Monday, October 6, 2008

Communion at the Border

The Border Fence at Friendship Park

Yesterday I took part in a spiritual event at the border between the United States and Mexico. The area near the ocean is called Friendship Park and is a place where people can gather on both sides of the fence, reunite with family, and possibly have a meal together. Buddhist meditation took place, and then communion was shared. The man who led communion said that we could take the tortilla (the body of Christ) through the fence as an act of civil disobedience, because it is illegal to pass things across the border. Most people who were there took communion in this way, through the fence.

I chose to take the body of Christ, illegally, through a fence that divides humanity. To me, that symbolizes what faith should be. I chose to do this to stand up for the many undocumented people who live in this country without a political voice: friends of mine, students I have taught, or unknown faces. I chose to do this for the people living on the other side of the border who experience a life of great inequality. I chose to do this for those that will cross the border in the future, risking their lives in the hope that the U.S. will provide an opportunity when they felt like they had no option in their own country. I chose to do this for those who have died trying to cross the border, a number that is sadly continuing to increase. The issue at hand is not one of legality as so many make it, but one of humanity. All of our stories overlap, and yesterday, I chose to take the body of Christ through the fence in solidarity with the many people whose stories don't often get heard. It was a small act in light of what many people do to fight injustice, but it was a small act with a bigger meaning.

Meditation on the U.S. Side
Meditation on the Mexican Side
The Body of Christ
The Blood of Christ
Communion Through the Fence
Communion Through the Fence
Communion at the Border

4 comments:

  1. I think it was a lot easier taking the tortilla from the mexican side, when Matty and Paige did it right before me. I was glad I was a part of this, and that we all did this together.

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  2. This is a very powerful story. Thank you for sharing it. It reminds me of what some friends at Peace Tree community in Perth Australia did outside the internment camp where refugees are held in the middle of the Australian outback. I am sure that symbolic events like this have far more impact in the spiritual realm than we realize.

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