{"id":22772,"date":"2020-09-23T17:50:02","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T21:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mklm.org\/?p=22772"},"modified":"2020-09-25T16:58:50","modified_gmt":"2020-09-25T20:58:50","slug":"let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Let us work to be united in heart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Woman and child in El Salvador (Photo by Ted Miles)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The reflection below is based on the readings<\/a><\/strong> for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sept. 27, 2020), which coincides with the 106th annual commemoration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. It was originally written for the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns’ weekly Scriptural Reflections<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

It has been a strange and often disheartening year. A pandemic upends our lives and threatens global stability. Political and social movements spark more division than unifying change. Environmental challenges \u2014 devastating fires, a hyperactive hurricane season in the Atlantic, melting ice, to name a few \u2014 give evidence to increasing vulnerability and risks resulting from climate change.<\/p>\n

On this World Day of Migrants and Refugees<\/a><\/strong> (Sept. 27, 2020), we face the grave situation of more people migrating than at any point in human history, often tragically as a result of war, climate change, economic insecurity, and oppression.<\/p>\n

Numerous aspects of our lives seem to be in upheaval. The resulting emotional and psychological stress is very real. Compassion \u2014 that is, having in us the same attitude that Christ had \u2014 can be increasingly difficult to muster. To echo the sentiments of those listening to the prophet Ezekiel, we might genuinely be crying out that all of this is somewhat unfair.<\/p>\n

While many aspects are out of our control, it seems the gravity of these challenges and our lack of creativity and ability to meet them head on are partially due to our closing inward. We seem to be narrowing our world \u2014 whether through singular news sources, limited interaction with like-thinking people, or sheer closed-mindedness \u2014 which leads to a rigidity and judgmentalism akin to the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus\u2019 day.<\/p>\n

Imagine if we were the audience in each of today\u2019s readings. Imagine Ezekiel calling us to a virtue that preserves all life or supports the common good by wearing a mask for however long we need. What would be our response? If St. Paul were to speak with us as he did to the Philippians, how might being of the same mind and the same love of Christ change how we approach our current divisions? Might U.S. citizens genuinely see that the lives of our Black and Brown brothers and sisters matter, that right now their lives are most important given the racist disregard we allow to persist?<\/p>\n

Could our global community be united in heart in the way Pope Francis envisions in his World Day of Migrants and Refugees message<\/strong><\/a>, “ensuring international cooperation, global solidarity and local commitment, leaving no [migrant, refugee or displaced person] excluded”?<\/p>\n

If Jesus were to share the parable of the two sons with us today, with which son would we identify? Perhaps many of us truly feel like saying, \u201cI will not!\u201d I can imagine numerous other excuses: \u201cWhy bother?\u201d \u201cThese divisions are insurmountable!\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t have it in me!\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet, God\u2019s vineyard needs our tender pruning and care. God\u2019s people need our \u201cYes,\u201d not our disregard or narrow-mindedness. In this Season of Creation<\/strong><\/a>,<\/a><\/u>\u00a0Earth needs our wholehearted metanoia, that we might finally see a kinship with all God\u2019s creation. For our collective joy to be complete, we must remember God\u2019s mercies and embrace God\u2019s encouragement to work for a more just and compassionate world. Reluctant, despondent, tired, and overwhelmed as we may be, like the first son, may we find it in us to go to the vineyard and serve as God calls.<\/p>\n

Merciful God and Creator of all, wake us from the slumber of indifference, open our eyes to suffering, and free us from our insensitivities and self-centeredness.<\/em><\/p>\n

Inspire us, as nations, communities and individuals, to see all as our brothers and sisters, to see our kinship with all Creation.<\/em><\/p>\n

May we share with them the blessings we have received from your hand, and recognize that together, as one human family, we are all migrants, journeying in hope to you, our true home, where every tear will be wiped away, where we will be at peace and safe in your embrace.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adapted from Pope Francis\u2019 Prayer for immigrants and refugees<\/a><\/strong> (April 14, 2016)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On this World Day of Migrants and Refugees, in the midst of unprecedented upheaval, scripture calls us to compassion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":22775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[603,113,167,277,357],"yoast_head":"\nLet us work to be united in heart - Maryknoll Lay Missioners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let us work to be united in heart\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On this World Day of Migrants and Refugees, in the midst of unprecedented upheaval, scripture calls us to compassion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Maryknoll Lay Missioners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MaryknollLayMissioners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-23T21:50:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-09-25T20:58:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/FI_womanchild_el_salvador_ted_miles.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ted Miles\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MKLayMissioners\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MKLayMissioners\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ted Miles\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ted Miles\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/#\/schema\/person\/ffb5739b08580d73f9efe43d5f8744a1\"},\"headline\":\"Let us work to be united in heart\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-23T21:50:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-09-25T20:58:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/\"},\"wordCount\":704,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/FI_womanchild_el_salvador_ted_miles.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"compassion\",\"immigration\",\"refugees\",\"scripture\",\"Ted Miles\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Faith Formation and Pastoral Care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mklm.org\/pastoral-care\/let-us-work-to-be-united-in-heart\/\",\"name\":\"Let us work to be united in heart - 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