World Day of Migrants and Refugees ~ Prayer for Migrants

God the Father,

source of life and love,

we are all your children;

with your providential care

guide the path of all migrant people.

God the Son,

obedient to the will of the Father,

You have called us to a holy life;

may migrant people hold on to their

faith in You especially in moments 

of difficulties.

God the Holy Spirit,

fountain of all gifts,

may migrant people open

their hearts to You so that

they may be inspired to hold on

to their hope.

Through the maternal intercession of

the Blessed Virgin Mary, may we all 

at the end of our earthly journey 

be reunited in the place her Son has 

prepared for us.

Amen.

100th World Day of Migrants and Refugees

19 January 2014

Theme: “Migrants and Refugees: Towards a Better World”  

“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more. The sheer number of people migrating from one continent to another, or shifting places within their own countries and geographical areas, is striking. Contemporary movements of migration represent the largest movement of individuals, if not of peoples, in history. As the Church accompanies migrants and refugees on their journey, she seeks to understand the causes of migration, but she also works to overcome its negative effects, and to maximize its positive influence on the communities of origin, transit and destination.” 

(Pope Francis ~ World Day of Migrants and Refugees)

In the holy scriptures, we can see events of migration and seeking refuge.

• Abraham brings his family to a new land as part of a new covenant (Genesis 12:1-7).
• Moses leads his people through the desert back to the Promised Land (Exodus 13:17-22).
• Jesus, Mary and Joseph knew what it meant to leave their own country and become migrants: threatened by Herod’s lust for power, they were forced to take flight and seek refuge in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14).

The Church is God’s family in the world where no one ought to go without the necessities of life and no one is a stranger. Motivated by the charity of Christ and His teaching, the Church offers the love of Christ to all forcibly displaced persons, upholding in each one the inalienable dignity of the human person, made in the image of God. The Church’s response to the divine commandment and attention to the spiritual and pastoral needs of migrants and refugees can be attributed to the love and Compassion of Jesus, the Good Samaritan.