An introductory note: any
kind of Church ministry requires «a pastoral imagination»
What do you see? How do you remember? These are two
seemingly simple yet surely essential phenomenological questions every minister
to migrants should be wrestling with. The way the minister observes and
recollects a given physical or psycho-spiritual cost and consequence of human
mobility influences his or her pastoral response to it. Let me explain this
further. What you see influences the
way you observe a given reality as it is. How
you remember suggests both the way you see
and reflect on the same given
reality. From a theological-pastoral perspective, remembering an event, however
sad or joyful it may be, is imagining—not daydreaming or thinking
wishfully—beyond what that event presents itself, that is, envisioning an event
not in light of its economic or political interest but of a philosophical
religious tradition. This line of thought might be rightly called «a pastoral imagination», what many
theologians would call «a theological reflection». Employing a pastoral imagination in the context of
ministry to migrants requires that, the minister be able to reflect
theologically and act pastorally to the extent that he or she is willing to let
his or her socio-cultural or religious comfort zone or status be disturbed by a given migratory
experience. In other words, as a minister (a small and humble servant) not a magister
(a great and an honored master or a wordy preacher), he or she is radically
challenged to see the face of Christ in every migrant and to love him or her by
welcoming ungrudgingly and serving unreservedly the migrants in desperate need.
To do this, a minister should have a pastoral imagination as a tool that helps
him or her envision the service to migrants not as a mere social action but a
service that has its foundation in the ministry of Jesus. Pastoral imagination
in the pastoral care of migrants can be exemplified in the Scalabrinians’
missionary emblem «to be a migrant with the migrants», which means to become a neighbor to the vulnerable conditions
or problems of migrants whoever they are and wherever they may be found.
Motivated by these reflective and challenging words, I would like now to share
my personal and pastoral encounter with a migrant in the summer of 2010 at Casa del Migrante Nazareth (the House
for Migrants) administered by the Scalabrinian Missionaries, in Nuevo Laredo,
on the Mexican side of the border between Mexico and the United States.
A heartbreaking migratory scenario:
this is what I saw and how I remember it
One afternoon at Casa del Migrante Nazareth I was
assigned as a receptionist to welcome and interview the newly arrived migrants.
While taking the information of those migrants in the waiting area, my sight
was suddenly captured by an appalling scene, a young man, a migrant in his 20’s
by the name of Juan (his name herein is hypothetically employed to protect his
identity) who had had his right leg amputated and was being taken off a car. I was
literally shocked and felt sorry for Juan who was in terrible pain. He looked
very tired, sick, weak, and hungry. One of the migrants helped me take Juan
into the House of Migrants. During the interview, I asked him for some
necessary information about his background. Having provided all his background
checks, with tears in his eyes and with a very low and soft voice, he began
telling me how it happened that his leg got amputated. He confided to me that
he wanted to climb and get on top of the freight train that goes to the U.S.
Unfortunately, the train moved so fast that he was not strong enough to hang on
to it by the time he jumped up on the train. Consequently he fell down on the
rail and the train cut off his right leg. Since then he became totally
unconscious until he found himself in the hospital nearby the next day. Having
told me this tragic incident, he became silent and tears began falling down his
fatigued face uncontrollably. Without asking further questions, I took him
immediately to the dining hall. Thousands of strange feelings and questions
welled up in my mind upon listening and witnessing Juan’s horrific experience.
Apparently, all my thoughts and reflections revolved around Juan’s perilous migratory
experience ever since I met him that afternoon. I could not help but wonder how
he arrived at this terrible point and why he did have to risk his life to cross
the border. Did his family know anything of what had happened to Juan and his
whereabouts? Who will take care of him? Is there still a promising future that Juan
hopes for? Having these disturbing questions in mind made me more deeply moved
and ever attentive to all other migrants, who like Juan, may have similar
excruciating migration experiences. It is so sad to say that the unforeseen
tragedies they come across in their migration journey all the way from their
home countries to Nuevo Laredo, the Mexican side of the border, thwart their
deepest dreams and desires for economic opportunities and life aspirations
infused on the other side of the border, the U.S. society.
