By Carol Glatz (CNS)
With their courage and tenacity in the pursuit of happiness, migrants and refugees are "messengers of hope," said Pope Leo XIV.
"Their courage and tenacity bear heroic witness to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migratory routes," the Pope wrote in his message for the celebration of the World Migrants Day and Refugee from October 4 to 5, which will coincide with the Jubilee of Migrants.
Migrants and refugees also remind the Catholic Church that she too is on a journey and that true citizenship is in heaven, he wrote. "Every time the Church gives in to the temptation of sedentarization and ceases to be civitas peregrineThe Pope wrote, quoting the founder of his religious order, St. Augustine, "God's people, on their way to their heavenly homeland, cease to be in the world and become of the world.
Seeking the common good
"The current global context is sadly marked by wars, violence, injustice and extreme weather phenomena, forcing millions of people to leave their countries of origin in search of refuge elsewhere," his message states.
"The widespread tendency to look after the interests of limited communities poses a serious threat to responsibility sharing, multilateral cooperation, the pursuit of the common good and global solidarity for the benefit of the entire human family," he says.
"The prospect of a renewed arms race and the development of new armaments, including nuclear weapons, the failure to take into account the harmful effects of the current climate crisis and the impact of profound economic inequalities make the challenges of the present and the future ever more demanding," the Pope wrote.
"In the face of terrifying scenarios and the possibility of global devastation," he wrote, more people must yearn for a future of peace and respect for the dignity of all. "This future is essential to God's plan for humanity and the rest of creation."
God has placed the desire for happiness in the heart of every human being, he wrote. In fact, "the search for happiness and the prospect of finding it beyond one's place of origin is undoubtedly one of the main motivations for the movement of people today."
"Many migrants, refugees and displaced persons are privileged witnesses of hope," he wrote. "Indeed, they demonstrate it daily by their resilience and trust in God, facing adversity as they seek a future in which they envision that integral human development and happiness are possible."
"In a world darkened by war and injustice, even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees are messengers of hope," he wrote.
"In a special way, Catholic migrants and refugees can become missionaries of hope in the countries that welcome them," Pope Leo wrote. "With their spiritual enthusiasm and vitality, they can help revitalize ecclesial communities that have become rigid and burdened, where spiritual desertification is advancing at an alarming rate."
The presence of Catholic migrants and refugees "must be recognized and appreciated as a true divine blessing," he wrote. Citing the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews, he reminded the faithful not to neglect hospitality towards strangers, since, "by it, some unknowingly entertained angels."
