Pray with Pope Francis Reflection - June 2024

Fr. Edmund Lo, SJ

Friday, June 7, 2024

My brothers and sisters: In this month of June, the Holy Father has invited us to pray for migrants, who have to leave their homeland to flee from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys full of danger and violence; may they find welcome and new opportunities in the countries that receive them.

This prayer intention makes it very clear that not all migrations happen in the same way: There are those who have the means to move on their own accord, and there are those who are forced to move because their lives are endangered.

Leaving behind all that you have and all that you know is certainly not easy; it is made all the more difficult when the journey to safety is a dangerous and violent one.

As early as the times of the Old Testament, this reality of forced migration already existed. The Israelites were themselves migrants, relocating from Egypt to the Promised Land, a dangerous and tumultuous journey that took them forty years.

Therefore, the Mosaic Law demands that the Israelites treat foreigners well, as “you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt”. Let us remember that Jesus has spent his early years as a foreigner in Egypt as well. Kindness has no borders.

It is understandable to make a distinction between “us” and “them”, we are challenged to help them stand on their own two feet and contribute to society, so that “them” become “us”, because this is the spirit of the Gospel.

Let us remove the borders of our kindness, so that our migrant brothers and sisters may feel like home on foreign soil, so that we may build a common home together. May God bless you today.

Watch previous Pray with Pope Francis videos here.

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