Offering a follow-up suitable
pastoral care for Juan and other migrants
The pastoral care I did for
Juan as well as for the other migrants, especially those who were sick, was
exercised in many different forms. First and foremost, as I have already
described, I welcomed Juan and then took him in for the interview. After taking
some necessary personal and family background information, I took him to the
dining room and prepared supper for him. It was 6:15pm, dinner time for all the
migrants. I noticed that he did not talk much with the other migrants sitting
next to him at the dinner table. I could sense that Juan was not all right. I could
not stay with Juan during dinner time because I still had to welcome and
interview other new migrants coming to the center. As usual, after the
interview I took these other new migrants to the dining hall and asked some
volunteers to offer them some food. At 8 pm I officially welcomed everyone,
especially the new comers, including Juan, and informed them about the rules
and regulations they had to obey. After the orientation, one of the volunteers
and I prepared the beds for the new migrants and I assisted Juan walk up the
stairs where a bed was ready for him. I did not have enough time to be with him
that day because I also had to perform other duties in the office and had to do
some laundry (the dirty sheets of migrants who did not come back after leaving
the center for work in the morning).
The day was long and I was tired
when I got home. Before going to bed, I still had enough time to recall and
write down my personal and pastoral experiences of the day. The enthralling
story of Juan was still fresh in my memory, and the questions I was pondering
kept rolling around in my mind. I brought all this experience to my personal
prayer, and I prayed for all migrants, especially for Juan’s recovery.
The ministerial activities
described above were regular activities that I performed with other staff
members of the center. The volunteers or staff members and I took turns in
doing the interviewing and screening of the migrants. However, besides
preparing the liturgical celebrations, I also did other activities, taking my
turn in cooking, serving food, cleaning the center, picking up donations,
taking nightshifts, providing the migrants with other basic items like bath
soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes and medicines for the sick like Juan.
In the midst of all these
busy ministerial activities, however, I took some time to talk to Juan or even
to just say «hello» to him whenever I came to serve him food, medicine or to
take him to the hospital almost every morning and to the Eucharistic
celebration. I decided to take time from my ministerial duties to accompany
Juan. Juan was surprised to know that I was not Hispanic but Asian. At any
rate, Juan and I became acquainted and shared other family and cultural
information with each other. He was reading the Bible when I visited him one
morning. I initiated the conversation. I could sense that he was willing to
share more about his life journey. I was surprised to hear from him that his family
in Guatemala and Mexico did not believe or even care about his tragic condition
and traumatic experience, even though he phoned them many times. I asked him if
it was okay for me to take a picture of him and to send it to his family so
that they might come to believe what was happening to him. He was glad to hear
that and thanked me for the picture.
At other times, I invited Juan
to read a particular story in the Bible. Since he did not know which story to
read, I invited him to read the story of Job and share with me at another time.
I was amazed as I listened to how he related the story of the suffering of Job
with his own suffering. I was literally at a loss for words. Juan, a migrant,
whom I first welcomed as a stranger and then took him in as a friend, taught me
that day how I should be encouraged or inspired to read the biblical stories
like that of Job’s story, however delicate it is, within the context of my own
situations in life especially when troubles or unexpected sad events may come
across in life.
Pastoral analysis of the Scenario
I believe that ministry or,
I should say, Christian ministry must flow from being a Christian, a follower
of Christ. Any kind of ministry in the church, therefore, must reflect or
identify with the ministry of Jesus. A Christian minister must be able to
pattern his or her life on the whole person, life and ministry of Jesus. One
may say that the purpose of having a theological reflection is essentially to
enkindle the minister’s faith and awareness that any type of ministry he or she
is entrusted to do is God-focused and originates in the ministry of Jesus.
These are some pastoral
lessons I have learned from the pastoral encounter with Juan. First, my role as a minister was really
engaging and challenging. Besides attending to Juan’s basic needs, I also
ministered to other migrants and did other things like cleaning or cooking.
