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One of our confrere, Fr. Eric, came back from his assignment in Mexico to be an observer at the Chapter. He teaches scripture down there, and was the American on staff during my years in Tlaquepaque. It’s been great catching up on the old neighborhood, if you will. Even though we don’t send theologians to my old parish of Santa Cruz de las Huertas anymore, Fr. Eric still visits and helps out with confessions and Masses once in awhile. And so we’ve been catching up on who’s getting married, who’s having a baby, where different Salesians I studied with are and things like that.
I have been truly blessed as a Salesian priest, and I count my three years in Guadalajara one of the many graces the Lord has bestowed on me in my life. The openness and hospitality shown to me by the people is my strongest memory. I am often reminded of the Gospel where Jesus tell us that a person who gives a cup of water to one of his followers, simply because he is a disciple will receive a disciple’s reward. Well, I received much more than a cup of water, simply because I was a seminarian and later a deacon and priest. Yes, there was the food and drink, but there was also the laughter, the smiles, the simple hospitality and the real love that comes from the heart. I saw a hard working people who took pride in their country and their families, and knew the meaning Christian charity.
There were problems to be sure. Many lived in real poverty, and that should never be idealized. While the poor often have a certain detachment from material things and an appreciation for the deeper values like family and faith that can put the rich to shame, there was also alcoholism, drug abuse and domestic violence that can accompany those whose grinding poverty leads them to believe that there is no hope. Yes, I saw, or at least knew, of these and other problems, but for the most part I experienced the friendship of people who were very down to earth and, like I wrote before, hard working and truly joyful.
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Why is it happening? The reasons are many. There is a culture of corruption in the government and various Mexican police forces that has compromised their ability to respond. We were talking amongst ourselves, asking if terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda could have a part in promoting the violence in order to weaken the border, thus making entrance of terrorists in to US territory easier. Let’s not forget that Germany tried to use Mexico during World War I to destabilize the US. It didn’t work then, but it could under the right conditions. The economic system in Mexico works against the entrepreneur and small business person; this makes getting ahead for an industrious go getter that much harder. So many find it easier to turn to illegal means of making a living, or yes, jumping the border into the States to find work. We have to be honest and ask ourselves where do the illegal drugs consumed in the States come from, and how are we cooperating in this tragedy.
Drugs are not a victimless crime. The dope sold on the streets of the Bronx, the South Side, and South Beach all have a starting off point. John Paul II told the people of Columbia not to use First World drug consumption as an excuse for the drug production in their country. Evil is evil, and shouldn’t be tolerated. At the same time we need to understand that our country’s collective addiction to illegal drugs has consequences. It destroys the lives of the addict, which is tragedy enough. But it also destroys the life of people where the stuff is produced and trafficked. It is now destroying an entire country. When will we say enough?
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The Parish of Santa Cruz de las Huertas, Tonala, Jalisco |
I choose to remember the Mexico I left for the last time in 2001. I choose to remember the people who welcomed me into their homes, who fed me, clothed me, and made me feel like I was a member of their family, simply because I was a Catholic seminarian. I want to remember the good times. But I hear the cry of a people held hostage in their own country. A country they love, but one that is now experiencing a long Good Friday. I pray they may soon experience the rebirth of Easter Sunday.
1 comment:
1. Love the beard in the picture
2. Well said. Mexico is being held hostage and it is a real threat to us, beyond the terrible cost to the people of Mexico.
3. I love the articles, thanks.
Give my love to the SDB
Andy Lucchese
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