You Know that We Love You, Right?

By Maria H., on mission in Honduras

One day, M., an eleven-year-old girl, came yelling at our gate. This is a very normal occurrence with the kids of the neighborhood, so we weren’t too shocked or worried. However, as I approached the gate, I saw that M. had been crying. As I ran to her, asking what the matter was, she responded, “My mama was hitting me, right here in the face. She has been drinking again.” She explained to us that she had to run out of the house early that morning and was only able to grab dirty clothes. As Clemencia (my sister in community) was looking for clean clothes, I was tightly holding on to M.

“Mama doesn’t love me, she doesn’t love me,” she kept repeating. 

After M. calmed down a little bit, I said, “M., you know that you are loved, right? You know that we love you?” 

Nodding her head, she responded with a simple, “Yes, I do.”

I continued to hold her until she was able to change into clean clothes and we gave her something to eat and drink. We spent the morning together, talking, cooking, playing, and really doing anything. By the time she left our house, she was laughing merrily. 

“You can always come back if you need to,” I told her.

“Okay, thank you Maria, thank you,” she said with a smile.

Mary stood at the foot of the cross – unable to change anything, she could simply be there. In the same way, all I could do was just be with M. in her suffering and suffer with her as she carries this cross. I wanted so much to go to her house and to fix all of her family problems. Yet all I could do was be there and show M. that she is loved. Christ showed me what it means to participate on this side of the cross with M.