JRS Examen  

Take a few deep breaths. It’s the same air that we all breathe, from the refugee on the road to those of us in the comfort of our home. It’s the breath of the Spirit that gives life to each and every one of us. God is present.  
 
For you, God may still feel absent. Continue to explore this feeling of absence. Where is it especially felt? Where’s the space that God needs to fill?  
 
Call to mind an ongoing situation affecting refugees that has moved you. Where is it happening? Who is being affected? Where are they going? Are they being welcomed or met with hostility?  
 
Can you see God’s presence in the situation? In a person? In a gesture?  
 
As you continue to reflect, what strikes you? What do you keep returning to? How does it make you feel? Are you angry? Saddened? Hopeful? Moved?  
 
Sit with that feeling and pay attention. What you are feeling is real emotion.  
 
By this point, you may have identified one thing — a thought, an image, or a feeling— that you cannot leave behind. It is something that sticks with you. Pray from it.  
 
How can you approach this one thing? Is there something you can do at home? Or are you being called forward to take action?  
 
Carry that thought, image, or feeling to the next day. How will it form tomorrow? What will you do differently? Move away from indifference and allow this prayer to become inspired action.              
 
Closing Prayer  
God of all people, We pray that we may accompany those on the road,
Walking in solidarity with those forced from their homes.
May we serve them humbly, recognizing not the cost,
But freely giving from what we have.
Remove all fear and allow us to become a voice crying out in the desert,
Proclaiming the good news and advocating on behalf of all those who are forcibly displaced.  
May we follow your example in being a friend to the excluded and a ready defender in their time of need.
Please keep us united as a family, brought together by faith, hope, and love.
Amen