Prayer: Remembering the Immigrant
Leader: Our Scriptures tell us of God’s special concern for the “alien” and the “stranger,” or as more contemporary translations say, the “immigrant.” We remember our religious heritage in responding to the Gospel call to serve the poor and oppressed of our society. We respond to that call today by welcoming the immigrants and by seeking comprehensive, compassionate, humane and just immigration reform in our country. Listen as we hear God speak to us of our immigrant brothers and sisters through the words of Deuteronomy.
Reader: For our God is a God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. God defends the cause of the orphan and the widow, and loves the immigrant, giving the immigrant food and clothing. And we are to befriend and love those who are immigrants, for God’s people were immigrants in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:17-18)
A Reading from the National Migration Statement
“This is a crucial moment in our nation’s history. Now is the time to do what is just and fair for the immigrant and for the good of us all. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it very clearly, ‘Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is as dry-as-dust-religion.'”
Prayer Response to the Readings
Side 1: O holy God, your daughters and sons, from all peoples of the world, regardless of borders, praise you.
Side 2: We praise you and give you thanks because you have placed in our hands the immigrant pilgrims who alongside us to make the earth flourish and produce, and who enrich us with their own beautiful cultures and arts.
Side 1: We praise you and give you thanks because you walk always with those who cross borders, in search of well-being, doing their part in building the world you entrusted to us.
Side 2: We praise you and give you thanks for your blessings on all immigrants, on those who cross all the borders into the United States.
Closing
Let us pray for the breaking in of God’s reign in our world today, especially for our immigrant brothers and sisters.
Where our nation budgets for war against immigrants and for prisons to hold them, while Christ says, “Put away your sword…”
Where our country tears spouses apart and separates parents from their children, while Christ says, What God has joined, let no one separate…”
Where many in our country say “Send them back. Let them starve” while Christ says, “I was hungry… and I was thirsty…”
Where many in our country hold hatred in their hearts for immigrants while Christ says, “Love your neighbor as yourself…”
Where our immigrant brothers and sisters are held captive by fear of discrimination and deportation, while Christ came to proclaim liberty to captives…
Where many in our society are blinded by fear of immigrants and imprisoned by ignorance of the gifts they offer, while Christ came to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners…
Your reign come, your will be done. Amen
Archdiocese of Chicago
God Our Father, who called Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini from Italy to serve the immigrants of America, by her example, teach us to have compassion for the stranger, the sick and all those in need, and by her prayers help us to see Christ in all the men and women we meet.
Archdiocese of Chicago
A Prayer for Immigrant Justice
Blessed are You, Lord God,
King of all creation.
Through Your goodness, we live in this land
that You have so richly blessed.Help us always to recognize our
Blessings come from You
and remind us to share them
with others, especially those who come
to us today from other lands.
Help us to be generous, just, and welcoming,
as You have been and are generous to us.
Diocese of Syracuse
Here I Am Lord
Lord, I am here to thank you for my life.
For calling me to be an instrument of accompaniment.
An instrument to make a difference wherever I am.
Lord, open my ears so I can listen in silence and thus be able to hear the needs of my sisters and brothers.
Lord, give me the strength to never give up, even if darkness appears.
Perhaps it’s only me to start, but you are with me.
Lord, give the wisdom to continue being an instrument that listens, gives hope, and accompanies.
Thank you Lord because through service, you fill me with joy.
Lord, I am ready to go to the peripheries.
Be my partner, my guide, my everything.
Amen.
Consuelo Sandoval, Pastoral Migratoria, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Chicago
A Prayer for Migrants
Good and gracious God,
We pray for all people who are migrating
particularly those who are forced from their homes
or separated from their families
because of threats of violence and persecution.
We ask that you protect and keep them safe.Although we come from different countries,
and have our origins in different cultures,
we were created by you, and are made in your image
and therefore we all share an inalienable dignity
that is deserving of respect.Lord we ask that you give us the strength
to defend those who are marginalized,
to give aid to those in need,
to come to the defense of those
who are poor or vulnerable,
and to welcome those who are on the move
into our homes and into our hearts.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
forever and ever.Amen
Dios bueno y clemente,
Oramos por todas las personas queimmigran,
especialmente, por aquellas que son
forzadas a dejar sus hogares o
amenazas de violencia y persecucion.
Te pedimos que las protejas y las pongas
a salvo.Aunque vengamos de distintos paises,
y nuestro origen se encuentre en
diferentes culturas,
todos hemos sido creados por ti y hemos
sido hechos a tu imagen y semejanza,
por lo tanto, todos compartimos una
dignidad inalienable que merece respecto.Senor, te rogamos que nos des las fuerzas
para defender a los marginados
para ayudar a los necesitados,
para salir en defense de los mas pobres y
vulnerables,
y para acoger a aquellos que llegaran a
nuestros hogares y a nuestro corazon.Por nuestro Senor Jesucristo, tu Hijo,
que vive y reina contigo,
en la unidad del Espiritu Santo, un Dios,
por los siglos de los siglos.Amen
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
O Holy Spirit of comfort and eternal presence: spread over us, your weary and anxious people, your protective and reassuring wings, that we might be delivered from our fears of one another: that we might experience the exhilarating freedom of welcoming even strangers without defensiveness, hostility, or suspicion, but rather with openness, hospitality, and the expectation of friendship. In the Name of Jesus, who welcomes all.
Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia
O God of all nations and peoples: We live in a nation of immigrants, and one in which the diverse gifts of many peoples have contributed to our energy and strength. Yet it is one in which some immigrants are discriminated against because of the color of their skin, their language, or the country of their origin. Help us, by your grace, to offer hospitality to all strangers, as our Father Abraham did in the desert. Grant us the wisdom and skill to enact just and merciful immigration reforms so that the hospitality and access to this great land may be offered equally to people of all colors and races and nations.
Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia
Prayer for Migrants and Refugees
Lord Jesus, when you multiplied the loaves and fishes, you provided more than food for the body, you offered us the gift of yourself, the gift which satisfies every hunger and quenches every thirst! Your disciples were filled with fear and doubt, but you poured out your love and compassion on the migrant crowd, welcoming them as brothers and sisters.
Lord Jesus, today you call us to welcome the members of God’s family who come to our land to escape oppression, poverty, persecution, violence, and war. Like your disciples, we too are filled with fear and doubt and even suspicion. We build barriers in our hearts and in our minds.
Lord Jesus, help us by your grace,
To banish fear from our hearts, that we may embrace each of your children as our own brother and sister;
To welcome migrants and refugees with joy and generosity, while responding to their many needs;
To realize that you call all people to your holy mountain to learn the ways of peace and justice;
To share of our abundance as you spread a banquet before us;
To give witness to your love for all people, as we celebrate the many gifts they bring.
We praise you and give you thanks for the family you have called together from so many people. We see in this human family a reflection of the divine unity of the one Most Holy Trinity in whom we make our prayer: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
An Immigrants Prayer
O holy God, we praise You and give You thanks for Your blessings on all immigrants, on those who cross all the borders in the United States. And you, O Lady of Guadalupe, empress of the Americas, be always our protector and intercessor for reconciliation and the building of equality and peace.
Amen.
O bendito Dios, te alabamos y te damos gracias por tus bendiciones a todos los inmigrantes, los que cruzan todas las fronteras de Estados Unidos. A ti Señora de Gaudalupe, emperatriz de las Américas, seas siempre nuestra protectora y mediadora para la reconciliación y construcción de la igualdad y la paz.
Amén.
Remigio Hernández
A Prayer For Immigrant Justice
Blessed are You, Lord God, King of all creation. Through Your goodness, we live in this land that You have so richly blessed. Help us always to recognize our Blessings come from You and remind us to share them with others, especially those who come to us today from other lands.
Help us to be generous, just, and welcoming, as You have been and are generous to us.
Justice for Immigrants
Prayer for Our Immigrant Sisters and Brothers
Blessed are You, Lord Jesus Christ.
You crossed every border
between Divinity and humanity
to make your home with us.
Help us to welcome you in newcomers,
migrants and refugees.Blessed are You, God of all nations.
You bless our land richly
with goods of creation
and with people made in your image.
Help us to be good stewards and peacemakers,
who live as your children.Blessed are You, Holy Spirit.
You work in the hearts of all
to bring about harmony and goodwill.
Strengthen us to welcome those
from other lands, cultures, religions,
that we may live in human solidarity
and in hope.God of all people, grant us vision
to see your presence in our midst,
especially in our immigrant sisters and brothers.
Give us courage to open the door to our neighbors
and grace to build a society of justice.
Pax Christi
Immigration Prayer
Creator God,
open our eyes so we can see you in the eyes of our immigrant brothers and sisters,eyes downcast for having lived so long in the shadows,
eyes challenging us to join them in the streets or picket lines,
eyes lifted looking for the Christ light in us.Compassionate God, who has come to dwell among us,
open our ears to hear the cries of your children,children being separated from their parents,
rounded up in raids,
led to detention centers,
silently giving up dreams.God of Justice, who crosses all boundaries,
give us courage to resist, to say NOto unfair labor practices,
to unjust laws .Give us the strength to stand with and for
your inclusive love,
faith to believe,
another world is necessary and possible.Let it begin with us.
United Church of Christ
Spirit of life, immigrant adults and children have traveled far from home with faith, hope and courage. Many have had terrifying and abusive experiences. We ask that they be comforted and blessed with healing and wholeness. May all levels government, faith communities and organizations work with a spirit of compassion and cooperation so that they may receive the best care possible. Allow resources to be released through generous donations for their food, shelter, healthcare and personal needs. May it be so.
Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants
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