Oh, the places you’ll go

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."

– from the Dr. Seuss book Oh, The Places You Will Go!

Setting goals is always useful to help focus our energy and efforts. At the beginning of the New Year, people took to making resolutions or vision boards. The future is full of possibilities. However, sometimes we miss a critical step – asking God for his guidance, paying attention to his will for us in our lives.

Meet Maria Dolores “Lolis” Flores from Brownsville. For years, this 23-year-old who recently completed the two-year diocesan lay ecclesial ministry formation program wanted to become famous for her singing talent. She sang every chance she could, auditioned for different television programs, looked for every opportunity to get recognized by talent scouts. She was becoming discouraged, but during a retreat, she experienced a conversion that helped her surrender her will to what God might be calling her to do.

She became more involved in her parish, Our Heavenly Father Church in Olmito, and started taking formation classes. Soon she discovered she could use her voice to evangelize, to sing for God’s greater glory. “The singing that he has given me is a gift from God and I want to share that with everyone,” she said.

In July 2018, she started praying the Rosary and sharing her music live every night at 10 p.m. on Facebook. Within six months she had more than 50,000 followers. She now has more than 58,000. She has since added an Instagram account that is growing a following as well. “I remember my first live broadcast. I was scared and nervous. I was trembling,” she said. “But one follows the will of God and I entrusted my fears and my will to him.”

Lolis, who started singing in the mariachi when she was 16 years old in high school, said she has drawn inspiration from praying the Rosary live. Since she began, people from throughout the world have joined her in prayer. “It has been a blessing to unite with so many, to join together night after night to pray the Rosary,” she said. “Praying every night, Mary takes us to Jesus.” She said hundreds have since shared their own conversion stories with her.

Last year Lolis also released two singles. Her first single, “Siempre Has Sido Tu,” was released in June 2018. Produced by Joan Sanchez at GOSPA studios in McAllen, the song is available on all digital platforms. Lolis said the song describes her personal “before and after” experience of meeting God.

“It is great to see how people connect to this song. I think we have to share what God has done with us. Through our testimony, people can identify with us, and this song has been a blessing – to record it and to share it,” she said.

In her song, Lolis shares: “Sin darme cuenta, cerré las puertas, le di la espalda a tu amor. / Y siempre has sido tú lo que más necesitaba, Siempre has sido tú el anhelo de mi alma.”  (Without realizing it I closed the doors, I turned my back on your love. You have always been what I most needed, without realizing it. It has always been you.)

As someone who is not in the habit of posting daily on social media, I consider Lolis’ advice something to consider: “I invite you to share your testimony with others,” she said. “What God has done for you in your life may be what others need to hear. God is always present for us.”

Lolis released a new song, “Bendita Maria,” on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this past December. It speaks of her devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, whose “yes” changed the world.

While some young people are using social media platforms to post about their daily lives, highlighting everything from the parties they attend to the celebrities they follow, it is inspiring to see how one young woman and others like her are using social media to give witness to how the Lord is working in her life. At the same time she is bringing the light of Christ to others.

I anticipate we will be hearing more from this young woman in the future. Oh, the places you’ll go when God is leading the way. Lolis, “You’re off to great places.”

(Originally published in February 2019 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)

By the work of our hands

“May the favor if the Lord our God be ours. Prosper the work of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!” (Psalms 90:17)

Look at your hands for a moment. Consider all that they do.

Imagine the hands of Jesus who worked alongside Joseph as a carpenter. What did he build after he held a piece of wood in his hands, after he cut it, planed it, and created it into something new? Imagine the hands of his Blessed Mother Mary, who held the infant Jesus, who changed his diapers, who mended his clothing, who prepared his meals.

We spend so much time in front of a screen these days, we take for granted the value of the work we do with our hands. Our hands that prepare meals for those we love, hands that prune away weeds and overgrown bushes, hands that hold another’s when they are ill.

Sister Rose Carmel Garay, 79, a Sister of the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence, beams with joy when she shares something made by her hands. When she is not working full time with pilgrim groups at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle – National Shrine, she enjoys cooking and making religious items and jewelry.

