ROME, JAN. 26, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Migration might be a challenge for the Church today, but it is also an important part of the economy of salvation, according to the leader of the Slovak mission in Rome.
Father Juraj Vittek spoke with ZENIT about the issue of migration, in the context of the Jan. 16 celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
«The phenomenon of migration has reached an unprecedented scale today,» Father Vittek acknowledged, «and has become as well a huge challenge, not only for political communities, but also for the Church.»
Though the issue can be viewed negatively, given its political and social ramifications, Father Vittek reminded that migration has a part to play in the whole history of salvation.
«Just remember Abraham’s emigration to Palestine, which becomes a way of Abraham’s faith,» he said. «[…] Israel becomes a foreigner in Egypt, and Moses leads this nation from abroad to its home country Palestine. And Israel will become itself — after 400 years of exile — foreigners in Palestine.»
Father Vittek asserted that it’s «difficult to read the Old Testament prophets without thinking about exile and immigration.»
Our Lord continued the same story, the priest reflected. «Jesus himself becomes a foreign immigrant already in childhood, with the escape into Egypt. And he lived the ‘lifestyle of a stranger’ — ‘Foxes have holes … but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.'»
«It seems,» Father Vittek observed, «that man sees God’s action precisely when he is a foreigner, when he is abroad. A true foreigner is grateful and sensitive to God’s gift, to God’s providence, God’s guidance. The experience of emigration makes man sensitive to God’s touch and gives him knowledge that the Word of God is living and active. Today’s phenomenon of emigration is awakening in Christians this sensitivity to the economy of salvation.»
Cultural costumes
Furthermore, the priest observed, emigration enriches one’s personal faith.
He noted how a person experiences his or her faith within a particular cultural setting.
«When a person is ‘transplanted’ into a new cultural environment, he is pushed to discover the essence of faith, which can be dressed in a different cultural dress and customs,» he said. «Each culture has its own sensitivity, which enriches the survival of faith. But also every culture brings — in one sense — a certain cultural ‘limitedness’ to the experience of faith.
«Emigration can help the heart to come out of the ‘narrowness’ […] and discover the depth of a substantial experiencing of faith. On the other hand, in exile one can see the true value of his own cultural traditions, especially in faith.»
Happy family
With its challenges, Father Vittek reflected, migration can «help us experience the Church as our common home, which transcends the borders of nations and cultures.»
He added: «It is the task of pastoral ministers to migrants to help people discover this catholic dimension of the Church and living faith. […]
«The phenomenon of emigration could bring a new valuable experience in the Church. Specific experiences of this type, experiences of the Church’s unity in diversity, can be important for building a Christian platform of unification not only in Europe but for the whole of mankind.»
[Mariana Šarpatakyová contributed to this report]
