As we are in the middle of Semana Santa (Holy Week), I am reminded of the suffering that Christ endured because of the kind of life he was proclaiming with his words and actions. He stood next to those that others ignored and gave strength and hope to those that the powerful wanted to remain weak. He invited all to his table. Do I do this? I often find myself judging others by their words and actions, rather than looking for God's presence within that person. And yet I find myself in a country where people don't think twice to invite me into their home and offer me something to eat and drink. Without doing anything to deserve it, I am brought to the table.I am feeling so overwhelmed to find a ministry and find out what I have to offer, that I forget what being in mission is all about: becoming part of a community that breaths life. This is why the following statement from my Lenten reflection book really spoke to me: "We believe with the apostle John that Jesus is 'the Word of Life' and that where there is life, there God reveals himself. Where the poor begin to live, where the poor begin to liberate themselves, where men and women are able to sit down aoround a common table and share, there is the God of life." This is what I strife for.
A great reminder for me of this hope is a mural of the Last Supper that is painted inside a building in Perquin, El Salvador. It is a table filled with people who have given their lives in the pursuit of justice, most from El Salvador but among the few foreigners present is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Can you imagine being invited to eat at that table?