Her joy is contagious. Sister Garay said cooking and making jewelry give her energy. When working with beads, she finds delight in the infinite possibilities and color combinations. “Discovering what we can create with our hands are pure joy; they are God-given gifts,” she said. She added we can each experience this joy as we discover our own gifts. It also gives her joy knowing her creations make others happy and serve a purpose. The sales from her homemade salsas and the items she creates contribute to the retirement fund for the religious sisters in her order.

As I consider my own interest in sewing and mixed media art, I find my recent fixation on making aprons stems from what they represent. Yes, we value their utilitarian features intended to protect our clothing when cooking, painting or gardening. For me, however, an apron symbolizes something more. It points to the joy of undertaking such tasks, activities that require the use of our hands, that pull us away from the computer or from our sedentary habits. The simple act of putting on an apron triggers the brain to focus on the work ahead. There is a humility too that comes with honoring our role in creating something, whether it is a simple meal or a work of art.

A CBS News story that aired March 18, 2018 highlighted “how busy hands can alter our brain chemistry.” The story featured an interview with Dr. Kelly Lambert, a neuroscientist at the University of Richmond. “I made up this term called ‘behaviorceuticals,’ instead of pharmaceuticals,” she said, “in the sense that when we move and when we engage in activities, we change the neurochemistry of our brain in ways that a drug can change the neurochemistry of our brain.”

The story led me to Lambert’s book, Lifting Depression: A Neuroscientist’s Hands-On Approach to Activating Your Brain’s Healing Power. In the section, “The Work/Pleasure Connection,” Lambert writes about effort-driven rewards. She notes, “Our brains are programmed to derive a deep sense of satisfaction and pleasure when our physical effort produces something tangible, visible….”

Our hands, she writes, “play a crucial role when it comes to effort-driven rewards. “Any activity that requires you to use your hands and that you enjoy, especially if it puts you into the flow zone, will energize your effort-driven rewards circuit.”

Her research explains why I am drawn to hand appliqué and crochet, and even activities that require my hands to get dirty, like gardening and mixed media. Working with my hands actually serves as a retreat from my day-to-day work. The joy of creating something by hand is certainly rewarding. There is added joy when you can share your creations with others. I find too that it connects me to the long history of women in my family, principally my mother, who taught me how to sew.

Whether at home or at work, we all have gifts God has given us. Look at your hands again. What is the work they are called to do?

As we begin a New Year, our communications team for the Diocese of Brownsville, which continually looks at the work we do and try to do it better, recommits to gathering and sharing the stories happening in the Church here in the Rio Grande Valley. We offer up the work of our hands to utilizing all the communication resources available to keep you informed. As St. Teresa of Avila said, we are his hands and feet.

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.”

(Originally published in January 2019 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)

Endings and the unfinished

Nunc Coepi, Now I Begin

Spiders can spin a web overnight. Several mornings, when rushing, I have walked right into their sticky threads. We have to be careful and look in the direction we are headed, especially if we don’t want to be caught off guard.

It’s also worthwhile to look at where we’ve been. Each December we publish a year-in-review in The Valley Catholic. It affords us a glance of the faith lived in our Catholic Church here in the Rio Grande Valley. We’ve had some historic moments along with some challenges. Overall, the events of this past year are clear indicators that we are a Church alive, a Church on the move. Somos una iglesia caminante, una iglesia viva.

Pausing from time to time to look at where we’ve been helps us take a notice of and count our blessings. At the same time we can take note of the areas of our lives that need work – we are, after all, works in progress.

One year ends. A new one begins. Taking stock of where we are on the journey helps us. We can make corrections where necessary, take action to reset our course and as needed begin again. What surprised us? What small graces did not escape our attention? What challenges did we confront? What are we most grateful for? How is God at work in our lives?

St. Ignatius of Loyola encouraged the practice of a daily examen. Why not undertake an annual examen and create our own year-in-review?

“Try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost,” Henry James wrote in his essay “The Art of Fiction.” Through a lens of our faith, we recognize God is in everything.

One morning, when not rushing and getting caught in a spider web, I discovered a new bird’s nest in my front yard. When I wasn’t looking a feathered architect built a home to nourish new life, a new beginning. The sparrow made use of what was available — twigs and grasses, whatever she could carry. In a similar way, we can make use of what is available to nourish our lives.

