Welcoming & Embracing the Stranger: Lenten Reflections with the Artwork of James Tissot

February 26, 2026 - Thursday of the First Week of Lent

It is privileged work in the seminary, witnessing men enter formation and eventually leave with the exalted and heavy title: Father. A man becomes a priest because he has encountered Christ in his life. That encounter leads to a call from the Lord to serve others out of love for Jesus. It is both a gift and a responsibility. St. Paul says: “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” 

It is analogous spiritually to natural fatherhood: a life-changing event that brings joy, fear, wonder, and a profound sense of responsibility. A man becomes a father because he realizes that he must choose one love and care for others in the home. A priest is a father because he chooses to love the Church and give good things in the name of Jesus. The foundation of his fatherhood is in Christ’s call to prayer and love.  

Christ speaks of prayer today, the prayer that asks, seeks, and knocks. We all depend on help from above. John Chrysostom said: “He both commanded us to ask, and pledged Himself to the giving.” God welcomes our asking, seeking, and knocking, knowing that we must welcome the answer to come in good time. We meet each day and persevere with prayer, trusting in the providence of our Father in Heaven.  

The gift of prayer becomes love in the good things given to others. God responds to all prayer in the gift of Jesus Christ, the love of God handed over for us. The Word made flesh for us is the answer to humankind’s searching and hunger. Whatever we may need, the Father’s answer is Jesus, His Son, the good given once for all. Our lives model the Father’s love in generosity, in self-sacrifice, in supporting others, in the radical availability of priests. Jesus’s Golden Rule guides our working in love to be hospitable and open to others: the poor, the neighbor, the weary, the burdened, the sinner, the saint, the pilgrim, and the visitor. Most challenging of all is to actively love others without judgment, in forgiveness and mercy, even to the point of loving our enemies. Every encounter can become a grace-filled gift of divine love, rooted in prayer. If we all live the gift of total love in Christ, with the help of His grace, we will bring others to new life in the Father’s total gift of His Son. 

Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord, a spirit of always pondering on what is right and of hastening to carry it out, and, since without you we cannot exist, may we be enabled to live according to your will. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. (Roman Missal)

Rev. Roberto Ortiz, Vice Rector, Director of Liturgy, and Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology

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