Young Adult
GOD OF OUR WANDERING ANCESTORS,
LONG HAVE WE KNOWN THAT YOUR HEART IS WITH THE REFUGEE: THAT YOU WERE BORN INTO TIME IN A FAMILY OF REFUGEES FLEEING VIOLENCE IN THEIR HOMELAND, WHO THEN GATHERED UP THEIR HUNGRY CHILD AND FLED INTO ALIEN COUNTRY.
THEIR CRY, YOUR CRY, RESOUNDS THROUGH THE AGES: “WILL YOU LET ME IN?” GIVE US HEARTS THAT BREAK OPEN WHEN OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS TURN TO US WITH THAT SAME CRY.
THEN SURELY ALL THESE THINGS WILL FOLLOW:
EARS WILL NO LONGER TURN DEAF TO THEIR VOICES.
EYES WILL SEE A MOMENT FOR GRACE INSTEAD OF A THREAT.
TONGUES WILL NOT BE SILENCED BUT WILL INSTEAD ADVOCATE.
AND HANDS WILL REACH OUT—WORKING FOR PEACE IN THEIR HOMELANDS, WORKING FOR JUSTICE IN THE LANDS WHERE THEY SEEK SAFE HAVEN.
LORD, PROTECT ALL REFUGEES IN THEIR TRAVELS. MAY THEY FIND A FRIEND IN ME AND SO MAKE ME WORTHY OF THE REFUGE I HAVE FOUND IN YOU.
AMEN
LONG HAVE WE KNOWN THAT YOUR HEART IS WITH THE REFUGEE: THAT YOU WERE BORN INTO TIME IN A FAMILY OF REFUGEES FLEEING VIOLENCE IN THEIR HOMELAND, WHO THEN GATHERED UP THEIR HUNGRY CHILD AND FLED INTO ALIEN COUNTRY.
THEIR CRY, YOUR CRY, RESOUNDS THROUGH THE AGES: “WILL YOU LET ME IN?” GIVE US HEARTS THAT BREAK OPEN WHEN OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS TURN TO US WITH THAT SAME CRY.
THEN SURELY ALL THESE THINGS WILL FOLLOW:
EARS WILL NO LONGER TURN DEAF TO THEIR VOICES.
EYES WILL SEE A MOMENT FOR GRACE INSTEAD OF A THREAT.
TONGUES WILL NOT BE SILENCED BUT WILL INSTEAD ADVOCATE.
AND HANDS WILL REACH OUT—WORKING FOR PEACE IN THEIR HOMELANDS, WORKING FOR JUSTICE IN THE LANDS WHERE THEY SEEK SAFE HAVEN.
LORD, PROTECT ALL REFUGEES IN THEIR TRAVELS. MAY THEY FIND A FRIEND IN ME AND SO MAKE ME WORTHY OF THE REFUGE I HAVE FOUND IN YOU.
AMEN
Refugees in Scripture reflection
Read now to passages throughout Scripture that give very clear instructions about how we should treat the
refugee—or “alien” or “stranger”—among us.
You shall not oppress a resident alien; you well
know how it feels to be an alien, since you were once aliens
yourselves in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 23:9)
Cursed be anyone who deprives the resident
alien, the orphan or the widow of justice! And all the people
shall answer, “Amen!” (Deuteronomy 27:19)
You shall have but one rule, for alien and native born
alike. I, the LORD, am your God. (Leviticus 24:22)
I will draw near to you for judgment, and I will
be swift to bear witness against sorcerers, adulterers, and
perjurers, those who deprive a laborer of wages, oppress a
widow or an orphan, or turn aside a resident alien, without
fearing me, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:5)
Listen to my prayer, LORD, hear my cry; do not
be deaf to my weeping! For I am with you like a foreigner, a
refugee, like my ancestors. (Psalms 39:13)
So then you are no longer strangers and
sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and
members of the household of God. (Ephesians 2:19)
Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some
have unknowingly entertained angels. (Hebrews 13:2)
We remember the journey of our ancestors in faith, the Israelites, who fled from Egypt with Moses to escape
slavery. God stood with the Israelite, protecting them from Pharaoh, and when they fled Egypt they became strangers in a new land.
God identifies with the refugee even more strongly in the story of the Holy Family. Jesus, the Son of God, became a refugee child when Mary and Joseph departed by night with him and left Israel for Egypt. They escaped from Israel to avoid the wrath of King Herod, who ordered the massacre of all boys 2 years old
and younger.
Today, as we hear about the refugees who are fleeing the Middle East, let us remember the story of these desperate parents, who fled with their infant child, and what belongings they had, to seek safety. The journey of the Israelites fleeing Egypt, of the Holy Family escaping Herod, and of the refugees leaving Syria today can feel like distant stories that have no bearing on our lives. During this month where we focus on the dignity, and right to life of every person, Let us keep all who flee their homes in our prayers, and seek ways to reach out in love.
refugee—or “alien” or “stranger”—among us.
