This month's Word of Life is taken from the Book of Exodus, which recounts the increasingly desperate conditions of the Israelites in Egypt. Oppressed and reduced to slavery, they cry out to heaven for help. This cry reaches the heart of God, who decides to intervene and chooses Moses as his messenger. After their liberation, the ceremony that seals the Covenant between God and Israel takes place. The document that reflects this relationship is called the "Covenant Code" (Ex 20-23), accepted by all the people (cf. Ex 24) and whose best-known part is the Ten Commandments. To these are added other prescriptions and laws of various kinds, all related to the extraordinary event of liberation. This month's phrase comes from this heritage of rules for living and behaving.
«shall not mistreat a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt».
The foreigner is among the categories favored and protected by God, for he is among the most vulnerable, along with the poor, the orphan, and the widow. The motivation for this rule appeals above all to the memory of all that the Israelites experienced as slaves in Egypt. God's powerful intervention in the Exodus is continually echoed in the Old Testament. It is an event that the people must always keep in mind, as something that is repeated in various ways in each generation. Origen's commentary on the Book of Exodus is significant: "Whoever oppresses the foreigner shows that he has not yet left Egypt."«[1].
This commandment also appeals to empathy: putting yourself in someone else's shoes helps you understand them and what they need. Those who have gone through a difficult experience should find it easier to identify with another's pain. But in the Old Testament, it's not just a human experience: the first to exemplify what it means to enter into another's situation is God himself.
«shall not mistreat a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt».
How can we put this Word of life into practice? It might be helpful to ask ourselves: Have I ever experienced being a stranger? Have I felt unaccepted, unwelcomed, misunderstood, out of place? What have I learned from these situations? Who is the stranger to me? And who is the stranger to God? How can I welcome him without reservation, just as the Lord does with us? What can I do concretely?
Chiara Lubich writes: «With a God who makes no distinction between people, how can we not have universal fraternity engraved on our hearts? As children of the same Father, we can discover ourselves as brothers and sisters to every man and woman with whom we interact. Therefore, if we are all brothers and sisters, we must love everyone, starting with the person next to us, without holding back. In this way, our love will not be platonic and abstract, but concrete, based on service. A love capable of reaching out to the other; of engaging in dialogue, of identifying with their situations of need, of taking on their burdens and worries. Until the other feels understood and welcomed in their diversity and free to express all the richness they carry within.»[2].
This is the experience of Maryam, a young Pakistani woman: «In a café, I saw the owner refuse to give tea to an elderly woman. I only had a few rupees (the local currency) in my pocket, but I felt I should help her, so I approached the owner and offered to pay. At first, he looked at me doubtfully, but after a pause, he smiled and said, “No, that’s not fair. If you, a customer, are willing to give what little you have to look after her, how much more generous should I be as the owner! It’s easier for me to give her a free cup of tea than to let you pay.” It was a powerful experience. By trying to show love, first to the woman and then to the owner, I’ve seen that a simple act of kindness can open someone’s heart.».
.Augusto Parody Reyes and the Word of Vine team
[1] Origins, Homilies on the Exodus, v, 5.
[2] C. Lubich, Word of Life, May 2006: Words of Life/2 (1991-2006) (ed. F. Ciardi), Ciudad Nueva, Madrid 2026, p. 351.
