#9 Sylmar Juvenile Hall

Its been quite some time since my last update, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been ‘giving back’! Frankly, I stopped counting because it doesn’t matter the number of things you do nor the time frame you do it in. Simply put, quality not quantity. That being said, I thought I would share my most recent volunteer experience and recap on the others at a later date.

A few weeks ago, a friend from small group, Vivian, asked if I wanted to join her during Holy Week at the Juvenile Hall. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I accepted the invite and said ‘Yes!’ to spreading God’s love.

Sylmar Juvenile Hall is where we ended up. I wasn’t the least bit nervous - until it was time to enter Hall G (or H, I forgot). I made eye contact with a young man, and honestly, I got nervous, anxious, and self-conscience. Who am I to go in there and wash the feet of these young men? I wanted to run away; I was scared. But why? They were just normal people. Silly me.

It was Wednesday but we were there as if it were Holy Thursday. A day when Catholics relive and remember the Last Supper and Jesus washing the feet of his apostles to show that he would do anything for us. (Just as a side note, back in the day washing someones feet wasn’t a regular thing. The feet were the dirtiest parts of the body and even if you just showered, they would get dirty quickly. Not even the regular servants would do this chore - it was seen to be the duty of the lowest of the low in society).

As minutes went by, so did the hour before I knew it. These young men were such a gift that night. I was fortunate to have shared the evening with another man who had been at Sylmar many times. All of them engaged me in conversation as we read the Gospel, washed each others hands (instead of their feet by their choice) and discussed matters of the heart. They were open and receptive. We discussed the ‘system’ they live in and how some them felt discarded by society. When we (the two volunteers) told them the reason why we were there was simply because we just wanted to BE with them, their eyes lit up.

“You want to be here? … with us?”

I’ve been reflecting on that. The sense of simply being. Sharing each others presence. I know I can’t do anything about the system they live in, or the communities they were born into, but I do know that I have the choice to BE with them. And thats what I have continued to choose to do.

That night I talked to Father Mike and got a volunteer application right away. I’ll be back. Not to change the world, but to just be.

• Paz