One of the most challenging experiences a person can endure is exile. Recognising this, Pope Francis calls us to pray for migrants, refugees, and those affected by war, that their fundamental right to education be upheld and respected. As followers of Christ, we are called to see His face in every person seeking knowledge and growth. By ensuring access to education for all, regardless of circumstances, we sow seeds of hope for a more just and peaceful world. Pray with us today.
Transcript
One of the worst experiences a human being can go through is exile. It’s to be forced to leave your motherland, your loved ones, to suddenly leave everything and flee to unknown foreign lands at times with totally different languages or cultures, where you must start a new life from zero, alone, again. There is this expression in Australia that, it’s not what you know but who you know which sounds like nepotism but that’s how the real-world works. The issue is that refugees and migrants often don’t know anyone to help them restart from zero, to show them the way. That is how and why many refugees endlessly stay on welfare dependency that leads to a long series of dramas including but not limited to mental health complications, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, chronic unemployment or underemployment, youth crime and prostitution, et cetera.
With my friend Peter, we always discuss how one person properly empowered, kid at school or in homework support, an adult through English classes and holistic employment support, is a lot of unimaginable contribution to the society, multidimensionally. Let’s challenge ourselves, every day, against Matthew 25: 31-46. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
This month’s Pope’s intention, the right to an education. Let us pray for migrants, refugees and those affected by war, that their right to an education which is necessary to build a better world, is always respected. Education as part of a holistic approach is the way to help refugees, young and adults, to restart from zero. I like the Chinese proverb, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. I know what this means because that’s exactly what my organisation ARMIA has been doing for the last ten years. Teach them to feed themselves, which also preserves their dignity, rapid integration, as well as multicultural interactions. We holistically empowered thousands of men and women who are now healthy, proud and productive Australians.
But remember, we still have more than a million Australians who can’t speak English, which means they can’t integrate, they can’t work, et cetera. It is extremely complicated to holistically empower New Australians, they often don’t even know they need help. Many were not educated even in home countries. Ten years ago, with our ARMIA wonderful, retired teachers, school principals, we started homework and academic support for refugee kids that had significant learning difficulties. But with our compassion, the teachers’ professionalism and wisdom, those kids who could have left school before year twelve and potentially taken the wrong directions, are now successful workers, entrepreneurs, many are happily married. They are proud, productive Australians, which they weren’t ten years ago.
To cut the long story short, don’t give a man fish, teach them to fish. Then they can feed themselves and own families, pay taxes, contribute to the entire socio-economy of our land. Then that restart in a foreign land that has become their new home is possible, sustainably, after practically healing their deep multidimensional internal wounds from brutal wars in Burma, Congo, Somalia, Ukraine, Syria, Palestine, Colombia, Venezuela, et cetera. As an ageing society, we need our youths in their homes and community, not in overcrowded and super costly detention centres. As hard-working people, we need all fit men and women to actively and proudly participate in our socio-economy. Education plays an enormous role to achieve the latter and this applies in Australia but also elsewhere.
Let us pray.
Jesus, my Lord and my God, I know how much you love the poor, the hopeless, defenceless, the widow and orphan. I thank you for looking after refugees who don’t know anyone in so many foreign lands. I thank you for making the impossible possible for them; I have heard of so many miracles. But so many people continue to be persecuted in their homeland, many continue to be killed, many continue to flee, defencelessly. Please bring peace to the Earth, promote responsible leaders who invest one hundred percent in peace and zero in violence. Those in exile, please keep them and us under your loving and protective wings, help to finally have a dream, guide the host countries and their leaders to adopt proper systems including but not limited to education, so that refugees and migrants can rapidly and sustainably integrate in the new milieu, with your blessings. Help us to see you in every refugee, every least advantaged person, every widow, every orphan, every sick person, every isolated person. The world is losing compassion, please restore it. I pray for Pope Francis and the whole Clergy, they are the best to lead this education mission, they have proven this for centuries across the world. Lord, guide your Church to compassionately continue your Mission for the poor, defenceless, widow, orphan, refugee and migrant.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Amen.