domingo, diciembre 30, 2007

Fin de año sin reforma

Rev. José Eugenio Hoyos
Washington Hispanic

28 de diciembre 2007

Pasaron los días, los meses y hemos llegado al final del año 2007 y los inmigrantes nos quedamos esperando la reforma migratoria en el sistema. ¡Qué pena y qué vergüenza! Lo que sí tenemos que destacar del año 2007 es la fortaleza de nuestra comunidad hispana, el aguante y la paciencia con todos los eventos ocurridos en el transcurrir del año.

En Virginia sentimos los efectos de la inmigración dolorosamente. Nos sentimos desamparados por el gobierno. Hubo cancelación de beneficios para los más pobres, entre ellos niños y ancianos.

Prince William, Herndon, Culpeper, Manassas y otras áreas del norte de Virginia se vieron afectados por las decisiones gubernamentales. Todos esperábamos ansiosamente que al final del año se diera una reforma al sistema migratorio. No ocurrió así pero seguiremos orando y madurando nuestras marchas y peticiones para que 2008 sea un año de sorpresas y de mejores noticias para una comunidad que sufre y espera.

Igualmente lo concerniente con la venta de casas no despegó, la vivienda siguió estancada y el mercado para abajo. La guerra en Irak sigue sin conseguirse la paz. Pero hay que darle gracias a Dios porque no todo es negativo. Para un gran mayoría también 2007 fue de muchas bendiciones: un nuevo trabajo, un nuevo hijo, una cirugía exitosa, estamos vivos, una reunión familiar agradable, un viaje al extranjero, un nuevo amigo, un acercamiento más serio a Cristo, etc.

Para que reflexionemos en estos últimos días del año, quisiera compartir con ustedes la pasión que el hombre de 2008 debe tener en mente:

"Al 15% de los hombres les sobra comida. 25% tienen una alimentación normal. 40% están mal nutridos y 20% están totalmente subalimentados. Cada día mueren 100 mil personas de hambre en el mundo. De cada seis niños que nacen, uno viene al mundo falto de peso, vulnerable a la enfermedad y propenso a una muerte precoz... Según datos del Banco Mundial los países ricos con el 25% de la población mundial gastan el 80% de los recursos del planeta." (Gonzalo Gallo González)

Un mundo en el que la injusticia genera violencia necesita miles, millones de buenas personas como tú.

Con esto en mente empieza dándole una nueva reforma a tu vida. ¡Feliz Año 2008!

2 comentarios:

Rebel Girl dijo...

Padre Hoyos, remember that Mother Teresa said: "God does not call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful." The important point is that YOU and others stood with the powerless and advocated for them and we will do it again and again and again until this country wakes up and does the right thing. Why? Because it is what Jesus would do.

So I give thanks to God for your faithfulness and pray that it -- and you -- will grow stronger with each passing year.

Anónimo dijo...

…"we will do it again and again and again until this country wakes up and does the right thing. Why? Because it is what Jesus would do."

How do we know what Jesus would do?
Would Jesus advocate for compassion and merci for all specially for the poor and less fortunate? Of course he would.
But in the other hand, would he not advocate for following the law and rules of the land?
Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what it God's.
In today's world, give to Caesar means to comply with the laws of the land.

This country which is also mine of adoption, gives more billions of aid to the world than any other and is one of the most soft handed societies when it comes to new comers, either be legal or illegal. In many of the Hispanic nations, you can end up with your body in jail or suffer extortion if you are caught in there illegally.
Those countries that have such a great gap between rich and poor, those countries that have an small but affluent upper class that do not share at all not even the crumbs that fall from the table, with the vast majorities of disenfranchised, those elites are the cause of mass migrations and that many risk their lives in the attempt.
Those countries and governments are most in need to do "the right thing".

Yet, when in one of these countries, there is just a slide indication that the government may become of the socialist persuasion (I don't mean dictatorial communist) then many in the church, raise their flags of warning and concern. How are then the masses to be capable of achieving economic justice if the regimes do not change and the powerful retain control of the vast majority of resources?
Not even the great John Paul II, (whom I respect and admire) approved of the socialist approach, because he was too traumatized with the evils that he has seen in communist Poland.
Let's not forget that the Catholic Church has been in those countries for far longer and more indfluence than in the USA. Why has it not been capable to inspire social and economic change in there, after such a long time of predominance in people's life in there?

I don't find it a shame that a country wishes to control their borders, population and identity as its language and way of life. Blame not the politicians and others that support these measures, but instead blame those governments that with their policies and selfish elites, keep the under classes pined in poverty.

Poverty and need is everywhere, even here in the USA. Advocating for change is just, wanting happiness and human rights for those many, is the natural approach of heart for a compassionate priest as father Hoyos is but lets not blame those that have not caused the reason why many have to leave perilously their countries.