A Prayer for Refugees

Merciful God, we pray to you for all men, women and children who have died after leaving their homelands in search of a better life. Though many of their graves bear no name, to you each one is known, loved and cherished. May we never forget them, but honor their sacrifice with deeds more than words.

We entrust to you all those who have made a treacherous journey, enduring fear, uncertainty and humiliation in order to reach a place of safety and hope. Be close to these, your sons and daughters, through our tenderness and protection. In caring for them, may we seek a world where no people are forced to leave their home and where all can live in freedom, dignity and peace.

Merciful God, wake us from the slumber of indifference, open our eyes to their suffering and free us from the insensitivity born of worldly comfort and self-centeredness. Inspire us as nations, communities and individuals to see that those who come to our shores are our brothers and sisters.

May we share with them the blessings we have received from your hand and recognize that together, as one human family, we are all migrants, journeying in hope to you, our true home, where every tear will be wiped away, where we will be at peace and safe in your embrace.

Amen.

Note: This prayer was written and published by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.


Related Off-site Links:
Trump Bars Refugees and Citizens of 7 Muslim Countries – Michael D. Shear and Helene Cooper (The New York Times, January 27, 2017).
Trump's Immigration Ban Ban Excludes Countries with Direct Links to Terrorism and Where Trump Has Commercial Holdings – The Real News, January 27, 2017).
Trump's Muslim Ban Triggers Chaos, Heartbreak, and Resistance – Ryan Devereaux, Murtaza Hussain and Alice Speri (The Intercept, January 29, 2017).
Judge Blocks Trump Order on Refugees Amid Chaos and Outcry Worldwide Michael D. Shear, Nicholas Kulish and Alan Feuer (The New York Times, January 28, 2017).
Judge Halts Deportations After Protesters Swarm Airports Over Trump’s Order Barring Muslims – Robert Mackey (The Intercept, January 28, 2017).
Donald Trump, the Refugee Ban, and the Triumph of Cruelty – Dylan Matthews (Vox, January 28, 2017).
Donald Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Hours After She Refuses to Defend His Immigration Ban – Leon Neyfakh (Slate, January 30, 2017).
Trump Refugee Ban Clashes With Faith-Based Groups' Religious Missions – Tom Gjelton (NPR News, January 27, 2017).
Pope Francis: You Can’t Defend Christianity by Being “Against Refugees and Other Religions” – Catholic News Service via Catholic Herald (October 13, 2016).
Pope Francis is the Anti-Trump – James Carroll (The New Yorker, February 1, 2017).
USCCB Speaks Out Against Trump’s Immigration Orders – Mary Pezzulo (Patheos, January 25, 2017).
Responding to Trump's Ban, Top Catholic Bishops Pledge Solidarity with Muslim Refugees – Michael O'Loughlin (America, January 30, 2017).
Bishop McElroy: Trump’s Executive Order is Rooted in Xenophobia and Religious Prejudice – Millennial (January 29, 2017)
Chicago's Archbishop Calls President Trump's Immigration Order a “Dark Moment in U.S. History” – Madeline Farber (Time, January 29, 2017).
LGBT Catholics Stand with Immigrants, Refugees, Visitors from Banned Countries – DignityUSA (January 30, 2017).
Twin Cities Clergy Join Protest Against Trump Immigration Ban – Jean Hopfensperger (Star Tribune, January 30, 2017).
A Message from Archbishop Hebda Regarding President Trump's Executive Order on Immigration Ban — The Progressive Catholic Voice (January 30, 2017).
550 Attend Mass Outside White House in Solidarity with Refugees – Teresa Donnellan (America, January 30, 2017).
How the Catholic Mood About the Trump Administration Shifted in Just a Week – Michael O'Loughlin (America, January 30, 2017).
Donald Trump's Gospel is Not the Gospel of Jesus – Peter Daly (National Catholic Reporter, February 2, 2017).
It’s Time We Stopped Calling Donald Trump a Christian – John Pavlovitz (JohnPavlovitz.com, February 2, 2017).

February 2017 Updates:
U.S. Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump's Travel Ban Nationwide – Laura Yuen (MPR News, February 3, 2017).
U.S. Customs Agents Just Gave Airlines the Green Light to Ignore Trump's "Muslim Ban" – Reuters via Mother Jones (February 3, 2017).
Pence Breaks with Trump: Judge "Certainly" Has Right to Halt Travel Ban – Mallory Shelbourne (The Hill, February 5, 2017).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• "The Movement of Love and Inclusion Has Just Been Unleashed"
• On International Human Rights Day, Saying "No" to Donald Trump and His Fascist Agenda
• On Holocaust Remembrance Day, James Martin Labels as "Appalling" President Trump's Plan to Demonize Immigrants
• Something to Think About – January 29, 2017
• Fasting, Praying, and Walking for Immigration Reform
• May Day 2007
• Reflections on Babel and the “Borders Within”
• Rallying in Solidarity with the Refugees of Syria and the World
• Letting Them Sit By Me

Image: Asylum seekers and migrants descend from a large fishing vessel used to transport them from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos. October 11, 2015. (Photo: Zalmaï for Human Rights Watch)