Isaiah 58:9
you will cry for help, and he will say “Here I am”..

Reflections this week are by Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera

Before Jesus died on the cross He cried out to the Father asking, “Why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had truly become one of us when he asked this very human question. All of us at one time or another have wondered why God is not near.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine if you had to abruptly leave everything you knew and loved because your family’s life was in danger. Picture saying goodbye to your home, possessions and country. Visualize crossing dangerous rivers and deserts. Then imagine that once you finally got to safety you and your children were imprisoned. You were locked up in a country, whose language you didn’t speak, for the crime of seeking a better life for your family. Imagine how far away God would feel. This is the story of many migrant people.

When God says, “Here I am” he is counting on us to be His hands, feet and mouth to those who are crying for help. There are many ways to answer God’s call at the border. Maybe you could write to the editor of a newspaper or call your congress people. Maybe you defend the migrant experience on social media. volunteer at an asylum shelter or write letters to detainees. Like Isaiah, when God asks “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?, we must say, “Here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

Questions for reflection:

  • What feelings did you have when you followed in the footsteps of a migrant person?
  • In what ways might God be calling you to help them in their journey? 

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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/

Clemencio & Cecilia:

Today we invite you to return to the Way of Asylum and hear the testimony of Clemencio and Cecilia.