The end of the world as we know it: any dragons to slay? Guadalupe offers help in our doomsday scenarios.THE OTHER DAY MY FRIEND ALICIA WAS TELLING ME how sad and angry she felt when Hurricane Jeanne This article deals with the 2004 Hurricane Jeanne. For information on other storms of the same name, see Tropical Storm Jeanne (disambiguation). Hurricane Jeanne was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. hit the poorest country of the Western hemisphere Western Hemisphere Part of Earth comprising North and South America and the surrounding waters. Longitudes 20° W and 160° E are often considered its boundaries. , Haiti, killing thousands of people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Alicia, who lives in Miami, was homebound home·bound adj. Restricted or confined to home, as of an invalid. because Jeanne was about to hit Florida, becoming the fourth big hurricane to strike there this year. But she was not concerned for her own safety; rather, she was frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: because she could not go out to gather help for Haiti, a country she loves and where she has worked tirelessly for years to let the Haitian people know that, despite all appearances to the contrary, they are not forgotten. Her organization works to build schools and better housing and, above all, to make the people of Florida aware of Haiti's plight and to mobilize resources for the country. Meanwhile, war rages on in Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of our globe. Mount St. Helens St.Helen may refer to:
Could this be the end of the world? My first reaction is to say yes, yes, yes. This is the end! Or it should be. Actually, though, this is the beginning of the world, but not because of the current natural catastrophes and all the human evil combined. This world is about to end and another one is about to begin for a very simple reason: This is December. Every December we are visited by a woman clothed clothe tr.v. clothed or clad , cloth·ing, clothes 1. To put clothes on; dress. 2. To provide clothes for. 3. To cover as if with clothing. in the sun, with a crown of stars on her head and the moon under her feet. The woman is pregnant, and the dragon is waiting to devour de·vour tr.v. de·voured, de·vour·ing, de·vours 1. To eat up greedily. See Synonyms at eat. 2. To destroy, consume, or waste: Flames devoured the structure in minutes. the fruit of her womb. The fruit of her womb is hope, and its destruction would, indeed, be the end of our world and all worlds. We might not believe in dragons, but we cannot deny the clear and present dangers. For many people in 16th-century Mexico, too, the signs, wonders, catastrophes, and invasions of their home must have felt like the end of the world. The book of Revelation must have made absolute literal sense to them. The hope of the Messiah's return was encouraged from many a Christian pulpit. But then, in 1541, when everything seemed to be darkness and destruction, this woman, Guadalupe, appeared and assured people that the dragon would not harm her child. As theologian the·o·lo·gi·an n. One who is learned in theology. theologian Noun a person versed in the study of theology Noun 1. Virgilio Elizondo Virgilio Elizondo is a Mexican American, Roman Catholic priest who divides his time between his parish in San Antonio, Texas, and teaching at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. He is a major theologian in liberation theology and Hispanic theology. and others have pointed out, her presence marked the beginning of a new world, a new conception of relationships. It was the end of an era of discrimination, elimination, loss of identity, and the beginning of a world in which even God is a mestizo mestizo (māstē`sō) [Span.,=mixture], person of mixed race; particularly, in Mexico and Central and South America, a person of European (Spanish or Portuguese) and indigenous descent. , so there can be no room for racism. The outlook in 2004 does not seem any rosier than in 1541. What does this December woman have to do with us? Is she still heralding a new world? She certainly is. Her world is one that will fight the many dragons we encounter and will finally announce that the fruit of Miriam's womb will indeed save the world. Sound too naive? Not really. This is how things need to come about: MY FRIEND IN MIAMI WAS ANGRY AND SAD BUT NEVER passive. On the phone, by e-mail, in any way she could, Alicia started mobilizing thousands of people in Miami, collecting all kinds of aid, speaking passionately about the need to organize, rescue, and reconstruct. She was calling and working for a new Haiti. But Alicia is just one of the many people today who fight back against the dragons. Think of all of your own heroes and heroines; think of all who refuse to stand back and watch the world destroy itself, all who refuse to let injustice and violence prevail. If you worry that you or they are too insignificant to battle today's dragons, just remember Mary of Guadalupe and the insignificant nobody, Juan Diego For the actor, see . Saint Juan Diego (1474 – May 30, 1548) was an indigenous Mexican who reported an apparition of the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531. He had a significant impact on the spread of the Catholic faith within Mexico. . She tells him to go and speak to the powers that be and to proclaim a new era. Five centuries later we still recount their story. Who needs to give birth to a new world? Who needs to protect it against the dragons? This December, like every December, we receive a visit from Guadalupe. We wait. We pray. We hope. We get angry. We get discouraged. But we know there is a new world right around the corner if we but fight and hope. CARMEN AGUINACO, managing editor of Claretian Publications' Hispanic Ministry Resource Center and a contributing editor A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. of U.S. CATHOLIC. |
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