A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ
328
A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ
328Paperback
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781626984875 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Orbis Books |
| Publication date: | 10/06/2022 |
| Pages: | 328 |
| Sales rank: | 682,970 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.50(d) |
| Age Range: | 17 - 18 Years |
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Read an Excerpt
A Theology of Migration The Life-Death-Birth Process of Migration
The Life-Death-Birth Process of Migration
When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. ( Jn. 16:21 NRSV)
Shortly after I was ordained and began working at my first parish, I received an unexpected call at 5 a.m. I was still learning the ropes of ministry in a Mexican-immigrant community, and the ringing phone jolted me out of bed. Thinking it was an emergency at the hospital, I quickly answered, and a woman named Margarita was on the other end of the line. She was the eldest of fourteen children, and a few months earlier Margarita’s family had immigrated to the United States. They were one of the first families I had met at the parish.
Margarita was in a panic because her car would not start, and she feared losing her job if late for work. She asked for help, and I told her I would come over to do what I could. Before we finished talking, however, she asked if I could talk to her sister Cristina, who also had something she wanted to tell me. Seventeen years old and nine months pregnant, she gasped when she got on the phone and said, “I think I am going into labor.”
With those words, I was suddenly wide awake, and taking a deep breath, I said, “Be right down!” I was about to cross over into a whole new frontier. I rushed to the family’s house, and when I got to the door, Maria—the mother of the fourteen children—said to her daughter, “Just be calm and relax, Cristina. It may not be time yet. Keep walking back and forth, and the contractions may go away.” Since Maria had done this fourteen times before, I trusted her judgment more than mine. In the meantime, I took Margarita to work and came back about a half-hour later.
When I got to the house, Maria looked at me and said, “Cristina is ready to go! But I have to stay here with the other kids. You have to take her!” With those words, my heart sank; my pulse spiked; and I began sweating profusely. For a moment I frantically searched my background for some insight into what I should do next, but I found nothing in my personal experience, formal studies, or seminary training that prepared me for what was about to unfold. As I got closer to the border of this foreign territory, I realized I did not have much of a choice and that nature would have its say. So I joined arms with Cristina and slowly walked her out to the car.
As I got behind the wheel, she started struggling and then looked over at me with this pained look on her face and said, “Tres minutos, Padre. Three minutes!” “Three minutes what, Cristina?” I asked. “My contractions are three minutes apart,” she said. Then a flood of images started pouring over me: sacs breaking, fluid bursting, and a baby screaming. We were on the precipice of natal chaos—all on the front seat of my car!
Table of Contents
Foreword by Pope Francis ixPart One: The Gathering Narratives: The Human Face of Migration
Introduction: A Theology of Migration 3
The Life-Death-Birth Process of Migration 3
The Inner and Outer Journey of Migration 6
A Eucharistic Vision of Migration 8 Migration as a Personal Journey 12
Toward a Renewed Narrative on Migration 14
1. Migration and the Human Story 19
Who Am I before God? 19
Migration and Family Genes 20
Migration and Biological Genes 22
Migration and Political Genes 23
Migration and Our Spiritual Genes 24
The Many Faces of Migration 25
Economic Migrants 26
Forced Migrants or Refugees 29
Internally Displaced Persons 31
Human Trafficking Victims 33
The Xenophobic Shadow 36
A Deep Ambivalence and a Dark Shadow 37
The Sins of Imperialism: Native American Migration 39
The Sins of Racism: Forced African Migration and Slavery 40
The Sins of Nativism: Anti-Immigrant Nationalism 42
The Sins of Militarization: Death at the Border 45
The Sins of Money-Theism: The Idolization of Capital 46
The Human Person Fully Alive 49
Biblical Narratives and Migration 52
Part Two: The Biblical Narratives: Migration and the Christian Scriptures
