October 8

October 7

October 6

October 5th

October 4th

October 3

October 2

Remember the good you received and do the same.

You shall not mistreat a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The experience of feeling like a foreigner

Being a foreigner is not just a legal or geographical status. It is also a human experience that almost all of us, in one way or another, have lived through at some point. We can feel like foreigners whenever we enter a context whose codes we don't understand: a new country, a new job, a school, a residence, a social group, or even a family that isn't our own. We can also feel like foreigners when new generations use languages and references that are incomprehensible to us, or when we discover that the society we thought we belonged to has changed in a direction we no longer recognize. We all know what it means to feel out of place: a common experience that can help us put ourselves in someone else's shoes. The history of humanity has always been a history of encounters between cultures. While migrations have generated conflicts and difficulties, they have also fostered exchange, mutual enrichment, and the profound transformation of societies. Therefore, we can view the phenomenon of migration not only as an emergency but also as an opportunity to renew the human family. It is an invitation to step outside our comfort zones and encounter others. The real challenge is to live through this epochal shift with a perspective capable of discovering the seeds of hope that migration carries within it, transforming welcome into a space for building fraternity. We can begin with small gestures. Actions that may seem insignificant, but which, joined with those of many others, form a silent and real chain capable of becoming a "bulwark against barbarity." Chiara Lubich expressed this in one of her last public appearances, in London, in June 2004: "[...] our experience tells us that, for those who today set out to move the mountains of hatred and violence, the task is immense. But what is impossible for millions of isolated and divided people seems to become possible for people who have made mutual love, mutual understanding, and unity the essential purpose of their lives. [...]" When we live in this way, dialogue can become a true culture of encounter, in which the diversity of each individual ceases to be a barrier and becomes a gift for the common good. As a testament to this, a Swiss parish priest explains the "lessons" he has learned living in a migrant shelter. On the one hand, he became aware of the extent to which racism is latent in each of us; on the other, he witnessed the extraordinary transformative power that arises from encounter: "Just one example: here in Lucerne, a young man from Rwanda lived with us for three years. He had no papers and, when he arrived, he was very psychologically traumatized. At first, it wasn't easy. But, little by little, his original personality shone through again, and with it, our diverse community also flourished into an even more beautiful life. How much we laughed, celebrated, prayed, and overcame uncertainties and great challenges together! We became brothers. This became especially evident on the day this Rwandan brother of ours left against his will. Four police officers came to our house to take him back to his country by force." They were very surprised to find ten people of different nationalities there who had come to say goodbye to him and to see a serene atmosphere in such a difficult situation. (…) Five years have passed and the deep family bond that has been created between us remains very much alive, from one continent to another.«[1] [1] »Migrazioni: sfide e opportunità« in: Ekklesia – n.26 (2025/1)