Above all, I took time to reflect and pray and entrust to the Lord all these experiences,
as well as the migrants, especially Juan to whom I was personally ministering. Second, it was very important for me to
be attentive to the vulnerable condition of Juan, his lack of healthcare
insurance, as well as his spiritual and psychological depression. In addition, I
was attentive enough to the indifference of his family about his sickness, in
one way or another, which consequently added to his pain and sorrow. Third, there was awareness on my part
as a minister, of the socio-political issues regarding immigration, like in the
scenario above, including drugs and human smuggling, violence, murder, and
human trafficking, which normally occur at the borders of Mexico and the United
States. Fourth, I am convinced that the
ministry of hospitality to migrants I performed at Casa del Migrante Nazareth
exemplified in the above recounted scenario, is an integral part of Christian
life. I confess that like the experiences of other staff members and volunteers
at the house for migrants or maybe in other contexts, my pastoral experience in
the above scenario was inspired by many biblical figures, for instance,
Abraham, our father in faith, who was willing to let go of his «siesta» time
and felt rushed to welcome three strangers coming to his tent by the oaks of
Mamre during the scorching heat of the midday (Gen 18:1-8). Abraham has shown us a total surrender to God
and a genuine practice of welcoming and offering hospitality to these three strangers.
To cite another exemplary figure, we can see in the person of our Lord, Jesus
Christ who has taught us in words and deeds how to welcome the poor and the
outcasts in his society, even to the point of identifying himself with them and
also with the outcasts and the strangers (Matthew 25:35). Fifth, my pastoral experience of not only seeing the suffering of
migrants but taking their side by helping them cope with their vulnerable
migratory experience, has taught me that indeed Holy Mother Church continues not
just to be present but to experience truly the joys and sorrows that every migrant
is faced with at the time of departure, on the journey, and at the place of
destination. Sixth, the scenario I described above could hopefully challenge the
local church not only that of Mexico but also of Central America and the U.S.
to take seriously into consideration the social and psycho-spiritual costs and
consequences of the migration phenomenon
as an integral part of their pastoral or parochial structures and outreach
programs.
A concluding note: A future
vision for the ministry to migrants in the discussed scenario and its impact on
my personal transformation
Observing the complex issues of human mobility especially
the vulnerable conditions faced by many migrants at the border between Mexico
and the U.S. like the pastoral scenario I have described, I would like to
suggest some pastoral strategies that could help the ministry to migrants to be
more effective and meaningful. Given the fact that the pastoral care of
migrants at the border is a very challenging ministry, the ministers have to be
well prepared physically, spiritually, psychologically, and culturally. As far
as the Casa del Migrante Nazareth is
concerned, there is a great need for more volunteers like psychologists,
counselors, doctors and spiritual directors, who can adequately respond to
those migrants who are physically, mentally and spiritually ill because of
their mobility. In addition, the scope of ministry should go beyond offering
charitable acts, like giving food to migrants. That is to say that, ministers
should also be involved in advocating for just and humane immigration policies
that would guarantee for the human dignity and rights of migrant workers.
The pastoral ministry I described
in the scenario has transformed me emotionally, spiritually and intellectually.
The pastoral care of showing love and compassion toward Juan’s vulnerability deeply
challenged and moved me to continue my Scalabrinian vocation to incarnate the
unfolding presence of God through a humble act of love and service toward our
migrant brothers and sisters of in Christ. This is, I believe, what it means to
become a migrant with the migrants. The painful migratory experience of Juan in
the scenario has made me think deeper and ask critical questions about the real
causes, costs and consequences of human mobility. Furthermore, my pastoral
experience at Casa del Migrante Nazareth
has compelled me to ask myself three intriguing questions: How can the plight
of migrants be remedied? What else can I do more than just giving food and
drink and medicine to the hungry, thirsty and sick migrants? Can I be passionately
involved in working for peace and justice for immigrants in vulnerable
situations?
YANGMINTA, Fransiskus Xaverius, CS
Scalabrini International Migration Institute (SIMI) @
PONTIFICAL URBANIANA UNIVERSITY, Vatican City
March
2013
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar