El Paso’s 2024 Misa Fronteriza
Br. Daniele Caglioni, A.A.
November 15, 2024
In our cammino de fe, our walk of faith, we cannot schedule when God will share His life with us in a particular and profound way. Mary did not know when the angel Gabriel would visit her, bearing news that would give us all new life… Paul did not know ahead of time what would happen to him on the road to Damascus…. We can never fully anticipate grace.
During my visit to our brothers in El Paso, I had such an experience of this grace. Every year, the Dioceses of El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and Las Cruces, New Mexico celebrate a Border Mass, a Misa Fronteriza. Upon my arrival in El Paso, I was thrilled when my brothers informed me that the Mass would be celebrated on Saturday, November 9, just before I would end my visit. Before coming to la frontera, I had no idea such a Mass existed or when it was typically held, but I am so glad I was able to participate in it and have this encounter with the Living God.
At this Mass, which was celebrated on a platform at the center of the border between the US and Mexico, we prayed for the souls of our brothers and sisters who have died in the past year as they seek to cross into the United States and find new life. As we gathered together in prayer, we were informed that one hundred and eight migrants have died over 2024 along the border in New Mexico and El Paso. Causes include heat exhaustion, malnourishment, and dehydration. We also gathered to memorialize the life of Padre Marcelo Perez, who was assassinated by two gunmen after devoting his life to advocating for the rights of farm workers and indigenous peoples in Mexico.
I was grateful for how peaceful and prayerful the Mass was, especially given the recent election results in our country. We were there to pray, not protest; to stand in solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters who yearn for new beginnings. All of us, religious, priests, laity, mothers, fathers, and their children, were there because we have encountered God in beholding this suffering. As our Rule of Life tells us, embracing the great causes of God impels us to “go wherever God is threatened in man and man threatened as the image of God” (RoL #4). It was wonderful to meet so many people committed to promoting this human dignity: our communities in El Paso not alone in this mission. Indeed, in this call we see the face of the universal Church, the family of God.
Pope Francis has called us to welcome migrants into our society, to protect them and advocate for them, and to help them integrate themselves, coming to live meaningful and fruitful lives in our communities. This requires that our Church be one “that goes out,” as the Good Samaritan once did… We cannot simply pass by this suffering (or any other), plagued by indifference. We must dare to behold the migrant brother, care for him, and help him find refuge.
Praying this Mass was a wonderful way to end my experience in El Paso; it really was a climax, as helping at our shelter, learning about the different aspects of the migrant journey, and meeting our many dedicated, passionate volunteers all led me to this encounter with God. Faith became real; in that Mass, Christian charity showed that it knows no borders.
