From guest contributer Sister Maco Cassetta
“Be doers of the word and not bearers only... Those who peer into the perfect law of freedom and persevere, and are not hearers who forget but doers who act, such as they shall be blessed in what they do… Care for orphans and widows in their affliction and keep oneself unstained by the world.” Saint James 1:19-27
Since our arrival a few days ago, I was pleasantly surprised by this reading that came up in prayer on one of my days in McAllen, TX. Yet, as one of the doers, the blessing received is the realization of my place of privilege since my situation is far from what I witnessed. For one full day, eleven of us including a child in our midst (Lindsey's daughter and Libby’s niece, Layla) gathered at the Respite Center in McAllen as our completed team to be doers of action. Some of us made our way to cross the border to support the families who are waiting in tents before being processed to cross over, while the remaining of us have helped feed and clothe the migrants who arrived at the center for support. We have sorted clothes, packaged food and supplies, and made meals. Most importantly, we have been taking some time to be a presence, to play with the children and rock babies to sleep.
Many of the families that I have met to date come from Central America, the Congo, Brazil, and Haiti. I was even able to put my French to use to communicate with some of the families. While all of us have come from different parts of North America, the “doers” and “blessed” are the men, women and children who have risked their lives to leave their homeland so they can begin anew. I am reminded of my parents who left Venezuela, via Italy, with two babies, myself and my sister, to make our way to Canada for a better life. In those days, migrants’ actions and desires were no different than what I witness today except it is more difficult to be accepted and encouraged to start anew. Like then, it took courage to leave one’s homeland behind and risk displacement for the sake of many blessings. As a nation of privilege, my hope is that we become more welcoming and encouraging without blocking migrants from their deep desires to act and make a better life for themselves…
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