Sixth Encounter: Acompañarse on the Journey
Text: Mark 11:1-11; 14:3-9
Speaker: Bethany Davey
One year ago, I traveled with a group of fellow seminarians to Chiapas, Mexico. Throughout our weeks in Mexico’s southernmost state, we met with leaders of local, grassroots organizations and coalitions who understand their role and the role of their group as one of accompaniment. We heard this Spanish word over and over again: acompañarse. Though I fear English translations do not fully encapsulate the concept’s significance, I understand acompañarse to mean accompany, join with, travel alongside, be in bodied solidarity. Throughout Chiapas, we encountered coalitions and individuals committed to accompanying migrant travelers through the provision of the most basic human needs: food, clean water, a safe place to rest on the journey. Chiapas’ proximity to the Guatemalan border means that local communities accompany thousands of migrating people as they attempt safe passage from South and Central America into Mexico and, perhaps eventually, the United States.
Acompañarse.
This week’s lectionary text invites us into a...