Among the graces of this year, the moments shared with family and close friends, are the moments I treasure, moments which nourished us. Some were filled with joy, some with tears, some with healing.

Amidst the endings and beginnings, I face a reality of the unfinished — projects I wanted to complete, responsibilities I pushed to the sidelines; all are tasks I must confront as I move forward in the new year.

I realize I have been putting off what to do with my father’s home. I keep telling my sister I am going to do something about the house. However, until I set a timeline and take action, I am not entirely free to focus on my writing and other creative endeavors. An untended task, if we are not careful, can act as an anchor. Identifying the anchor and finding ways to conquer it helps us move forward.

Taking a step back in time can help us gain clarity on the present and inspire us as we learn from our unfolding story. The V Encuentro helped us as a Church to look at our ministries and how we are reaching out to share the Good News, how we are walking together on the journey. Bishop Flores pointed out to delegates who participated in the V Encuentro that the process allowed us to see how we can work together as we share our faith. He also said we can’t be afraid to make mistakes as we proceed, reminding us, we learn from our mistakes.

The Venerable Bruno Lanteri, founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary in Turin, Italy, taught that because of God’s grace, we can begin again. Using the Latin phrase, Nunc Coepi, now I begin, he encouraged, “Begin again, not only every day, but every hour of every day.”

From his writings we hear: “If I should fall even a thousand times a day, a thousand times, with peaceful repentance, I will say immediately, ’Nunc Coepi (now I begin), my God, my God.’”

“Holiness does not consist in never failing, but in rising immediately, recognizing our weaknesses and asking God’s forgiveness …”

Just as God is merciful, we should be merciful with ourselves and others. St. Josemaria Escrivá used the phase as well. He wrote, “This (Nunc Coepi) is the cry of a soul in love which, at every moment, whether it has been faithful or lacking in generosity, renews its desire to serve – to love! – our God with a wholehearted loyalty.”

The graces of this past year should nourish and encourage us on the path ahead. Alimentados. ¡Siempre Adelante!

(Originally published in December 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)

Trying to make Him smile

Not long ago a colleague ended a prayer offering that we continue to act in ways that make God smile.

The image of making God smile has stayed with me. It prompts my own smile and places a different lens on the day, one that focuses on the good we can do no matter the situation.

Enough gloom and doom persist in the world. We can’t get lost in despair allowing ourselves to become paralyzed. When we consider our options, so much depends on the lens we use to see the world, to see the people before us, and to see the impact of our choices and actions, or even our inactions.

Each November, we pause for a bit to give thanks for our blessings, for all the ways that God makes us smile. Why not also take time to think about all the ways we can make God smile. Beyond just thinking, we can commit ourselves to action.

How fortunate we are that we don’t have to look far for answers. The scriptures provide countless examples, as do the saints and Church teachings. Earlier this year, Pope Francis wrote “Gaudete et Exsultate,” (“Rejoice and be glad”) an apostolic exhortation on the call to holiness in today’s world. The title comes from Matthew 5:12, from the Sermon on the Mount. His exhortation serves as a clear guide to what would make God smile – each of us answering the call to holiness, living according to his will.

“Let everything be open to God; turn to him in every situation,” Pope Francis tells us. (GE15) He adds, “We need to walk in union with him, recognizing his constant love in our lives.” (GE 51) This serves as a reminder that it pleases God when we spend time with him. Whether in prayer, adoration or listening, he wants us to trust him, to rely on him for constant guidance. At the same time, I am sure it makes him smile when we give thanks for the countless blessings in our lives, recognizing that each day is a gift and his graces are boundless. As St. Ignatius reminds us, we can “find God in all things.”

There is certainly much to be joyful about. Psalm 100: 1-5 tells us to “Shout joyfully to the Lord.” But if we really want to make God smile, we can do so with our actions.

“In the light of the master,” chapter three in the exhortation, “Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23). The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card.”

What are we doing with our card? Are we taking action, doing our part to make God smile?

Pope Francis writes, “Those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness.” Imagine that. As we work to make God smile, he is filling our lives with happiness. Sometimes, however, it is easier to say than to do. We may have the best of intention, but unless we leave the comfort of our routine and get to work, intentions go mute.

