Praying With the Headlines: Week 3

In the season of Lent, or the approximately six weeks leading up to Easter, Christians often take on practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in order to grow closer to God through repentance and renewal. One way we can engage in prayer though this season is through intentional prayer for others, particularly the marginalized and impoverished among us.

So often, we breeze through the news, unable to absorb the tragedy contained in our headlines. This Lent, we invite you into the practice of slowing down and praying with headlines, particularly about immigration. We will use the news as a medium to imaginatively pray with and for our immigrant brothers and sisters – and so grow in love, compassion, and nearness to God and one another.

Praying With the Headlines: Treacherous Journeys to the United States

Begin by adopting a posture of prayer, wherever you are. Sit back, relax your body, and take a few deep breaths.

Breathe in, breathe out. Know you are in the presence of God.

God, we ask you to help slow our minds and expand our hearts to attend to the suffering of our immigrant brothers and sisters.

Now read the passage from this news story from the New York Times slowly.

“In the darkness, the little girl called out for her mother, her tiny form lit by the moon.

“The two had left their home in Venezuela a week before, bound for the United States. To get there, though, they would have to cross a brutal jungle called the Darién.

“And in the chaos of the trek, the child had lost her only parent.

“To contain her fear, Sarah Cuauro, just 6 years old, began to sing.

“‘The glory of God, giant and sacred,’ she croaked through tears. ‘He carries me in his arms.’

“…[T]hrust into desperation by their homeland’s financial ruin, [Sarah and her mother had] decided to risk their lives in the jungle.

“…Sarah had now been separated from her mother for three days. Hours went by.

“And then, suddenly, Ms. Cuauro appeared, rushing into the room. All along, she had been just a few hours behind, trying desperately to keep up.

“…Ms. Cuauro’s feet were so badly wounded that she struggled to stand. “Forgive me,” she cried, kissing Sarah’s face, her arms.

“‘I didn’t abandon you,’ she insisted. ‘I came to find you.’

“Sarah and her mother exited the Darién on Oct. 10. Two days later, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Venezuelans who arrived at the U.S. southern border would no longer be allowed to enter the United States.

“Ms. Cuauro was devastated. She had no sponsor. By this point she and Sarah had taken a series of buses to Honduras. They had used all their money.”

As you are able, imagine the experiences of Sarah and Ms. Cuauro – so desperate for a new life that they were willing to traverse hundreds of miles on foot through mud, treacherous mountains, swarms of mosquitos. Risking everything only to be turned away.

Imagine the heat, the bugs, the mud, the fear.

Breathe in, breathe out. As you are able, allow yourself to imagine their terror while separated in the jungle.

Their story is a window into the experience of countless others who risk everything for the chance of a stable, normal life.

Breathe in, breathe out.

As you hold Sarah and her mother in your mind and heart, recognize that God holds them as well. None of their suffering goes unnoticed. They are loved beyond measure. In holding them in prayer, you are entering into the love of God.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
- Matthew 10:29-31 -

Offer whatever prayers and sacrifices you have for migrants risking their lives to reach safety in the United States.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Open your eyes when you are ready.

Amen.