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

March 28, 2026 - Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

There are few hardships in life as difficult to bear as rejection and betrayal. When a friend, family member, or even a stranger treats us without charity or care, we can be wounded quite deeply and feel as though they turned their back on us. This extreme lack of welcome and hospitality can be seen in how the chief priests and Pharisees respond to Jesus as His Passion, death, and Resurrection approach.

They were filled with anger and resentment towards Christ for numerous reasons, as He challenged them and exposed their hypocritical way of life. So, they plotted against Him because they saw Him as a threat and thought it better to punish one man than to let the whole nation fall, as we hear in John 11:50.  

These leaders were, surprisingly, very close to the truth in this assessment. It truly was better that one man (the perfect Man) suffer and die than for Israel (and the whole world) to be condemned. That is the reason Christ came, to bridge the chasm which man had established by original sin. Only through an infinite sacrifice on behalf of both Man and God could humanity become right with their Creator.  

Christ Himself, the God-Man, is the one who shows pure love and openness to others: In giving Himself for us, even in our weakness and brokenness, Jesus gives welcome and redemption to every man and woman on this earth. As St. Paul said in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  

We are called to be welcoming and respectful to all, regardless of the differences in views. “I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners,” says Christ in Luke 5:32. While this may not always mean liking or agreeing with every person we encounter (even Christ pointed out hypocrisy and drove out the money changers in the Temple), it does mean that we are called to love, respect, and be witnesses of Jesus' salvation to the whole world. Through our baptism and vocation to holiness in Christ, we are responsible for helping our brothers and sisters to come to know Him through our example and way of life. 

O God, who have made all those reborn in Christ a chosen race and a royal priesthood, grant us, we pray, the grace to will and to do what you command, that the people called to eternal life may be one in the faith of their hearts and the homage of their deeds. 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)

David Watchorn, Immaculate Conception College Seminary at St. Andrew’s Hall, Class of 2026, Diocese of Metuchen

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