what does the bible say about helping widows and orphans

“You shall not oppress a resident alien.” (Ex.

“You well know how it feels to be an alien, since you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.” (Ex.

“My father was a refugee Aramean.” (Dt.

God asks that they be treated with dignity and with special respect and attention. On one hand, emigrants, together with widows and orphans, constitute the typical triad of the world of the marginalized in Israel. The Old Testament: “My father was a refugee Aramean”Īres explains how the Old Testament offers abundant doctrine and praxis regarding migration and people in transit. The New Testament, in which Jesus Himself appears as a migrant, “puts special emphasis on welcoming and on fraternity, on universalism and on an apostolic life in movement that overflows borders.” Currently, he’s the Delegate of the Social Sector of the Jesuits in Spain, and a researcher associated with the Institute of Studies on Migration of the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid.Īccording to Ares, the Bible is recognized as describing a reality in movement, with experiences of migration, exile, welcoming, and hospitality, which are part of the foundational experiences of the Chosen People: “My father was a refugee Aramean” (Dt. He has accompanied migrant communities in various parts of the world. In this article, we present his findings from the Bible a later article will deal with the teachings of Tradition and the Magisterium.Īlberto Ares is a Spanish Jesuit who is an expert on the topic of migration. In his booklet “Sons and Daughters of a Pilgrim: Towards a Theology of Migration” (which can be read in its entirety in Spanish at this link), published by Spanish publishing house Christianisme i Justícia, Jesuit author Alberto Ares explores the Bible, Tradition, and the Magisterium to illuminate the situation of refugees from a faith perspective. Syria is the country that generates the largest number both of refugees and of internally displaced persons, followed by Afghanistan, Somalia, and South Sudan. The Mediterranean has become the largest cemetery in the world, where, in 2016 alone, more than 5,000 people lost their lives.

Of that number, 21 million are refugees 38 million are displaced within their countries and 3.2 million are seeking asylum. More than 65 million of those people have been forced to abandon their homes due to armed conflict, generalized violence, or a natural disaster. More than 232 million people (equivalent to one fifth of the most populous country on the planet) are migrants. Jesuit Alberto Ares explains the idea of hospitality in the Christian tradition.

What does the bible say about helping widows and orphans