A camp for displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
In today’s first reading, God appears to Abram to give him a new name and an astonishing promise – that he will become the father “of a multitude of nations”.
Abraham has already left the security and wealth of his home. Trusting in God’s promises, he sets out without knowing where he is going.
Reflecting on Abraham’s journey and other biblical migrants, Pope Leo XIV writes in his apostolic exhortation Dilexi te, that the “experience of migration accompanies the history of the People of God.”
In calling for migrants to be welcomed and valued, the Holy Father carries forward a long tradition of Catholic Social Teaching. The groundbreaking social justice encyclical Populorum Progressio was published 59 years ago today. In it, Pope Paul VI wrote of the “duty imposed by human solidarity and by Christian charity” to welcome those coming from other countries.
Inspired by Abraham’s faith and animated by the love of Jesus, together let’s pray and work for a better world, where all are welcomed and the dignity of the entire human family is upheld.
Prayer
God of the journey,
you gave Abraham a new name
and guided him to a new land.
Turn our hearts towards
our migrant neighbours.
May those seeking sanctuary
know welcome, safety and hope.
Amen.
Act
Find out more about a Catholic response to refugees and migrants by exploring 'Love the Stranger', a document of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.