Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Recently, I was gob smacked by the "Aliens.gov" website. With graphics and text reminiscent of a 1980s-era video game, it declares, "They do not belong here," and reassures visitors to the site: "If you've witnessed an Alien abduction, do not be alarmed. The Alien is in good hands. We will take care of it...and return it safely to its place of origin."

In the same week, I read about Pope Leo's visit to the Canary Islands, where he addressed organizations serving migrants. He asked: "What kind of world have we built, if so many of our brothers and sisters have to risk death in search of life? …Human dignity has no passport."

The contrast between these radically different visions is especially striking as we contemplate that 1 in 70 people worldwide have been uprooted from their homelands.

Through Mt 7:1-5, Jesus reminds us that none of us sees perfectly. Seeing more clearly begins with contemplation, or taking "a long, loving look at the real." What must we clear away in our own lives to see more clearly, as Jesus sees?

—Jill Drzewiecki is the executive director of Casa Romero Renewal Center, bringing nearly three decades of faith-based experience accompanying displaced persons to advance the center’s mission.

Compassionate God,

You alone see clearly. Through your compassionate gaze, every person is a beloved child, created in your image and worthy of belonging.

Protect us, those we love, and the leaders entrusted with the common good from any worldview that distorts the truth of another person's God-given dignity.

Teach us humility.  Help us recognize when our vision is impaired or narrow, where our hearts have hardened, and when we mistake certainty for wisdom. 

Remind us how deeply we depend upon grace, and how often our vision remains incomplete. Help us extend grace and temper our judgments with compassion.  Guide our convictions with love and our discernment by the example and life of Jesus.

Grant us the courage to see migrants and refugees — strangers and all those who differ from us — not as problems to be solved, but as sisters and brothers to be welcomed. 

Perfect our vision with the 20/20 sight of Christ, so that we may see the world as you see it and love others as you love them.

Amen.

—Written by Jill Drzewiecki with the inspiration and support of longtime friend, the Rt. Reverend Brian L. Cole.