The Holy Father points out we often have to go against the flow of the world we live in as “the world pushes us toward another way of living.”  “Let us listen once more to Jesus, with all the love and respect that the Master deserves. Let us allow his words to unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change in the way we live. Otherwise, holiness will remain no more than an empty word.” (GE 66)

He emphasizes “Holiness is also parrhesía: it is boldness…” He cautions us against mediocrity. “Let us not long for an easy life,” he says. “How often we are tempted to keep close to the shore! Yet the Lord calls us to put out into the deep and let down our nets (cf. Lk 5:4). He bids us spend our lives in his service.” (GE 130).

Bishop Daniel E. Flores, in his talk “Accompany is a verb” for the National V Encuentro, reminds us as well we can’t just be spectators. “In a world where no one wants to stop to hear the weeping, and to touch the wound, the Lord asks us for the testimony of closeness, respect, patience and of compassion.”

“The God who became flesh asks us to stop on the road, -- with all our responsibilities and our many things to do – to contemplate the face of Christ in the flesh and blood of the invisible ones of the world, and to extend our lives to embrace the Christ present among us.”

Advent begins Dec. 2. Perhaps as we make our Christmas lists, we can also make time to respond to the Holy Father’s invitation to read the Gospels and find ways to put our faith into action. Let’s be bold, accompanying one another; let us look for ways to make God smile. Ad majorem Dei Gloriam, “all for the greater glory of God.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola.)

(Originally published in November 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)

Where we go from here: Remaining firm in our faith

We are never comfortable talking about dark moments in our lives. Sometimes we are at a loss for words. I could have chosen a host of other topics to cover; it would have been easier. But in order to move forward, we must not be afraid to talk, to ask questions, to share our concerns.

In his letter last month, Bishop Daniel E. Flores expressed the sorrow of the Church for the sexual abuse of minors and abuse of power in the Church reported from different parts of the country. He provided us with guidance and hope during these dark days as the Church undergoes a cleansing for sins of the past. He asked us all “to pray and do penance for the harm that so many have suffered, and for the renewal of a spirit of humility, service and evangelical life among all the bishops and priests of the country.”

Bishop Flores also provided us with an important reminder. “It is necessary that we all continue with the mission that the Lord has entrusted us.”

“We cannot be paralyzed,” he told reporters during a press conference during the national V Encuentro Sept. 20-23 in Grapevine, Texas. “There is work to do,” he said.

During the V Encuentro gathering, more than 3,500 Hispanic/Latino Catholics showed how we move forward.

The joy of our faith resonated throughout each moment and a day of the Encuentro. La alegría de nuestra fe vive. The joy of our faith stands firm in the love of Christ, and our faith, centered in Christ, helps us from letting any crisis take us off center.

After reading the bishop’s letter, many have shared their response to his request for prayer and penance. Some religious communities are spending dedicated time before the Blessed Sacrament every Friday for nine weeks; others are fasting on Fridays. Some Catholic schools are praying together. Others are praying the Rosary.

How are you responding?

As we pray, we must also take additional steps. As parents, tías, tíos, grandparents — we must remain vigilant in our homes and beyond our casitas. Bishop Flores stressed in his letter the importance of continuing to follow through with the ongoing “Protecting God’s Children” program required of all laypersons and clergy who work with youth and vulnerable adults. The training provided through the program opens our eyes and provides us with a greater awareness of what we can each do to protect our children. We are in this together. Yes, it does take a village. The effectiveness of these programs put in place to protect children has helped decrease the number of cases nationwide.

Mark M. Gray, a survey researcher for The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), highlights some important details and provides some context in “Pain Never Disappears from Unhealed Wounds,” a piece he wrote for the center’s blog on Aug. 28. (http://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.com/2018/08/pain-never-disappears-from-unhealed.html).

He notes, “No new wave of abuse has emerged in the United States.” He adds, “The clergy sex abuse scandal unfolding in the news today is the same public scandal that erupted with the national media reports in 2002...Just as then, the abuse in the headlines most often occurred in the 1960s through the 1980s.”

Gray includes figures of cases reported since 2004 and the year the alleged abuse began, which shows a decrease. However, as he notes, “Nothing is acceptable other than zero.”

