Jesus Christ was born in a humble stable because there was no place for him at the inn. And later, according to Christian scripture, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the baby, seeking refuge from King Herod’s decree to kill all newborns.
That was the Christmas tale Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski presented Saturday to 150 undocumented immigrants at the Krome detention center, using the Bible narrative as a metaphor for the immigrants’ travails.
“We are sure Joseph was not delayed trying to obtain a visa to cross the border,” said Wenski, who officiated at an emotional Mass in Spanish, English and Creole. “That is why we can say that Jesus was a refugee and an undocumented immigrant.”
Oh, please. Larry
I was going to say “Oh, please” but darn if Larry didn’t beat me to it.
The article is OK. The comments are worthless. Merry Christmas!
Just cause we can say something does not make it true or relevant to contemporary debate on illegal immigration.
Egypt was part of the Roman Empire, and had been since about 31-30 BC. Israel was made a part of the Empire in 63 BC. Neither were sovereign states, but were under common Roman rule. Residents of the Empire (even if not holding or granted “Citizen” status,as Paul had) could travel from one part to another without visas or papers of transport. Jesus’ parents were also residents, and thus NOT illegal aliens.
I do wish these bishops would do some basic homework to make sure they have the facts straight before making foolish statements.
Both the United States and Mexico and other states in Central America are sovereign states, and each have their own immigration laws. Ours are probably the least strict of any (except perhaps Canada) in the world.
Merry Christmas
Jim <><
[blockquote]The Hebrew word ger is translated variously as “stranger” (KJV, NASB), “sojourner” (RSV, ESV), and “alien” (NIV). A ger was a foreigner who lived in a land outside his homeland, but did so with the permission of the proper local authority. A case in point: When Jacob’s family wanted to sojourn in Egypt, they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land … please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen” (ESV). Royal permission was granted. The verb sojourn has the same root as ger. So the Hebrews became legal aliens in Egypt.
Two other Hebrew words, nekhar and zar, refer to foreigners who came into or passed through Israel. But they were not given the same benefits and protections as the ger (Ex. 12:43; Deut. 15:3; 17:15). The “foreigner” and the “alien” did not have the same social and legal status. Unfortunately, the TNIV and TLV translate ger as “foreigner,” which is erroneous and creates confusion, allowing the reader to think that these categories of people were the same. They were not.[/blockquote]
[urlhttp://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/march/9.54.html]Reforming Immigration: Watch Your Words[/url]