Isaiah 58:9
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil
Reflections this week are by Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera
Last week we explored God’s promises of “light,” “healing,” and “protection.” This week we are focusing on Isaiah 58:9, where God gives us some more wondrous pledges. But once again we see stipulations (those bothersome If/Thens again). God says that we can call and expect an answer. We can cry for help and God will be there. These things will happen if we remove the yoke of oppression, the pointing of the finger and the speaking of evil.
Each day this week we will explore what this scripture means through the lens of migration, especially focusing on migrants coming to our southern border. We will examine the text from our point of view and also from the point of view of migrant people. Before you engage this week, please spend some time asking yourself these questions.
Questions for reflection:
- Where did I learn my views on immigration?
- Do I feel immigration is a political issue or a humanitarian one?
- Are my views primarily informed by the Bible & Jesus’ teachings?
- Are my opinions on migration valid in the light of this scripture?
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Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera is an illustrator living in Tucson, AZ. She works as a volunteer with an asylum advocacy group called Save Asylum and also at a migrant welcome center, Casa Alitas. Last year she created the Way of Asylum which is a devotional Stations of the Cross. In these stations Jesus’ suffering is embodied in the people seeking asylum in our country. https://www.thewayofasylum.com/
Explore The Way of Asylum:
This week’s reflection author, Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera, is the artist behind The Way of Asylum, a community experience of compassion and empathy that reinterprets the traditional Stations of the Cross in light of “asylum seekers [who] embody Christ in our midst.” Travel the Way of Asylum virtually here.