To get to zero, it will take all of us working together. At the closing Mass for the Encuentro, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles reminded us of the role we have as lay people. Citing St. Juan Diego as an example, he said, “Jesus entrusted the mission of his Church in the New World to a lay person.

“I believe that this moment in the Church — is the hour of the laity. It is the time for saints. In the spirit of St. Juan Diego, I believe the Lord is calling each of you to ‘go to the bishops.’ He is calling the lay faithful to work together with the bishops to renew and rebuild his Church.”

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Silller of San Antonio expressed a similar point on the opening day of the Encuentro. As he acknowledged our pain and heartbreak “by the faults” of our shepherds, and the need “to do everything we can for the healing for all victims of these abuses,” he also reminded us not to be afraid and to allow the Holy Spirit “to inflame our hearts.”

“In these times,” he said, “only parrhesia, the courage of the baptized, will return the Church, the Body of Christ, her moral authority.”

Indeed, this is our time to continue carrying out the mission of the Church. We cannot run away. We have a responsibility to confront the ugly realities of the past, and to walk together, to acompañar, as Bishop Flores tell us, our brothers in sisters who are hurting. We must remain centered in Christ, for Jesus is our light and our salvation in times of darkness (Psalm 27:1).

(Originally published in October 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)

Life’s disruptions: Are we ever ready?

Yes. We all know hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Before it even begins and throughout the season, we hear the forewarning “Be Prepared.” In our July edition of the newspaper, we ran a full page with a checklist on how to prepare. I wonder how many of us actually went through the list and took steps to get everything in order?

The downpours in June reminded us how vulnerable we are in the Rio Grande Valley to prolonged heavy rainfall. Many families are still recovering from the damages. Some of our parishes and Catholic schools in the Mid-Valley woke up June 20 to flooded buildings. San Martin de Porres School lost everything.

Natural disasters shake us, just as medical emergencies and other unexpected circumstances do. The disruptions in our lives not only shake us; they awaken us to what is truly important –  our families, our friends, our community – people.

Hurricane Dolly in 2008, the first direct hit to our area since Hurricane Beulah in 1967, caused some considerable damage to our home and left us without power for several days. As we made an inventory of the damage, what mattered most was not what we lost, but that we were together and together we could manage. The disruption reminded us as well that we are just passing through this world as pilgrims. We are not taking anything with us when we leave.

While it can be devastating to lose personal belongings when a natural disaster occurs, we learn in time that material things can be replaced. Indeed, God makes all things new.

A year ago, as we waited for Hurricane Harvey to hit, I began to worry. After our experience in 2008, I knew we were not ready. My husband, who lives the Boy Scout motto “Be prepared,” was ready on the survival aspect. However, my concern focused on the documents and photos. They are not all in one quick access location.

We were fortunate this time that the hurricane, a category 4, missed the Rio Grande Valley as it made landfall in other parts of the state. It devastated and displaced thousands of families, leaving behind $125 billion in damage. In the midst of this disaster, we witnessed signs of hope in the way people responded with relief efforts to help those most impacted. We truly do not walk alone, although sometimes it may feel that way.

We never know when a storm will strike us directly, and often times we are unprepared for the landfall of any type of storm, whether a natural disaster, health crisis, tragic accident or home emergency.  However, we can take some precautions, some practical steps to help us during challenging times.

It’s too easy to become complacent, with fingers crossed that the storm will miss us, that we will be spared the disruption in our life. Reality dictates otherwise. Life is messy. I discovered this recently with a leak in my ceiling that required me to remove everything in the room that could get wet. It was certainly an inconvenient disruption, but one that made me pay attention to how I could better organize.

Why not do our part to be a little more prepared to deal with the messy? Why not start by making a personal risk assessment? What are the vulnerable points in your home? Are you in a flood risk area? Do you have adequate insurance? Ask yourself: “If I had to leave my home this instant, what would I take with me? What would I save?” Naturally, the people in our lives are at the top of the list. But what else would you take? What are the essentials you need: medication, prescriptions, vital records, insurance documents? Do you have a Last Will and Testament?

