God walks with his people

In his message for World Migrants and Refugees Day, which the Church will celebrate this year on September 29, the Pope writes: “How many Bibles, Gospels, prayer books and rosaries accompany migrants on their journeys across the deserts, rivers, seas and borders of all continents! Blessing Okoedion, a Nigerian trafficking survivor, says she has “relearned what it means to be a Christian.”

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis published his message on the occasion of World Migrants and Refugees Day, set this year for Sunday September 29, centered on the theme “God walks with his people”.

The pontiff writes there that “many migrants consider God as their traveling companion, their guide and their anchor of salvation.” However, “God does not only walk with his people, but also in them, in the sense that he identifies with men and women on their path through history, especially with the smallest, the poor and the marginalized. We see here an extension of the mystery of the Incarnation.

Linking it to the Synod, Pope Francis urges everyone to view today's migrants in light of the exodus of the people of Israel and their long journey from slavery to freedom, which foreshadows “the journey of the Church towards its final encounter with the Lord.

“Their journeys of hope remind us that “our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3h20),” writes François.

“Like the people of Israel in the time of Moses, migrants are often fleeing oppression, abuse, insecurity, discrimination and lack of development opportunities. Like the Jews in the desert, the migrants encounter many obstacles on their way: they are tested by thirst and hunger; they are exhausted by work and illness; they are tempted by despair.

“Yet the fundamental reality of the Exodus, of all exodus, is that God precedes and accompanies his people and all his children in all times and in all places. The presence of God in the midst of the people is a certainty of the history of salvation,” notes the Pope.

“Many migrants consider God their traveling companion, their guide and their anchor of salvation. They confide in him before leaving and seek him out when needed. In him they find consolation in times of discouragement.

“Thanks to him, there are good Samaritans on the path. In prayer, they entrust their hopes to him. How many Bibles, Gospels, prayer books and rosaries accompany migrants on their journeys across the deserts, rivers, seas and borders of all continents!

For the pontiff, “the encounter with the migrant, as with any brother and sister in need, “is also an encounter with Christ.” [. . .] Each encounter on the path represents an opportunity to encounter the Lord; it is an occasion loaded with salvation, because Jesus is present in the sister or brother who needs our help. In this sense, the poor save us, because they allow us to encounter the face of the Lord.

This leads the pope to call on the faithful to pray on the day that the Church has dedicated to migrants for more than a century.

“[L]Let us unite in prayer for all those who had to leave their land in search of dignified living conditions. May we journey with them, be “synodal” together and entrust them, as well as the next Synodal Assembly, “to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a sign of sure hope and consolation for the faithful people of God as they he continue their journey.

Blessing Okoedion echoed the Pope's words during the press conference announcing this year's World Migrants and Refugees Day.

A trafficking survivor from Nigeria, she now works as a cultural mediator in Italy and runs Weavers of Hope, an NGO that has helped around 150 girls and women since 2018 escape sexual exploitation and embark on a path of social and professional reintegration.

“God has truly walked with me, even through those he has introduced me to along the way. Traffickers dehumanize and objectify their victims, leading to a loss of self-esteem and control on his life, his liberty and his dignity,” she said. said.

“The meeting with Casa Rut in Caserta, where I met Sister Rita Giaretta, helped me regain confidence in myself and in others. It also accompanied me to live my faith in a deeper and truer way.

“I rediscovered the values ​​that my family had passed on to me and that I had somewhat lost after being deceived and trafficked by a woman who claimed to be Christian and who attended one of the many churches proliferating in Nigeria .

“I relearned what it means to be a Christian, what love, tenderness, giving and fidelity are. Little by little, I felt that I was being renewed as a person, as a woman and also as a Christian. It was only after this trip that I decided to get back into the game, tell my story and fight against human trafficking.