Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – Father, save me from this hour? (John 12.27)
“Look! Do you like it? I’m very proud of my painting. Do you think La Virgen likes it?” Eight year-old Elie, a participant in the Guadalupe Art Program, stood by her creation. “Oh yes, it’s wonderful,” I replied. “I painted the Mexican flag in my hand because I am very proud of where I came from and who I am. But why do they hate us so much? Don’t they know we all want the same things? I want to be a doctor and help my mother. She works so hard. I pray to La Virgen every night and ask her to fill their hearts with love. I sure hope she’s listening.” Elie now lives in Mexico – her mother could no longer endure living in the shadows.
The Reverend Canon Mary Moreno Richardson was recently honored by Episcopal Relief and Development for her work with young people in dire situations (Central Juvenile Hall in East LA, a detention center for undocumented youth, and victims of human trafficking ). She was asked to write vignettes of her pastoral experiences and one of them (April 6) appears in their Lenten devotional, which was distributed nationally. The others will be used by ERD in future publications; we’ll be providing them to you here, so that they can be part of your Lenten journey.
