Wednesday, July 22, 2026

The Sacred Ground of a Soccer Field

Reflecting on how a community of Bhutanese refugees in Pennsylvania finds belonging through soccer, we are reminded that God calls us to build sanctuaries of welcome for all who are displaced.

You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God.

Leviticus 19:34

so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.

Romans 12:5

and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

Zechariah 8:5

My dear brothers and sisters,

It is easy to feel adrift in this world, to feel like a stranger far from home. Perhaps you have felt that way this week, a little lost, a little disconnected. Take heart, for the Lord is always near to the lost and the lonely. His presence is a quiet home for our weary souls.

I was reading a story this morning that warmed my heart and reminded me of this truth. It was about a community of Bhutanese refugees in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Having been forced to flee their homeland, they have found a new life, but you can imagine the profound sense of dislocation that comes with such a journey. And what has become a center of their new community, a place of belonging and joy? A soccer field.

On that field, different generations come together. Elders who remember Bhutan, and children born in America, all find a common language in the game. They are no longer just a collection of displaced individuals; they are a team, a community, a people sharing a history and building a future. In the shared effort of the game, they find a home in one another.

This beautiful, simple story brings to mind the deep wisdom of our faith. We hear the Lord’s command in the book of Leviticus: “You shall love the alien as yourself, for you too were once aliens.” This is not just an ancient rule; it is the living memory of God’s people. We are all, in some way, sojourners on this earth, journeying toward our heavenly homeland. This story from Harrisburg is a gentle rebuke to any impulse to close our hearts. It shows us the life that blossoms when we make room for the stranger.

Saint Paul speaks of the Church as one body in Christ, where “we, though many, are one body… and individually parts of one another.” A soccer team is a beautiful, earthly icon of this spiritual reality. Each player has a different position, a different skill, a different role. The team only works when they move together, supporting one another, celebrating each other’s strengths. On that field in Pennsylvania, they are living out this truth. They are reminding us what it means to be the Body of Christ: to find our strength not in uniformity, but in a unity that cherishes every single member.

And finally, let us not forget the simple, holy gift of play. The prophet Zechariah gives a beautiful vision of God’s restored kingdom: “the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.” This is a sign of peace, of security, of life returned to fullness. A child’s laughter, the joy of a game—these are not trivial things. They are signs of hope. They are whispers of the Resurrection in a world that often feels like Good Friday. For this community, the soccer field is not just a patch of grass; it is a sacred ground where hope is practiced and belonging is made real.

Let us take comfort in this. God can create a sanctuary anywhere, even on a soccer field. And He invites us, in our own parishes and neighborhoods, to help Him build these small sanctuaries of welcome, where everyone, no matter how far they have traveled, can find a place to rest and a reason to rejoice.