Reflect
Felician Sister Maria Louise Edwards works with an organization that recovers the bodies of migrants lost to the desert borderland between the United States and Mexico. They also rescue migrants when possible. On her first search, Sister Maria Louise encountered the remains of a little girl, and her world was never the same. When interviewed for St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Sister Maria Louise said emphatically: “This little girl mattered!” Although the girl’s name was never discovered, her existence certainly mattered: to her family, her friends back in her country of origin, and, of course, to God. This prayer is for her.
Pray
God of infinite mercy, bless the life of this child,
whose final hours must have been excruciating.
Guide us away from apathy, cruel cynicism, hate.
Guide us to a place of empathy, childlike optimism, love.
May we hold this little one up to you,
as only your arms can take her where she needs to go.
Amen.
Act
You may not agree with a political party’s stance on immigration or find our government’s immigration system to be broken beyond repair. Ultimately, what is most important is the fact that migrants are all children of God and deserving of dignity. Find a way to meet a migrant, learn about his/her country of origin, and why the difficult decision to come to our country was made. Read the interview with Sister Maria Louise Edwards to hear more.
