In His compassion, Jesus asks the women to weep for the most vulnerable members of society in His time—women and children. Today, conditions have not changed, and of the 41 million refugees and displaced persons in the world, 80 percent are women and children.  Positive changes have been made, but women still face the most poverty, lack equal access to education, and are at greater risk for human trafficking.   

This cold statistic comes to life as we hear a reflection from Rosalie from JRS Namibia:

"Chatting with one girl [at the Osire Refugee Camp], I [find] out she is nine years old, and she lives with her sister. To my question where their parents are, she just shakes her head to give me the message that she does not know.

I think about this little girl in a foreign country with no parents, how hard can life get? Who is there to take proper care of her? Who is helping her with homework? Who will make sure that she has something to eat and drink before going to school, and that she is properly dressed? There are so many [other students just like her], she is just one of them."

Lord, we pray for women and children around the world. You asked us to weep for their oppression, and we pray for that we may see their gifts, their strengths, and their plight just as You do. We pray for the wisdom to break down the structures that oppress people based on gender, and we ask that you protect this overwhelming majority of the displaced population.