Martha Ann Kirk

Precious Precarity

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“We may remember weary Jeremiah saying, "You have seduced me, and I have let myself be seduced." We may use contemporary jargon about "compassion fatigue." Whatever our language, we are recognizing that prophets get exhausted. Depths of spirituality are needed so that one does not internally or externally flee the harsh and ambiguous realities of the borderlands. Boursier opens up to us the paths of deep spirituality by juxtaposing words and images from immigrants, volunteers, and those around, with the words of wisdom from Ecclesiastes. She does not deny the struggle. She does not deny the hope and joy. By getting close to "the other," one can move away from controlling fear into a peaceful sense of deep purpose. Recently we were able to offer overnight hospitality in our convent to a ninth grader and his father from Venezuela, who had gone through months of dangerous and exhausting travel to reach the US border and ask for asylum. A thoughtful judge affirmed they could be in the US for now and be considered. Before the student and his father left to join a relative, I shared a vocabulary-building workbook that our mother, a high school English teacher, had used with her students. As I touched Momma's handwriting for the last time, I realized that twenty years after her death, this gift book was her life and love continuing. The student lit up with joy and wanted me to inscribe the book. We, like Sarah and Abraham, were blessed by the strangers who came. Boursier writes with boundless compassion and creative skill. She opens our eyes, that we may let the strangers in.”

Walking Where Jesus Walked

Preaching & Worship

“Readers will see, hear, and feel the enthusiasm and faith of worshipers sixteen hundred years ago. . . A wonderfully rich, fascinating, and inspiring book!”