Our first reading is from Leviticus :
“When strangers sojourn within your land, you shall do them no wrong, the strangers shall be to you as natives among you and you will love them as yourself, for you once were strangers…”
The second reading is adapted from the Q’uran:
“…and let those who possess dignity and ease among you swear to give kindness to the needy and refugees for the cause of God. Forgive and show indulgence”
Spirit of Life, Fuente de Amor,
We come together this morning to give thanks first of all,
For being part of a loving and caring community.
For finding friends who see our inherent worth and dignity
And have heard and felt our cries for justice.
This is the wonderful mystery of life: we are all interconnected, we belong to each other, no one is a stranger. We are part of the human family and one in our struggle for justice and true peace.
Today we remember that somewhere there is a migrant person trying to cross the desert, an ocean, mountains, to get to the other side of hatred, hunger, persecution, death threats, and unspeakable horrors.
Today we remember our brothers and sisters, our children, who are crossing that border risking their lives in order to give life to their families, to mitigate hunger, to flee from certain death, to reunite with family members and be able to breathe freely, to grow up and enjoy the basic human rights guaranteed to all, yet denied to many.
Today on this rainy winter morning we remember the children crossing the US border, being piled up in detention centers, placed in cages resembling dog kennels, separated from their loved ones, shattering their innocence, losing trust in humanity, feeling alone and hopeless…
Spirit of life, grant them hope, grant them strength, protect them, embrace them with your gentle divine arms so that they may remember that they are not alone and that there are many working together to practice the teachings of Jesus, Muhammad, and Buddha to love our neighbors as ourselves.
On this morning we send prayers filled with compassion and unconditional love to all who are on the journey, to all who have lost family members, to all whose beloveds are incarcerated, and need our solidarity and support.
We pray for compassion and love towards all migrants, of all races, countries of origin, religions, ages, sexual orientation, and gender expressions.
“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are our 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.”
Spirit of Life, Fuente de Amor,
May we open our hearts to your call to love one another,
May we be filled with a renewed purpose to heal this world and this broken immigration system,
May we see your divine eyes in the eyes of the poor, the displaced, the migrant, the homeless, the mother praying for the liberation of her children.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus,
May we remember that every child is a child of God,
That Every person is deserving of our compassion and love.
As we re-enact the Nativity and remember the arduous journey of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter, may we remember that today, there are thousands of vulnerable families journeying towards safety.
We who believe in freedom will not rest,
Until the killings stop!
Until all are free!
Until hunger is no longer a tool to control nations!
Until all borders come crashing down to reveal open hearts, healing the world, and enjoying peace with justice!
We honor the courage of all migrants,
We honor each of our stories and journeys,
For we are building the promised land right here, right now!
Today we thank the Creator for all who made it alive,
And we remember with sadness the many who did not… Let us hold them in our hearts.
In the words of our beloved Monsignor Oscar Romero:
“ In the name of all that is good and sacred,
We ask God and those in power:
Cese la represión!
Stop the repression!
Cese la Guerra!
Cese la pobreza!
Que Dios les Bendiga!
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