It was Valentine’s Day. So, I will admit that I was not too excited about driving out to Geneva’s Hobart and William Smith Colleges to cover a lecture.
But as soon as Father Alejandro Solalinde began speaking, I knew I was in the presence of greatness.
And I’m talking the kind of greatness that comes from a life of service. A life of courage in the face of death threats. A life of selflessness. A life of faith so strong that he doesn’t seek out people or money to help him help others.
He knows God will always provide.
For the past five years at his shelter in Oaxaca, Mexico, Father Solalinde has been helping thousands of migrants workers who travel from such Central American countries as Guatemala and Honduras through Mexico to reach the United States. For his efforts, he has been imprisoned and beaten.
But nothing stops him from traveling to wherever he is invited to speak and call for justice for these poorest of the poor who are kidnapped, raped and blackmailed on their journeys to find work to support their families. It boggles the mind that goodness can persist in the midst of such evil.
So as I drove home, I was no longer thinking about myself and my petty worries but wondering if God was sending me a message: To be more caring to my family and friends. To be more patient with my children. To be happy with a life so blessed by God’s hand.
To show the kind of love that Father Solalinde does every day.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To read more about Father Solalinde’s work, click here.
