A new Advent journey

[B]By FR. RYAN P. JIMENEZ[/B] [I]Special to the Saipan Tribune[/I] [I]Editor’s Note: The following is the complete text of the pastoral letter that was read during Masses on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at all Catholic churches in the Commonwealth.[/I]

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, greeting of peace!

Advent is a season of new beginnings.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new cycle in the Church’s liturgical calendar. This year’s Advent is quite unique because all Catholics in the English-speaking dioceses officially start using the new Roman Missal, which contains the revised English translation of prayers and responses at Mass from the original Latin text. We in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, as with our brothers and sisters across the nation, have been preparing for this change for some time now. The time is now upon us to embrace this change and its integration into our celebration of the Eucharist.

Nov. 27, 2011, in addition to being an important date to our new liturgical year, also marks for us an important turn in our community. Today is the last day of validity for locally issued umbrella permits for nonresidents in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Prompted by federal legislation that took effect in 2009, this development brought forth new immigration requirements for non-U.S. citizens in our communities on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian, and any quest for their continued stay in the islands. The population it impacts is significant enough to impose many changes in our parishes, villages, and the Commonwealth at large. Completing the immigration shift from local to federal immigration standards has certainly brought much attention, discussion, and action. There are those that have downsized, reduced staff, or have discontinued services altogether. Individuals who employed nonresident workers in their homes and farms are also adjusting to the new rules. The diocese itself has had to review the nonresident status of those assisting with its mission, including members of the clergy and the religious. The plight of those who hold nonresident status has in and of itself been a contentious issue. These individuals were faced with concerns like whether or not they had secured employers, whether or not they qualified for approved status, whether or not they had an option to stay or return to their points of origins, whether or not their dependents qualified them for special consideration, and many other uncertainties. As Nov. 27 approached, there were those who left the islands to return home or elsewhere to seek gainful employment, those who remained after securing approved status, and those who did not secure approved status but remained hopeful for a perceived outcome. In any event, Nov. 27 is now here and changes are imminent.

Through this pastoral letter, I, together with the clergy of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, is one in prayer with the many nonresidents and residents alike who are affected with this reality. St. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, says that we are all members of the one body of Christ and when one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Our parishes throughout the diocese are comprised of parishioners from various ethnic backgrounds. We are a church of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions. We speak different languages, maintain different customs, and observe different family practices. These are all reflections of the richness of God’s inmost being, one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This unity in diversity as reflected in the Trinitarian God is a model for all the faithful.

With this, I would like to point out pertinent social teachings of the Catholic Church as our guide in dealing with current events such as immigration. The United States of Conference of Catholic Bishops, through its pastoral letter Strangers No Longer, emphasized five guiding principles of Catholic social teaching on immigration:

1. All people have a right to find opportunity in their homeland;

2. All people have a right to migrate in order to support themselves and their families;

3. Nations have the right to control their borders;

4. Refugees and asylum seekers should be protected by the international community; and

5. All immigrants possess inherent human dignity, which should be respected in all cases.

While the five points above deserve a full explanation, I only wish to emphasize the last point in upholding the dignity of the human person. At the core of this basic teaching is a biblical testimony that every person is created in the image and likeness of God. “God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27). With this as our basis for relating with one another, there should be no room for hatred with our fellow human being. In recognizing the rights of every individual and in upholding the laws, we should try our best to instill basic respect with one another.

This call for respect, practice of charity, and solidarity is grounded in Sacred Scriptures. From God’s command to the Israelites to “treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the native born among you; have the same love for him as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34), to Christ’s pronouncement that His followers will be judged by how well they welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35), to St. Paul’s claim that, “You are no longer stranger and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19), we likewise should embrace members of our community with love and respect. After all, when people of different origins are welcomed, God is revealed: “I was a stranger and you welcome me.” (Matthew 25:35).

In his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI pointed out that “the migrant is the human person who possesses fundamental, inalienable right that must be respected by everyone and every circumstance.” Moreover, as one bishop suggests, “We must see everyone not only as a neighbor but also to see everyone as Jesus.”

As we live in this constantly changing society, we must remind ourselves that truly there is nothing permanent in this world. There is only one thing permanent and constant—that is, the unconditional love of God. Let us all continue to put our faith, hope, and trust in God. As the Psalmist in our reading today direct us, “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.” (Psalm 80:4). During this season of Advent, with renewed hope, let our Christian faith rest ultimately in the “One who migrated from heaven to earth, and through His death and resurrection, passed over from death to life.”

I am with you during this challenging journey of faith and, with my prayers, I remain respectfully yours in Christ.

[I]Fr. Ryan P. Jimenez is the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa.[/I]