Jesus & Francis call us to
befriend the Refugees!
According to UN reports in
2013 there were 51 million refugees around the world who have left their homes
due to various painful experiences and war.
The following are
the deep insights of our Pope Francis. Every 20th of June will
be the World Day for Refugees, which the international community devotes to
those who are forced to leave their country in order to flee conflicts and
persecutions. The number of these brother refugees is growing and, in these
last days, thousands more have been made to leave their homes in order to save
themselves. Millions of families, millions, refugees from many countries and of
every religious faith are experiencing in their stories the dramas and wounds
that can only with difficulty be healed. Let us make ourselves their
neighbours, sharing their fears and their uncertainty and concretely
alleviating their suffering. May the Lord sustain the people and institutions
that are working with generosity to ensure refugees acceptance and dignity, and
to give them reasons to hope. Let us think of how Jesus was a refugee, how he
had to flee for his life to be saved, with St Joseph and Our Lady, going away
to Egypt. He was a refugee. Let us pray to Our Lady, for the pain of refugees,
that she be close to these of our brothers and sisters. Let us pray together to
Our Lady for our refugee brothers and sisters. [Hail Mary] Mary, mother
of refugees, pray for us.
According to Br. Jaime Rey, We
Capuchin Franciscan Friars have a fraternal opportunity to be with these
sisters and brothers who have lost their homes and have nobody to claim as
their own. My experience with the Sri Lankan Refugees taught me a lot of lesson
about their uncertainties. Their experience is very traumatizing. One, because
just in a minute or so they are made to lose many things and persons which were
very precious and their own for many centuries. The ‘why’ questions they ask,
their tears, anger, uncertainties, brokenness and emptiness are Passion
Narratives of our day. Our Father St. Francis who found meaning in reaching out
of the walls of Assisi is calling us also to be sensitive to the refugees and
be with them. Many of our Capuchin friars are already involved in this ministry
and it is good to keep our doors and hearts open to this reality. We invite the
Formators to be in touch with the lives of the refugees and help our student
friars to have experience with them. What would be your response to the call of
Jesus & Francis?
No comments:
Post a Comment