Lord Jesus, you were once a stranger in a new land, whose family sought safety and refuge. Together, we remember and ask you to hold close those who have been driven from and are fleeing their homes.

Enliven in us your welcoming spirit, that we may seek to wholly and open heartedly receive those most in need. Give us the courage to advocate for refugees around the world and to help create new homes for them in our own communities.

Be a source of strength for those without their home, a solid and secure ground for those feeling unsafe, unsettled and unwelcome. Console them in their time of need, giving solace during a time of great fear and desperation.

Keep us from our own fear, that we may only see your face in those seeking refuge. Deliver us all into your mercy that we may share that mercy and love with all your beloved children.

In your name we pray. Amen.

"Where is your brother?" His blood cries out to me, says the Lord. This is not a question directed to others; it is a question directed to me, to you, to each of us. These brothers and sisters of ours were trying to escape difficult situations to find some serenity and peace; they were looking for a better place for themselves and their families, but instead they found death. How often do such people fail to find understanding, fail to find acceptance, fail to find solidarity. And their cry rises up to God! Once again I thank you, the people of Lampedusa, for your solidarity. I recently listened to one of these brothers of ours. Before arriving here, he and the others were at the mercy of traffickers, people who exploit the poverty of others, people who live off the misery of others. How much these people have suffered! Some of them never made it here."

- Pope Francis, Homily at Lampedusa, July 8, 2013