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We see God’s face and hear God’s voice in the cry of
immigrants, migrants and refugees, the largest number of them since World War
II. Seventy-one
million people had been forced to flee their homes by the end of 2018*.
As global citizens and as people of faith let us be in a compassionate circle of solidarity with our sisters and brothers from around the globe.
As global citizens and as people of faith let us be in a compassionate circle of solidarity with our sisters and brothers from around the globe.
HYMN
WHO DID YOU SEE ALONG THE WAY?**
Who did you see along the way? What did you see?
Who did you see along the way? What did you see?
We saw a child,
sheltered from the burning sand,
in flight from a king,
a drift from home.
He seemed like one of us.
We saw a man prone beneath an olive tree,
with death in his eyes, estranged from home.
He seemed like one of us.
We saw a woman reaching for her dying son,
held back by police,
no heart for home.
She seemed like one of us.
We saw a crowd, robed in white before the Lamb,
their journey now done,
at last at home.
They seemed to call to us.
Who did you
See? Lyrics © Andrew Hamilton, SJ. Music
© Christopher Willcock, SJ
Leader: We gather in the presence of the God of
infinite love and compassion. God calls
us to bear witness to the dignity of every human person of every culture and
country. We pray with migrants, immigrants,
refugees, and asylum seekers—mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles. We remember
especially the children—frightened, alone, hungry, and cold. These are God’s
children—our children. May we amplify
their voices. May we amplify their cries.
We remember that Abraham and Sarah
welcomed strangers and God blessed them.
We remember “You were strangers in
the land of Egypt.”
We remember Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph who were refugees.
We remember Alan Kurdi, the Syrian refugee child who drowned
in the Mediterranean.
We remember 39 Vietnamese migrant workers who
died in a closed truck in England.
We remember a 5-year-old from
Honduras who was taken from his father in the U.S. He said: “The
immigration agents separated me from my father right away. I was very
frightened and scared. I cried. I have not seen my father again. . . It is
cold at night when we sleep. I have shoes but no socks.”
See the
faces and listen to the voices of the children and other vulnerable people.***
Time for discussion
How can
we learn to recognize the face of God in migrants, immigrants, and refugees? How can we amplify their voices of so that
more people in the world will respond with compassion and justice? How can we get others who minister with us to amplify
the voices of little ones?***
Reading from the Gospel of Mark (Mark 10:13-16)
People were bringing children
to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw
this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not
prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to
you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter
it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
Leader: Let us pray that we may follow the
example of Jesus and embrace and bless the children and all the
vulnerable.
Loving God,
pour out your Spirit upon us
that we have strength and wisdom
to stand with your global family.
We pray in the name of the Incarnate Word.
Amen.
The
service might end with all moving in a compassionate circle dance of solidarity.****
Resources:
*United
Nations on Refugees https://www.unhcr.org/
** Source of the hymn https://www.ocp.org/en-us/songs/78441/who-did-you-see
***Select some of the stories to read from English https://www.project-amplify.org/declarations
****See
a circle dance on World Refugee Day, an invitation to
recognize others as gifts of God, as the Divine among us, an invitation to
dance together with our sisters and brothers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFDqnj_iTXQ