2. The First Reading: The Old Testament and Migration 65
Adam, Eve, and the Fall: The Migration from Home 66
Abraham and the Covenant: Migration and the Promise 69
Jacob and Identity: Migration and Border Crossings 74
Joseph and Slavery: Migration and Human Trafficking 79
Moses and the Exodus: Migration and Liberation 82
The Israelites and the Desert: Migration and Transformation 86
The Prophets and Idolatry: Migration and the Deported Heart 90
Ruth and the Alien: Migration and Human Solidarity 95
Migration and the Journey from God, in God, and to God 99
3. The Responsorial Psalm: The Inner Landscape of the Refugee Journey 101
The Syrian Refugee Story and the Psalms 103
A Psychospiritual Framework for Refugee Healing 106
The Need for Freedom and Self-Expression: God as Liberator and Companion 108
The Need for Safety and Protection: God as Fortress and Shield 114
The Need for Agency and Justice: God as King and Judge 117
The Need for Community and Belonging: God as Home and Dwelling Place 122
God as Refuge for the Refugee 125
4. The Second Reading: The Early Church and Migration 128
The Early Christian Community: Four Marks of Its Migrant Identity 128
The One Church: The Body of Christ and Many Cultures 131
The Holy Church: The Followers of the Way and the Law of Love 137
The Catholic Church: A Bridge to Eternity and a Heavenly Homeland 142
The Apostolic Church: Disciples to All Nations and a Global Mission 148
The Migrant Church as Pilgrim in the World 153
5. The Gospel Reading: The Divine Migration 155
The Migration of God to the Human Race and His Return Migration 155
The Virgin Mary and the Jewish Law: Migration and the Illegal Alien 156
The Holy Family and the Flight into Egypt: Forced Migration and Its Root Causes 159
John the Baptist and Conversion: Migrating to a New Way of Thinking 164
Jesus of Nazareth and the Incarnation: The Divine Migration and the Cosmic Border Crossing 167 The Good Samaritan and the New Law: Migration and Neighborliness 175
The Samaritan Woman and the Other: Migration and Transformative Encounters 183
Migration and the Christian Scriptures 190
6. The Word in Movement: Transforming Migration Narratives 192
Canterbury Tales and Refugee Tales 193
The Tradition of Pilgrimage and Creating a New Tale 196
Unlocking Human Dignity 200
An Immigrant Creed 203
Part Three: The Eucharistic Narratives: Migration and the Body of Christ
The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ 207
The Foundations of Migration and the Eucharist 207
The Table: A Symbol of Universal Love 209
The Kingdom of God: The Key to Understanding Jesus’ Message 211
The Passover: Israel’s Migration Story and the Eucharist 212
“This Is My Body”: A Spiritual Vision of Human Solidarity 214
Lampedusa: The Real Presence of the “No-Bodies” 214
The Global Indifference to the “No-Bodies” 216
The Desire to Become “Some-Body” 219
The Connection to “Every-Body” 222
“This Is My Blood”: A Mission of Reconciliation 224
Passing Over from Migrant to Person 226
Passing Over from Injustice to Justice 228
Passing Over from Alien to Neighbor 233
Passing Over from Nationalism to the Kingdom of God 235
“Do This in Memory of Me”: Anamnestic Solidarity 239
Part Four: The Mission Narratives: Migration and Mercy
7. The Body of Christ as Bread for the World 249
The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and in the Poor 250
Feeding the Hungry: The Kino Border Initiative 254
A Faith-Based, Humanitarian Response to Hunger 255
The Mission of the Kino Border Initiative 257
Theological Foundations and Organization of the Kino Border Initiative 258
Giving Drink to the Thirsty: Humane Borders 260
A Faith-Based, Humanitarian Response to Those Dying in the Deserts 262
The Mission of Humane Borders 265 Theological Foundations and Organization of Humane
Borders 267
Sheltering the Homeless: Casa Juan Diego 269
A Faith-Based, Humanitarian Response to Multilayered Homelessness 271
The Mission of Casa Juan Diego 272
Theological Foundations and Organization of Casa Juan Diego 275
Committee for Detained Immigrants
Burying the Dead: Reuniting Families 289
A Faith-Based, Humanitarian Response to the Nameless, Migrant Dead 290
The Mission of Reuniting Families 291
Theological Foundations and Organization of Reuniting Families 293
Living Out a Renewed Narrative of Migration 296
Conclusion: “Go in Peace”: A Sacramental Vision of Migration 297
The Liturgies of Society and the Search for Authentic Worship 299
Toward a New Narrative about Migration 302
Acknowledgments 305
Index 309