FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK:
Migration and immigration has always been the way of life for the human species. From the time of the hunter/gatherers people have always been on the move looking for something different, better or safer. When the first Europeans came to our shores they were looking for food, gold or a better way of life. What they found was a land that had an estimated 50 million people. Of those, 10 million lived in what became known as the United States of America. The European peoples took everything they wanted from the natives and within 50 years the native populations shrank by 50% and continued to fall due to diseases for which they had no immunity, warfare and enslavement. The first Europeans were seeking either a way to get rich quick, a life free from poverty and war. Does that sound familiar? It should because that is what is happening today.
Every day in every corner of our world, there are men, women, and children walking across national borders to find work, to find shelter, to find safety, to find food, and to find the freedom to find a better life for themselves and their children. We might understand those who are fleeing from violence and war, but do we understand that many countries don’t have jobs or any way to make a living to buy food and medicine for their families? As we celebrate this weekend, please remember to thank God for all He has given you and me. As I have traveled through some of the developing nations of the world, I have seen adults as well as children digging in the city dumps so they could eat that day.
Pope Francis has stated: “Work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. It gives one the ability to maintain oneself, one’s family, to contribute to the growth of one’s own nation.” Unfortunately, millions of workers today are denied this honor and respect as a result of unemployment, underemployment, unjust wages, wage theft, abuse, and exploitation.
As we celebrate Labor Day this weekend, I want to thank each of you who are retired for your many years of hard work. For all who are working today, I thank you also. In one way or another you are making my world/our world, a better place in which to live. We also want to thank all the members of our armed forces who are stationed all over the world fighting, or on some type of border patrol to keep our nation free and safe.