How can we serve the needs of our immigrants? Some are obvious: food, housing, clothing, protection from enemies, healthcare, learning English, etc. Others less so: belonging, dealing with cultural desolation, the self-respect that comes from earning your own living, being able to make a contribution in the Church and in society.
The parable of the Good Samaritan invites us to project ourselves imaginatively into the situation of others, as the Samaritan did with the man who had been robbed, not just patching him up but thinking of all the needs he would have as the situation developed. Many groups who have begun with simple care for homeless people by inviting them into Church and giving them a cup of tea, have gone on to cater for other needs, such as medical care, drug rehabilitation, alcohol dependency programmes, education, job-finding etc., and the same will be true of our immigrants.
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