2017 Advent Reflections

Transcription

1 IMMIGRATION MINISTRY 2017 Advent Reflections A Journey of Solidarity with Families: Make Straight the Paths

2 December 3-9, 2017 First Week of Advent [Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7/1 Cor 1:3-9/Mk 13:33-37 (2) Pss I] Light one purple candle Be Watchful! Be Alert! for you do not know when the time will come. Mk 13:33 This year Advent begins in December, a bit darker and colder than in past years when the calendar gave us an earlier start to the season. As immigrant companions, we also notice a less hospitable, colder climate toward immigrants than we have in past. We may feel hopeless and helpless as we watch years of progress in the acceptance of immigrants and refugees dissolve into distrust and hate. Today's readings urge us not to be passive: To turn to God, prepare for those saving moments that will transform us and our world. The Prophet Isaiah tells us today that we are the clay and you [God] the potter; we are the work of your hands. We are not only God s creation, but also God s partners in creation and in repairing our broken world and our broken hearts. May we work for justice and acceptance in our communities, in our local and national governments, and around the world. Aid the individual in front of us and the suffering refugee thousands of miles away, for God's face is everywhere. Let us not give up our struggle and witness for immigrants and refugees, whether it is through vigils, public witness, Posadas and Christmas pageants, or in home hospitality for those who are struggling to feed their families, or in purchasing fair trade presents that endure economic justice for the workers who create these gifts and serve as a reminder of our connection with people around the world. Prayer: Loving God, may we begin this Advent season with the words of Jesus to Awake! and Watch! and be not only alert from our own place, but also actively seeking and bringing your presence love and compassion to others, through our good works and hearing hearts. Amen.

3 December 10-16, 2017 Second Week of Advent [Is 40:1-5, 9-11/2 Pt 3:8-14/Mk 1:1-8 (5) Pss II] Light two purple candles They Will Meet Joy and Gladness Sorrow and mourning will flee Is 35:10 Adding the second candle to our Advent wreath this Sunday is a reminder that Advent is a season for joy and growth in the anticipation of Christ s coming. As we continue to pray and study, this week s Gospel reintroduces us to John the Baptist, the voice crying out of the desert. This stranger, wearing unusual clothes and eating odd food, is preparing the way for the arrival of Christ Jesus. In order to hear the preaching of John and to receive his baptism in the River Jordan, the people of Jerusalem had to leave their comfort zone, to walk into unknown wilderness and accept hard spiritual medicine from a man so unlike themselves: They were sinners; they needed to change their ways: they needed God s forgiveness, and they needed to await the arrival of Jesus. Their spiritual journey was just the beginning. For those of us who are native-born U.S. citizens, are we ready to turn to the immigrants in our midst and say: Share your wisdom and knowledge of God with me; Let me hear your stories; Tell me your history; Let me eat your food and enjoy your music; or I have something to learn from you. This Tuesday is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Join others in your parish or community in celebrating the apparition of the Virgin Mary, who like John the Baptist, prepared the way for the people of the Western Hemisphere to welcome her son. Prayer: God of all knowledge may we have the courage to step outside our comfort zones and to acknowledge that we cannot grow spiritually until we admit that we do not have all the answers. Guide us and help us on our journey, as we seek your face. Amen.

4 December 17-23, 2017 Third Week of Advent [Is 61:1-2a, 10-11/1 Thes 5:16-24/Jn 1:6-8, (8) Pss III] Light two purple candles and one pink candle The Spirit of the Lord God Is Upon Me My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord Lk 1:46 The third week of Advent begins with Gaudete/Let Us Rejoice! Sunday. We add a pink candle to our Advent wreath to represent this joy, and to remember and honor the Virgin Mary, who was the first follower and disciple of Jesus. The first to say yes! to His call. Today s Responsorial Psalm is taken from the "Magnificat, Mary s proclamation of joy after accepting the Angel Gabriel s invitation to be the Mother of our Savior. Mary displayed great courage and faith in accepting the angel s call: Courage to tell Joseph, who was not yet her husband, that she was pregnant through the Holy Spirit, and faith that she would not be judged or harmed. We see the face of Mary in the many women who courageously continue a pregnancy rather than terminate the life growing within them, in the immigrant women who risk life and limb to leave their native land to secure their children s future, and in the bravery and endurance of the victims of human trafficking. Mary most brave, Mary most fierce, Mary most enduring: Pray for us! In the Filipino community there is a custom to hold a baby shower for Jesus", where guests bring gifts like diapers, baby formula to donate to a food pantry or other community groups that assist mothers and babies in need. The party ends with praying the Rosary together. Consider sponsoring such a celebration in your parish or community. When you give to these families in need, you honor and give to the Holy Family. Prayer: God of compassion and hope, let us use our spiritual energies to help those in need and to protect the immigrants and the stranger, the poor, and all those who are vulnerable and under attack. Let us remember the robust life of Mary our Mother, and live in her footsteps, in the name of her Son, Amen.

5 December 24-30, 2017 Fourth Week of Advent [2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16/Rom 16:25-27/Lk 1:26-38 (11) Pss I] Light three purple candles and one pink candle Forever I Will Wing the Goodness of the Lord Do not be afraid for you have found favor with God. Lk 1:30 The last week of Advent lasts only one day! We are on the cusp of Christmas and we may feel stressed by last minute planning for Christmas. Please take some time to bypass these obstacles and spend some time with God and God s message for us. Today s Gospel is the familiar annunciation story. The word annunciation means announcement. Often we are passive readers of this narrative, but how can we be active participants in announcing God s presence? You may see people on the street or outside stores asking for money. Don t judge their motives or worthiness. Instead just give, as if he or she were Mary or Joseph on their way to Bethlehem, frantic for assistance. Advent experiences follow us all year round because the needs of the immigrant, the refugee, and the stranger continue. God s presence is announced to us every time we respond to the needs of others and act as God s messengers. We do not leave Advent, but carry it with us on our subsequent spiritual journeys. Prayer: In the face of the needy, begging on the street, you come to us. In the bent body of the immigrant worker, exhausted by long days of work, you come to us. In the faces of the immigrant family kneeling in the back pew of the church, afraid that they will not be accepted, you come to us. At the government checkpoints, where people hope and pray that officials will not deny them entry, you come to us. We search for you and we can find you in the poor, the stranger, the refugee and the migrant, we do not have to look far to see your face. In this season and always. Amen.

6 Human Dignity & Solidarity Immigration Ministry Cardinal Meyer Center 3525 South Lake Park Avenue Chicago, IL We have been seeking compassionate, comprehensive immigration reform since In this 12th year of the journey seeking legislative shelter, may we accompany and welcome our immigrant sisters and brothers through prayer, reflection, and action. Take legislative action at First Week of Advent Give a gift of prayer for migrants and refugees: That we may open our hearts to welcome migrants, we pray... That we may work for compassionate immigration reform, we pray... That we may accompany DREAMers and their families as they face uncertainty, we pray... Second Week of Advent Stand with others by giving honor to Mary-Our Lady of Guadalupe or supporting advocacy activities at Third Week of Advent Join the immigration reform Posada (seeking legislative shelter) on December 15, 2017 at 7 a.m. at 101 West Congress (visit immigrants.org for details and for a Posada directory) or organize a Simbang Gabi, a Filipino custom. Fourth Week of Advent Join the prayer vigil at the Broadview Detention Center, 1930 S. Beach St., Broadview, on Fridays at 7:15 a.m. or pray in solidarity with those being deported. Follow us on Facebook: Visit: For more information contact: Elena Segura esegura@archchicago.org