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When Peace Comes Again
Christmas Eve, St. Lucy’s Church, the carols rise in the candlelit night, and I am brought back to my childhood church. The lyrics are familiar and comforting. They come easily to my mind, and I sing along with the choir and my brothers and sisters in the congregation. Midway through the service, Away in a Manger begins. But the choir director has added a verse* that is new to me:
Away and in danger, no hope for a bed,
the refugee children, no tears left to shed
look up at the night sky for someone to know
that refugee children have no place to go.
Come close, little children, we hold out our hands
in rescue and welcome to the shores of our land –
to touch and to heal all your fear and your pain,
with dreams for your future, when peace comes again.
*Words by Shirley Erena Murray
I often cry while singing in church, and surely this night was no exception! Receiving the world’s refugees is a part of my life’s work, and to survive it, over the years I’ve learned to let the tears come. It softens my heart and allows me to keep doing the work.
We must not forget that nearly half of refugees are children – fleeing war, violence, gangs, environmental disasters, a fallen government who can longer protect them, or worse, one that has turned against them because of their heritage or religion. We are humbled every day by the courage and fortitude of the families that make it here, to start over for their children.
Today we are feeling the challenge of an incoming anti-immigration administration in our nation’s capitol. We feel so grateful to live and work here, in New York State, in Onondaga County, in Syracuse, where the belief in and support for the importance of new arrivals from all over the world is strong from the top down. It has taken a village to be the kind of place where children can thrive, receive the education, the medical care, and housing, that they lacked on their journey.
InterFaith Works wishes all of you, our supporters and partners, a wonderful New Year, and we send our gratitude for being on this journey with us.
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