El Paso or Bust

Affiliate Projected Initiative

“In the middle of the road of my life, I awake in a dark wood where the true way was wholly lost.” (Dante Alighieri, from the Divine Comedy)

The heading on this post – El Paso or Bust – is not the tile for a new Affiliate travelogue book. Neither is it a neon attention-grabbing title to pique the interest of the reader, not primarily anyway. Nor, finally, is it a contingency statement about the future of the Affiliate movement…i.e., if we don’t do this or something similar, it’s over.  It is an aspirational yet, we believe, realizable reality that can give renewed energy, focus and transformative life to the Affiliate movement, all of Maryknoll.

To see the Jan./Feb. NSFA article on El Paso, click on the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Al7Df-ABgVRsPmxqfnCl1CGjSU5WltXA/view

Our strong hope is to form an intentional, mutually supportive community with all or some of the other Maryknoll expressions (and possibly others) coming together to respond to the urgent needs on the border. There are wonderfully exciting possibilities for Maryknoll that could come from this as well as significant challenges. All that will be critical areas to explore in detail as we move forward, but for another time.

This post focuses on the psycho-spiritual place inside each person that leads us to say “yes” or “no” to moving forward or even considering moving forward with any significant change. Can we somehow tap into what it was that gave guidance and courage to James, Molly and Thomas in starting this Maryknoll adventure in the first place?

When talking about the possibility of an intentional Affiliate/Maryknoll community on the border some weeks ago during the Real/Virtual Gathering*, Nancy McFarland, a gentle reflective woman from the North Bay Affiliate Chapter, expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative. But, she then added the importance of allowing things to evolve and be guided in time from a trusting, still place free of anxiety and ambition. It’s in the silence that we can push away the frightening voices inside that stifle the courage to move forward.

Dante’s quote above, In the middle of the road of my life…” feels dark, counterintuitive (i.e., nuts), and the opposite place from which transformative change can happen. Yet, historically, isn’t that the very (only?) place – ‘when the clear path drops out of sight’ – from which genuinely creative change can follow? It has been said that Abraham knew he was being faithful and on the right path because he didn’t know where he was going…being led? Those of us pursuing this El Paso initiative hope to do so from a trusting place (even when the pathway dips out of sight) recognizing that our human genetic material will keep us from a perfect score, probably far from it.

Again, this post is only looking at the psycho-spiritual movements inside us when considering major change. They do not at all dismiss the need for strategizing and assessing and discussing and re-assessing that will need to take place if this initiative is to have a chance. We are hopeful. 

Coming soon: The March/April edition of NSFA will include a form asking: (1) ___Do you morally support this initiative (2) ___Can you consider volunteering a couple of weeks or longer to live in community and attend to the needs of immigrants and refugees on the border (3) ___Are you willing to make a donation to support this initiative?

* The Real/Virtual Gathering meets for an hour the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month and is open to all Maryknollers