The Day I Encountered The Suffering Christ
Connie Braren
Our July team was blessed to have Bishop Vincent Rizzotto join us on mission. He came wanting a deeper understanding of the life and struggles of the Maya but also wanting to observe and understand the missionary activity of the S.O.S. Catholic laity in our diocese. It was no coincidence that he was on this particular trip. On the last day of our mission trip in July, our team of nineteen divided up into four groups and with a guide began making home visits. It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful week of action packed, faith-enriching interchange with the Maya children and adults. As we walked long distances from one home to another along narrow dirt paths in between tall cornfields, one could hardly take in the tremendous beauty that nature wrapped us in.
The surrounding blue distant mountains, the endless cornfields seen in every direction, the intense blue of the sky, the freshness of the mountain air, the silence and peacefulness in this heavenly countryside. But when it was time to say our final goodbyes, one of the leaders, in a very emotional outpouring, described very graphically, what took place right where we stood, during the violence of the '80's. Pointing to the road ahead of us, he explained that for three days an army of 10,000 men from Guatemala arrived and surrounded the villages ordering no one to enter or leave. Pointing to the church a few yards from us, he explained that they used it as their base and a place of torture. He recalled one particular night as he and his wife and one year old son were getting ready to go to bed, something caught his attention.
Seeing several uniformed men hiding in the woods, he quickly gathered up his family and fled. Shortly after, the soldiers opened fire and everyone started running for their lives. They began shooting, men, women and children in his village and in the surrounding villages. His home and others were bombed and set on fire. Thousands died during the massacre. He was the only one of his siblings to survive the slaughter. It was a very emotional moment for all of us because the violence now had a face, a voice and a place. All nineteen team members wept with him. After many minutes of silence, recognizing that we were standing on holy ground and that we were somehow violated as well, we all took off our shoes, knelt down and prayed together for those who died, for those living with terrifying memories, for those still mourning the loss of loved ones and for the martyrs who shed their blood for their Catholic faith. After this somber moment, we each came to the leader, hugged and cried with him. There was no doubt that our Ministry of Presence there in the Quiché was used as a tool for God to bind us to one another. There was no doubt that the presence of our Bishop, brought immeasurable healing balm to the Maya who have been without a Bishop for over two years. There was no doubt that we all encountered the suffering Christ that day- in the leader, in this community, in this country. I will never forget this moment.