Office of Ignatian Spirituality OIS and IYAM

"When we're not willing to hold the complexity, the simple answers are the wrong ones...Often times, even people who are pro-immigrant talk about the people that we walk with at the border like heroes. And folks who are anti-immigrant talk about them as villains. But neither of those actually resonate as true. The people we are working with are really ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances."

Joanna Williams, the Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative and Joaquin Pannunzio, a Contemplative Leaders in Action (CLA) New York Alum and former Kino Border Initiative Volunteer, recently joined the CLA community to discuss the theme of "Leading in Complexity." They discuss the complexity of the work of the Kino Border Initiative in accompanying immigrants as well as prayer and contemplation.

So who will you be this Good Friday? What will you be shouting from the crowd? Will it be “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord?” or will it be “Crucify Him!”?

The dying, broken open seed lets in elements like water and minerals that transform it to become something entirely different that produces much fruit. Out of the slow and quiet darkness of the dirt and decay, God works through our spirits to create new life.

In that witness is a love so profound, so transcendent that it can indeed save us, liberating our spirits from that which divides us—whether that’s physical prison walls or spiritual loneliness. Such love connects us to something greater than ourselves, something sacred and eternal.

But God’s words have everlasting life, and Jesus understands our human nature. That can be enough for me to cling on to on those tough days. I pray the same for you, as we all continue to journey through life.
This week’s reflection was written by Kate Flores, narrated by Kate André, and presented by Jesuit Connections, a program of the Office of Ignatian Spirituality.

So what do we do with this reading? What kind of God would command someone to do such a thing? What lesson about trust or faith or fortitude is worth the anguish and pain of sacrificing one’s own child? How can we reconcile a God who loves unconditionally with a God willing to do this?

This week’s reflection was written by Matthew Ryan-Bender, narrated by Kate André, and presented by Jesuit Connections, a program of the Office of Ignatian Spirituality.