At Our Southern Border

In July, I had the privilege of traveling to McAllen, TX, and joining our IHM inter-congregational house. Each day was uniquely different and a profound awakening on many levels. It is one thing to see news reports and read articles about the immigrant situation at our southern border, but actually seeing and speaking to immigrant families and hearing their experiences pierces the human heart.

I encountered families with very sick and challenged children seeking good healthcare and treatments for their children. One young couple had a little girl, 18 months old, with no muscle tone. This child was unable to hold her head up, sit up, or crawl. She literally had no muscle strength. They were en route that night to Cleveland, Ohio, to live with a relative and seek medical treatment for their daughter. Parents were willing to sacrifice everything for their young child. The days in McAllen were filled with encounters with families with similar stories, both in McAllen and in Reynoso, Mexico.

Kidnappings are very common now in Reynoso, and I heard various stories of people who had been kidnapped and were dependent on their families raising the funds for their release over weeks and months. I suggest that deep listening is a form of presence that is presently needed in our world. Sharing these horrible personal experiences from their journeys north begins to allow a healing light that is initiated when one human being truly listens to another. This is another way to live contemplative presence in our beautiful yet wounded world.

I want to acknowledge the incredible work that our IHM sisters are realizing for us all at our southern border. Their warm hospitality is a gift to all those they encounter each day, and it is truly a priceless experience to join them in their mission.

Rumi’s “Guest House” seems to capture in a special way the many immigrants at our southern border seeking a better life for themselves and their children.

Guest House by Rumi

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

With these words Rumi conveys the immense goodness and strength of the immigrants at our southern border, highlighting their courage, determination, and the simple impact of compassionate presence and deep listening in their journey.