Lenten Devotions

Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – Father, save me from this hour? (John 12.27)

“Look! Do you like it? I’m very proud of my painting. Do you think La Virgen likes it?” Eight year-old Elie, a participant in the Guadalupe Art Program, stood by her creation. “Oh yes, it’s wonderful,” I replied. “I painted the Mexican flag in my hand because I am very proud of where I came from and who I am. But why do they hate us so much? Don’t they know we all want the same things? I want to be a doctor and help my mother. She works so hard. I pray to La Virgen every night and ask her to fill their hearts with love. I sure hope she’s listening.” Elie now lives in Mexico – her mother could no longer endure living in the shadows.

The Reverend Canon Mary Moreno Richardson was recently honored by Episcopal Relief and Development for her work with young people in dire situations (Central Juvenile Hall in East LA, a detention center for undocumented youth, and victims of human trafficking ). She was asked to write vignettes of her pastoral experiences and one of them (April 6) appears in their Lenten devotional, which was distributed nationally. The others will be used by ERD in future publications; we'll be providing them to you here, so that they can be part of your Lenten journey.

Lenten Devotions

Thus says the Lord of hosts: See, disaster is spreading from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring. (Jeremiah 25.32)

“Please, I need your help - they can’t send me back. Everyone in my barrio depends on me. They worked so hard to save money to send me north. Don’t let them send me back. I’m so ashamed. They trusted me and I can’t I let them down. Hurricane Mitch destroyed our neighborhood. I was sent to work so I can send back money. We are so poor. God has already brought me this far.” These are the words of a young man from Honduras, 90 pounds and five feet tall, who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. One night he slipped out of the detention center, determined to find work to support his family and friends.

The Reverend Canon Mary Moreno Richardson was recently honored by Episcopal Relief and Development for her work with young people in dire situations (Central Juvenile Hall in East LA, a detention center for undocumented youth, and victims of human trafficking ). She was asked to write vignettes of her pastoral experiences and one of them (April 6) appears in their Lenten devotional, which was distributed nationally. The others will be used by ERD in future publications; we'll be providing them to you here, so that they can be part of your Lenten journey.

Lenten Devotions

For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8.2)

Traumatized and sobbing, the 13-year-old girl from Guatemala began her story. “In Tijuana they took me to a house where they sold me to men for sex. They warned me not to try to escape because of the dogs guarding the house. If I stayed the abuse would continue and if I tried to escape the dogs could attack me. I turned the doorknob and the dogs began to growl. I prayed to God for help. The dogs held still and let me pass. God was with me. But I can’t sleep,” she cried. As I stroked her hair I said, “The same God who led you out of that house is with you every night, holding you in his love.”

The Reverend Canon Mary Moreno Richardson was recently honored by Episcopal Relief and Development for her work with young people in dire situations (Central Juvenile Hall in East LA, a detention center for undocumented youth, and victims of human trafficking ). She was asked to write vignettes of her pastoral experiences and one of them (April 6) appears in their Lenten devotional, which was distributed nationally. The others will be used by ERD in future publications; we'll be providing them to you here, so that they can be part of your Lenten journey.

Lenten Devotions

For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. (Jeremiah 8.21)

“The coyote left me alone, abandoned,” said the young man from Central America. “I was lost for four days in the Arizona desert. But God helped me find the highway. I knelt down in the middle of the road and begged the cars to stop. They just drove around me. Finally a car stopped and left a bag of food. I think they called the Border Patrol. Thank God I am now safe.”

“We waited in the desert for three days and three nights,” said the 14-year-old girl from El Salvador. “Do you have any idea what it feels like when you are so thirsty you cannot even make saliva? But God was with us all the time, that’s for sure,” she said with conviction.

The Reverend Canon Mary Moreno Richardson was recently honored by Episcopal Relief and Development for her work with young people in dire situations (Central Juvenile Hall in East LA, a detention center for undocumented youth, and victims of human trafficking ). She was asked to write vignettes of her pastoral experiences and one of them (April 6) appears in their Lenten devotional, which was distributed nationally. The others will be used by ERD in future publications; we'll be providing them to you here, so that they can be part of your Lenten journey.