Esperanza rising

Last night I took the kids to see Esperanza Rising, a world premiere play at the Children’s Theater Company here in Minneapolis. We have season tickets to the CTC (we don’t have cable television, our TV barely works, but we’ll spend the money on this theater because it’s so wonderful!), and this play has been on the calendar for a long time. Even so, I couldn’t believe how timely it is. In the midst of weeks of immigration protests (including a wonderfully large one here in St. Paul, where Archbishop Flynn actually had good things to say), this play invites deep identification with the hopes and dreams — and the crushing oppression and despair — that Mexican immigrants face.

I think my kids got more out of these two short hours than weeks of reading the newspaper and talking about the protests.

My own tears during the play -- of pain, of joy -- brought me fresh enthusiasm for finding ways to combat the widespread corporatism that's infected Christian communities. Until we can help each other move beyond the narratives that control our critical engagement, we won't be able to really make a difference. But even the mainstream media is starting to show signs of rejecting these mirages. Consider this piece in the LATimes. Or a renewed discussion of something being called "distributive justice capitalism." What else might help?