Pray that the Lord would protect vulnerable migrants and refugees, and that the Church enjoy the freedom to carry out the ministries that Christ has handed to her.

Reflect
Ministry to migrants is not peripheral to the work of the Church. It is central. It institutionalizes those corporal works of mercy which are an expression of the love of Christ. Jesus taught us that we will be judged on the basis of how we treated the stranger and the prisoner, the hungry and the thirsty (Matthew 25:31–46). It is for this reason that the Church can be found serving people in need at our country’s borders and beyond. Nations have a right to regulate their borders and safeguard the communities within them, while at the same time, prosperous nations are “obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2241). When a person in need comes before us, we don’t check their papers before serving them as Christ taught us. Rather, we recognize their inherent God-given dignity and the reality that “[e]very migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance” (Caritas in veritate, no. 62). 

Act
The USCCB is active in advocating for the rights of religious organizations, including religious charities that serve migrants. Join the USCCB in these efforts by signing up for action alerts at www.votervoice.net/USCCB/register.