My son and daughter are never comfortable when I remind them before I leave on a trip where to find my Last Will and Testament, but I know it will be helpful should it ever be needed. No, it is not easy to talk about some realities. No, I don’t think we can ever be fully prepared for the crisis that may come. However, we can do our part. We can also rest assured God will remain always at our side and guide us through the storms in our lives, no matter what they may be.

Each year as I get older, I feel the pressure to take action and spend less time worrying about all the things on the check list I don’t have in order. I pray that Mother Nature will be gentle this hurricane season. In the meantime, I have a lot to do.

(Originally published in September 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)

Outpouring of cariño provides space for healing

Some families would arrive in the morning, some in late evening, sometimes in the middle of the night at 3 a.m. The time did not matter; staff at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine was ready to receive the immigrant children and parents who had just been reunified a few hours before at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Bayview.

With open arms and an outpouring of love, the Catholic Church in the Rio Grande Valley provided families with a safe and holy place to reconnect with each other after weeks and months of being separated.

From the first families that arrived on July 13 to the last two on July 30, more than 500 reunited families spent their first nights together, reunified on the basilica grounds.

One child said it would be the first night she would go to sleep without crying now that she was with her mother. One mother from Honduras who was reunified with her son on July 27 after 55 days of being apart did not sleep that first night. She wanted to watch her son sleep and hear his heart beat. "Mi corazón comenzó a palpitar de nuevo,” she said. (My heart began to beat again.)

She recounted the pain of her initial reunification, saying it took nearly an hour for her six-year-old son to hug her at the detention center. “No me toques,” he told her; “no te conozco. Tu me abandonaste.” (Don’t touch me. I don’t know you. You abandoned me.”)

Each child, mother, father who was thankful for their reunification carries at the same time untold traumas because of their separation. As a nation, many of us felt helpless as more than 2,000 immigrant children were separated from their parents as part of the “zero-tolerance” policy.

As soon as the reunification of families began, everyone wanted to do what they could. Here in our diocese we witnessed the Church in action during a critical time. This is an amazing moment in the history of the Church. We focused not on the politics but rather on taking care of our brothers and sisters before us.

The Church response is not new. It is ongoing. Each week since 2012, volunteers pray with children who are living in detention centers for unaccompanied minors. They sit and listen to their hopes and dreams, their prayers to be reunified with their family.  Also, other volunteers help keep the Humanitarian Respite Center in operation. To date, more than 100,000 immigrant men, women and children have found rest at the center, which first opened in 2014 at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen and is now at a temporary site nearby.

“This is a blessed moment, where we have been chosen to care for them, to welcome them, to help them beyond this point in their journey,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, of the Missionaries of Jesus, who has been overseeing the care of newly released immigrants as executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.

From the moment they arrive, it is important to welcome them and care for them, to let them know that they are safe, said Sister Pimentel, who is a licensed professional counselor. “The moment that another human being opens up their heart and their care to them begins a process of healing,” she said. “That human contact is so transformative, and that is what is happening here.”

Witnessing the Church’s response, witnessing the people who turned all their attention to helping the families, helps us to see the light of Christ shine in even the darkest of times.

Their joy was contagious as we witnessed countless embraces between children and their mothers and fathers. Their smiles and laughter gave us hope. We trust in God that that their faith will continue to guide them in the journey ahead.

As we rejoiced with families celebrating their reunions, it was joyful as well to serve. Consuelo Jones from Mission worked from early morning into the evening securing food for each meal. Socorro Ortega and her family drove to San Juan from Brownsville at 5 a.m. to cook breakfast for the families. Parishes and businesses donated meals as well. St. John the Baptist Church in San Juan hosted an outdoor picnic for the families. The youths from the parish organized games and gifts for the children. The abundance of giving from so many in our diocese translated into smiles for the children and their parents. That evening, they cried, they celebrated, they rejoiced.

An added joy, on Friday after the government’s deadline to reunite families, the six-year-old who hesitated to hug his mother at their initial reunification presented her with a yellow Esperanza flower he found after spending the morning with her. He picked it for her just as he used to pick flowers for her when they were in Honduras, she said.

To witness and be a part of this moment in history is the most blessed experience of all my years of working with the Church.

(Originally published in August 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)