The Resurrection Door

My dear sisters and brothers,

There is a door at the Mission that, due to its design, we call the Resurrection Door. However, I think of
it as the Resurrection Door because of all the lives that have risen from pain and hopelessness through
our programs.

A few examples are: the volunteer at the Meson who is now giving back because we were there when
he needed us; the ten year old farmworker’s son who has embraced our education project as a way out
of working in the fields; the 600 men, women and children treated during our medical mission in
January; the migrants on the infamous train, La Bestia, who prayed with us in their own languages AND
religions; telling us that we had restored their faith in humanity with our aid.

A few weeks ago, I had my own “resurrection”. I was accompanying our team to visit Jesus (his real
name). He is an elderly man who broke his hip four years ago and never had it treated. Now he is totally
bedridden in his one room shack. We bring food and supplies. His special treat is instant coffee that he makes in a saucepan on a one burner hotplate up close to his bed. Our remarkable staff bathes him,
changes bedlinens and cleans his small living area.

We saw no bitterness, despair or self-pity. His eyes were filled with joy and love. I truly felt that I was in
the presence of Jesus Christ. Yes, we try to find the face of Jesus in all that we meet but I realized that
we should strive to have everyone find the face of Jesus in us. There is a difference between serving our
brethren or walking together with them. That is how God intended it. Each holding up the other. I felt
how this humble man held me up.

This Easter, as we celebrate the glorious Resurrection, walk with your brethren. It may be through a
donation, volunteerism, a smile on the street to a homeless person. If you pay attention, you will have
God and others “walking” with you.

Let everything you do be done in love,
Fr. Martin Ibarra, OFM