants and Refugees, a day that should be declared publicly and celebrated more than it is. I know and love many migrants, some of whom started out as refugees, and they are all wonderful, hardworking, loving individuals who have enriched our society in more ways than we will ever realize.

Why can't everyone see that welcoming those who choose to come to our countries to find a better life is a good idea? They widen our hearts and bring so many beautiful gifts to share. Many of them, coming as they do from places where life is harder and more dangerous than we can possibly imagine, have a greater sense of hospitality than we do. I often think it must be difficult to come to North America, where really, unless we are Indigenous, we are all descended from migrants or refugees from years gone by. Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten that deep sense of hospitality that came with our ancestors from the "Old Country" by sheer necessity. I think it is a sing when we fail to extend hospitality to newcomers and conveniently forget that our people were newcomers, too.

Even so, they come, they surmount the obstacles that face them, and they become valued and valuable members of our communities. Their generosity has put me to shame on occasion -- I think of the people I work with at L'Arche who add so much joy and enthusiasm to my days with their cheerful greetings and unexpected kindnesses.

If we let them, most of our migrants and refugees want only to become our friends and colleagues, and their ability to open our minds and hearts is something we ought to value more than we do. They are not coming to take our jobs or make our lives worse -- they are often fleeing situations that are untenable. We are called to let go of our paranoia and fear of the other, to be welcoming, to join hands with those who come from afar, and to raise a song of gladness. Why not learn a song of theirs, and teach them one of ours?

This evening, we had a beautiful ecumenical prayer, and our last chant was the one posted below. "Rejoice in God, people of the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness!" is the direct translation of the Latin words. As the song lifted our hearts and reverberated through the worship space, I found myself thinking of the many refugees and migrants who have come to Canada in the past year, and how they have added to the mosaic of our life here with their many languages, cultures and traditions. It's definitely something to celebrate, with gladness, in laetitia!

A L'Arche welcome

This morning at work, I was asked to help one of my colleagues with a little story she was writing for our monthly newsletter, and it brought back the memory of my own welcome to the L'Arche Edmonton community.

Our community leader, a friend whom I've known since university, had invited me to go for an autumn walk with her because she wanted discuss the possibility of having me work for her on a part-time basis. When I arrived at the Community Centre, I didn't realize that there would be a group of core members from the Day Program to greet me. A few of them gathered around, and Darren, a non-verbal core member who had been standing beside the door when I arrived, came up behind me and very gently put his hands around my neck.

I was more than a little surprised, but having worked with people with disabilities before, I turned to my community leader-friend and said, "Is this a hug?" just as she said, "that's a hug." We both had to smile.

I see Darren almost daily now. Usually he is sitting at a table, using wax crayons to make multicoloured swaths on paper that are often used for greeting cards and the Day Program's art sales. Occasionally he lets out a hoot of delight, or waves his hands in a particular way to make himself understood. I've learned that he has a particular fondness for swings. At one Friday hot lunch, I found out that he LOVES ketchup on absolutely everything, and that he likes it even more if he can convince one of his friends to go the the kitchen and get it for him. He doesn't have to speak for the L'Arche community to understand him or his heart's desires.

I haven't quite gotten the hang of Darren's sign language, but I enjoy watching the people who have in their interactions with him. One thing's certain: I'll never forget how he gave me my first L'Arche hug.