A Voice Crying Out in the Desert
Sister Leila Mattingly, M.M., is a Maryknoll missionary sister serving at the U.S. – Mexico border. Her experience with migrants and refugees inspired the following reflection on today’s Gospel reading:
A voice of one crying out in the desert … What is the prophet Isaiah trying to say to his people? For those of us who have had the opportunity to meet migrants and refugees who leave their homelands in hope for a new place to live, this reading speaks volumes. It has a special resonance for those of us who have been to the U.S. – Mexico border, where hundreds of thousands of desperate people have literally “cried out in the desert,” turning to their God, their Savior. … Consider for a moment the plight of migrants who believe that, of every conceivable action, their best option is to make the dangerous and expensive journey, by bus, by train, or by foot, through Columbia, Central America, and Mexico, through the infamous jungle Darien Gap, across thousands of miles, to the U.S. – Mexico border.
