Prayer For Immigration Issues
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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