From Today’s Daily Mass Readings:
Throughout Lent, we invite you to journey with some of the refugees accompanied by JRS. As you read their story, join with them as they cry out for the Lord to free their shoulder from the burden.
Rose’s Story
Days after escaping from captivity, Rose fled the Democratic Republic of Congo, aided and abetted by friends; eventually making her way to Italy.
Although she had now managed to reach safety, her concern remained with her fellow countrymen and women who she had left behind. “But don’t you know what is going on in my country? Everyday, in Congo, there is so much death and so many atrocities. But who can we tell?”
Rose had risked her life more than once to proclaim her people’s rights. She had suffered greatly at the hands of those in power in DRC, and her traumatic past will always be part of her life. “My life is destroyed, I don’t sleep at night, I think and think about so many things.”
#Do1Thing
Rose’s story ends ultimately with her finding safety and protection in Italy. For others, this is not always the case. When we hear stories of such suffering it can be hard for us to imagine how we could make a difference. Sometimes it is worth acknowledging the sense of helplessness we fell as we listen, and recognise it is part of the experience of standing in solidarity with those we accompany.
Today, we invite you to fast from a main meal. In doing so, we stand alongside the many refugees whose fasting is not always a penitential choice.
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