Last week, Bishop Erik Varden of Norway explored the definition of populism and the legitimate desire for national identity welling up within many countries today. He also began to unpack how this desire can go astray when citizens become overly attached to their lineage and exclude others whose ancestors don’t date back far enough (a distant relation of mine is Betsy Ross of flag-designing fame, but all the others are Irish potato farmers and Ukrainian coal miners!). What does the call for radical hospitality look like for Catholics in America today?



   Bishop Varden continues, “As Christians we must protest loudly. It is our duty to extend a helping hand to those in need, to open our doors to the homeless, to share our material wealth with the poor. If we wish, as many populist parties say they do, to protect our nations’ Christian heritage, we must first of all keep a high standard of Christian charity alive.” Imagine the irony of trying to maintain our Christian faith by acting in an unchristian way toward the less fortunate! What is a heritage for if not to share it with others and build upon our existing legacy? Especially as Catholics who both belong to this nation and the much larger Kingdom of the Church, we have overflowing spiritual riches to share with the spiritually poor as well as the materially poor. Identity politics that “otherize” people, whether from the right or from the left, offer false relief to ordinary folks by stoking their resentment. It’s much easier to get people riled up and bitter toward others than it is to offer constructive strategies for their betterment. These forms of politics do not advance the Kingdom of God and end up benefiting the Enemy’s kingdom. We can do better!

   So what’s the right attitude? To welcome the stranger is not to relinquish one’s home. “The Catechism stresses the duty of prosperous nations to welcome, as far as they can, ‘the foreigner in search of the security and means of livelihood he cannot find in his country of origin.’ It commends the ‘natural right’ that ‘places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.’ At the same time it declares that immigrants have solemn duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are ‘obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens’ (n. 2241). These reciprocal obligations of welcome and respect ensure that both sides benefit. The one who extends charity and welcomes the stranger purifies their soul of self-love and grows in holiness. The one who receives charity grows in gratitude for the country that receives them and spiritual dependence upon God the Father. Immigrants seeking a better life should find opportunities to flourish as human persons and contribute to their local community. Countries should exercise due caution in maintaining appropriate levels of immigration to ensure proper integration, but the default Christian response is welcome, not cost-benefit analysis. As St. Paul teaches, “Do not forget to entertain strangers; thereby some have unknowingly received angels into their houses” (Heb. 13:2). Next week, we’ll hear a helpful analogy from monastic hospitality about how to balance belonging and welcome in this conversation.

   -Fr. Stephen