Sharing Christ's Passion

March 2012

One of our parishioners has been arrested under the Ala illegal Immigration Law. She is a mother of three, ages 5,3, 1, and has been in the United States for years. She came here with her husband to have a better life, to leave behind a life controlled by drug cartels.

The Passion of Christ begins in earnest now for this mother, the same passion endured by Mary begun the moment she said “yes” to His will. It is a passion of love, of separation, of going forth into the unknown with Him as the source of all.

The future both mothers begin at birth is filled with pain, love, uncertainty. The simplest tasks, bathing, feeding, caressing, begin with a look over their shoulder to see if any soldiers are examining mothers with small infants, to challenge them if they are on Herod’s list or are undocumented persons.

Fleeing from place to place, both families with all their belongings go seeking peace and safety. Eventually, they return to a place they call home.

Years pass in relative safety until life threatening events happen.

Mary is torn away from her beloved son in Jerusalem. She sees her beloved son’s bloodied body hung upon a cross of wood. Her agony is internal; her faith is strong. This is her reality. He says to her: “Woman, behold your Son.” He gives her to us to be our mother, to console us in our time of need. It is a terrible sacrifice to ask of a mother, yet her heart acquiesced to Your will.

The 2012 woman in detention sees reality gripped in fear and pain of separation from her children. She cries out, “My God, my God, I am so weak, and you are so strong, please help me.” Her reality is clouded by her imagination of the worst fears and her faith is being tested. She needs strength to sustain her on this journey. She is wounded and weak and yet here and now she must meet herself in her innermost being and make the choice to transform this suffering. It is the choice to unite this suffering to Christ’s Passion or to waste the suffering that is inevitable.

Both women feel the hatred, the anger of others, animosity, even indifference of the crowd. “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the son of God” they claim. “They came here illegally,” they cry.

We know how Mary responded; the lady of 2012 is still locked in legal jeopardy, still in a locked room as were the Apostles after the death of Jesus. It is our response which is being asked. Like her the choices we make when we are broken can be as unyielding as steel. It is then Mary of Nazareth holding her infant babe comes to our heart and mind. It is to her Immaculate Heart we beg for help to bear this terrible burden.