Whence the duty that lies on the Church of spreading the faith and the salvation of Christ, not only in virtue of the express command which was inherited from the Apostles by the order of bishops, assisted by the priests, together with the successor of Peter and supreme shepherd of the Church, but also in virtue of that life which flows from Christ into His members.... (Ad Gentes 5)
This decree from Vatican II is a clarion call to all of us not only to live our faith in a visible and integral way, but to preach the Gospel of Life whenever the opportunity presents itself. This is especially needed among our Hispanic brothers and sisters, many of whom take great risk to come to this country only to be bombarded with false messages and hope, and even threats to their families and their children.
Bringing the Gospel of Life to the world is a fundamental element of evangelization. As we preach the Good News of Christ, we necessarily incorporate the teachings on life and family that are under attack, since it is on these issues that people's faith is challenged in a practical way. As Our Lord said: "Go into the whole world, preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe, shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15ff.).
In evangelizing our Hispanic brothers and sisters, we can follow the examples of, and seek inspiration from, the lives of great missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier, Blessed Junipero Serra and Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. St. Francis Xavier, the patron of all missionaries, had a particular zeal for bringing the faith to the pagans, and had strong words of reproach for those clerics who would not join him in his magnificent missionary efforts, as we see in his letters to St. Ignatius of Loyola. The lives of Blessed Junipero Serra and Fr. Kino also remind us of the great efforts that the Church made for the evangelization of what is now the Southwestern United States.
A primary proof of our love for the Faith is our desire to share it with other persons. How can we say that we love our Savior and Redeemer if we do not share this knowledge that leads to salvation with other persons, especially with those whose salvation is at risk?
Many Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. are baptized, but they have been poorly catechized due to the lack of clergy in their home countries. The grace of God that these men and women have received at baptism provides them with a particular attraction to the truths of the faith. Hearing the Truth will awaken in them the yearning for truth and charity that God has planted on their souls through baptism. Some have received notions of the Faith from their parents and their grandparents, but this instruction has to be completed. Further instruction in Christian principles will allow them to ground their lives in a strong knowledge of a living faith to direct their lives to God in the midst of all the crosses they have to bear, and to resist the onslaught of a secularized society, and other religious sects.
Indeed, as far as much of the secular world is concerned, God has been eclipsed. As a result, men become slaves of idolatries, as Benedict XVI reminded us in his general audience of Wednesday, June 15th. Some of those idolatries are as old as the Fall of Man. We see it in pride and envy that blind man to the reality of God. We can also see it in those who are dominated by disordered desires. Some are newer, like the particular modern relativism of our days that leads to a self-destructive emptiness.
The religious sects that are active in Latin America might be well intentioned and might display an infectious enthusiasm, but in reality they rob people of their basic Catholic identity -- offering false shortcuts towards salvation. But their message also severs Hispanics from their cultural and ethnic identity: the main element of union between the Hispanics is an ancient faith as it has taken roots in the union of the Spanish culture with the different indigenous cultures of America.
There is a particular urgency to evangelize because we know that Hispanics are being particularly targeted by different abortionist groups that prey on the poor and the abandoned. And considering the racist origins of groups like Planned Parenthood, one might wonder if there isn't a more sinister reason for the targeting of Hispanics.
The presentation of the basic truths of the Gospel of Life and Family can be an excellent starting point to evangelize thousands of Hispanics that have moved into the U.S. Many of these truths are evident to people of good will who have not suffered an ideological conditioning. The most obvious example of a self-evident truth is the child in the womb; it would be easy to demonstrate to a person that has good natural inclinations that this child is a human person and must be protected.
For that reason Human Life International has to congratulate Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, AZ, his auxiliary bishop Eduardo Nevares and Dr. Carmen Portela, director of Spanish parish leadership support, for hosting the first Bi-national Respect Life & Evangelization Congress. It was a moving experience to see more than 1,300 persons crowding the convention facilities of Phoenix. Many speakers made eloquent presentations of the different aspects of the Gospel of Life. It was also touching to see the long lines that were formed for confession. These long lines show the thirst that many Hispanics have for the healing mercy of Christ. I considered it a particular gift of God that I was able to hear so many confessions with the blessing of Bishop Olmsted.
The most recent U.S. Census tells us that the Hispanic population is rapidly growing -- although we hardly needed a study to know this. They are the future of the Church in the United States, as many Church leaders have pointed out. This future is indicated not only by immigration, but by a fertility rate that is higher than the general population. As a respected bishop was telling me recently, it is hunger that it is motivating them to immigrate.
The Church should receive these immigrants both with open arms and with full respect of the rights and laws of the host country. This country that has received the poor and underprivileged from many nations has to be ready to open its doors to the poor of Latin America. Obviously this has to be done in an orderly fashion with enforceable laws and proper concern for those who do not respect the laws. Also, it should be remembered that the Lord has provided the U.S. with bountiful gifts, so Americans should continue to personally share these gifts with other nations as they have so generously done so in the past.
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." (Lk. 10:2) In the past, different groups of immigrants brought with them priests, but it would be unrealistic to have this expectation with regards to the Hispanic immigrants, taking into account the scarcity of priests in Latin America. We pray that the Lord will send a growing number of priests dedicated to take care of and to evangelize the Hispanic community in the United States.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula
Interim President, Human Life International