You shall not oppress a resident alien; you well
know how it feels to be an alien, since you were once aliens
yourselves in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 23:9)
Cursed be anyone who deprives the resident
alien, the orphan or the widow of justice! And all the people
shall answer, “Amen!” (Deuteronomy 27:19)
You shall have but one rule, for alien and native born
alike. I, the LORD, am your God. (Leviticus 24:22)
I will draw near to you for judgment, and I will
be swift to bear witness against sorcerers, adulterers, and
perjurers, those who deprive a laborer of wages, oppress a
widow or an orphan, or turn aside a resident alien, without
fearing me, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:5)
Listen to my prayer, LORD, hear my cry; do not
be deaf to my weeping! For I am with you like a foreigner, a
refugee, like my ancestors. (Psalms 39:13)
So then you are no longer strangers and
sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and
members of the household of God. (Ephesians 2:19)
Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some
have unknowingly entertained angels. (Hebrews 13:2)
We remember the journey of our ancestors in faith, the Israelites, who fled from Egypt with Moses to escape
slavery. God stood with the Israelite, protecting them from Pharaoh, and when they fled Egypt they became strangers in a new land.
God identifies with the refugee even more strongly in the story of the Holy Family. Jesus, the Son of God, became a refugee child when Mary and Joseph departed by night with him and left Israel for Egypt. They escaped from Israel to avoid the wrath of King Herod, who ordered the massacre of all boys 2 years old
and younger.
Today, as we hear about the refugees who are fleeing the Middle East, let us remember the story of these desperate parents, who fled with their infant child, and what belongings they had, to seek safety. The journey of the Israelites fleeing Egypt, of the Holy Family escaping Herod, and of the refugees leaving Syria today can feel like distant stories that have no bearing on our lives. During this month where we focus on the dignity, and right to life of every person, Let us keep all who flee their homes in our prayers, and seek ways to reach out in love.
Petitions for Refugees
- For refugees all over the world: that their immediate needs for food, shelter and safety will be met and that they will also be given the opportunity to find work, put their children in school, and forge a new way forward, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
- For an end to the violence caused by religious extremism in the Middle East, and that the countries wrecked by war will be able to rebuild a peaceful society, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
- For all those people who have died caught in the crossfire of war, or on their journey out of Syria to escape the violence, that they may rest in God’s eternal love, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
- That world leaders will work together to help end the violence in the Middle East and to address the needs of the men, women, and children who are flooding out of Syria and Iraq into other countries, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
- For all of us gathered here, that we will commit to building a culture of radical hospitality by urging our family, friends and community to open our hearts and our doors to refugees in need, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
God of all people, throughout history, we have witnessed how your heart moves with compassion for the stranger. We pray that we will embrace the refugee as you have, and that we will never allow indifference or fear to extinguish the light of love. Send us with your spirit as we go out to bring your compassionate love to others. I In your name we pray, Amen.
|
Your neighbors live across the street and the country, across oceans and hemispheres. As millions of God’s children flee war, persecution and poverty, Pope Francis, Caritas Internationalis, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, and Catholic Relief Services invite you to share their journey by walking with them in prayer and support. They have compiled many online resources to educate and call the Catholic Church to action. Most importantly you can read the stories of those around the world who are migrants or refugees to better understand the gravity of this issue. Follow this link and find out how you can reach out in love to your neighbor: www.sharejourney.org/
|
Pope Francis has said, “An authentic faith – which is never comfortable or completely personal – always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better that we found it … If indeed ‘the just ordering of society and of the state is a central responsibility of politics,’ the Church ‘cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice’” (Evangelii Guadium, no. 183).
We can put our faith in action and care for refugees in our midst by contributing to the work of organizations like Catholic Relief Services, by volunteering to support local agencies that assist refugees in our own communities, and by using our power through our democracy, where our voice matters. We can ask our government to do all in its power to help organizations meet the immediate needs of refugees and to end the violence that forces people to flee.
Check out this Advocacy Tool Kit that will help you learn how to write letters, visit with member of congress, petition senators, and so much more. A politically active Catholic is a strong Catholic! There is even a guide for advocacy on social media.
We can put our faith in action and care for refugees in our midst by contributing to the work of organizations like Catholic Relief Services, by volunteering to support local agencies that assist refugees in our own communities, and by using our power through our democracy, where our voice matters. We can ask our government to do all in its power to help organizations meet the immediate needs of refugees and to end the violence that forces people to flee.
Check out this Advocacy Tool Kit that will help you learn how to write letters, visit with member of congress, petition senators, and so much more. A politically active Catholic is a strong Catholic! There is even a guide for advocacy on social media.
