Written on Tuesday, May 26 at 10:00 p.m.
Wow! What a day! This posting will be more narrative than reflective – not much time to be thoughtful while I’m in the midst of living this current experience. (Hmmm . . . I think that says something about how hard it is for the poor to meet their basic needs and “survive.” Is reflection, and time to do so in meaningful ways, a privileged activity?)
8:15 a.m. Departed Sister Donna’s house in
8:30 a.m. Stopped at Bowie Bakery in
8:45 a.m. Sat in line to cross Border into
9:30 a.m. Arrived at Centro Santa Catalina – Co-op women were working; children were in classes. Saw Irene, the woman I stayed with in the Colonia last year, and reacquainted myself with the 28 women. (Of course they remembered me – the “crazy dancer.”)
9:45 a.m. Joined in the work at the Co-op – I was “pulling strings” (threads) because that was the easy job – one I was capable of doing adequately.
12:00 p.m. Women got off work. Irene invited me to her house where she cooked me amazingly delicious authentic enchiladas. I met her 12 year old granddaughter who is learning English. We quizzed each other on words. It helped me recall many Spanish words.
2:30 p.m. Irene walked me back to the Center where I joined a class of 1st graders for the afternoon. They played soccer and baseball, then returned to class where they were tested on their numbers.
4:30 p.m. We left the Center for
5:00 p.m. We got in line at “the bridge” – the border crossing point. Proceeded to sit in line, gradually inching forward for 2 ½ hours. Exhaust fumes stiffling.
7:45 p.m. We arrived at Sister Donna’s house. I left immediately for a Home Depot run to purchase paint for a graffiti removal project Donna has asked me to take care of this week.
9:00 p.m. Finally, back home where I ate a bowl of cereal for dinner.
This is an intense and draining schedule, one that Sister Donna, who is 71 years old, keeps on a daily basis, 6 days a week, all year long. She's been doing this particular work for 14 years. She’s remarkable!
I was reminded today how important it is to make the distinction that these women and children are “economically poor.” They’re certainly not poor in terms of relationships, or community, or hope, or faith, or love, or in the gifts they offer the world.
Today I also witnessed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. At about 10:30 a.m. the women began to pull food items they had brought from home from their personal bags – a small scoop of rice, a cup full of beans, tortillas, a container of squash, a couple of burritos. Before I knew it that tiny collection of food had fed the entire group.
While sitting for 2 ½ hours waiting to cross back into the US Donna shared more about her favorite Liberation Theologian, Jon Sobrino. In his book, Liberation Spirituality, he identifies 4 steps to Liberation Theology, which always begins with the preferential option for the poor:
1.) Know what’s real. Do this by inserting self in the life of the poor. What do you find – see, hear, taste, smell, touch?
2.) Don’t/Can’t run away from what is real. This leads one to constant analysis – asking, “Why is it this way?”
3.) Let the “More than Real” break in on you. This is the God piece. We have to be aware of when/how/where it is happening. Pay attention.
4.) Determine how we are going to transform the situation by co-creating with God.
More thoughts on this when I have time . . .
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