We are excited to announce the launch of NAC’s poetry series and Poetry Library webpage! Each week, for #WednesdayWords, we will share poetry, with special emphasis on the original works by our director, Lawrence E. Couch.
 
Poetry has long been a passion for Larry, who says: “Poetry enables me to open myself to my deeper thoughts, to use language in unexpected ways, and to communicate with other people at a different level of meaning.  Also, it is a lot of fun.”
 
At NAC, we focus on advocating at the national level for an end to systemic injustices. But the heart of our work, and of any work towards social justice, is also personal.
 
Poetry and other forms of artistic expression have a critical role in advancing social justice, which is the concept that each person should be respected and have equal rights and opportunities.
 
Art helps us process our experiences and emotions, including our struggles. Creative self expression can help us find renewal and hope after suffering from injustice. The process of creating art helps us become more present to our own selves, experiences, and emotions. By growing in awareness of ourselves, we also start to understand our shared humanity and connection to others as core parts of who we are.
 
I see these dynamics at play in Larry’s poem “Eternal,” which expresses our ongoing condition of suffering and the need for redemption as a universal human experience: “humanity still suffers the insult of whips / chains, each bears a crown of thorns.”
 
Likewise, engaging with art created by others helps us understand them on a deeper level. There's an element of vulnerability in self expression, and when we take the time to appreciate a work of art, we grow in empathy and understanding of the artist and their experiences. Art helps break down the barriers between us.
 
The sense of connection fostered by art is powerful and can traverse space and time. This idea is beautifully illustrated in Larry’s poem, “Sparrows”: “I write my words on paper / sail them to the future / grandchildren catch them / in the air.”
 
At our core, we know that each human being has worth and that each life is precious. But distractions, our own needs and interests, and the violence built into our culture and systems can sometimes lead us to ignore the humanity of others and become desensitized to injustice and suffering.
 
Art helps us root out this indifference and plants seeds of empathy and compassion in its place. It helps us carve out a little more space in our hearts and minds to hold the experiences and suffering of others. Once we come face to face with our shared humanity, it can no longer be ignored. The natural response to the sense of empathy and connectedness that we find through art is to act for social justice in some way.
 
We hope that you will enjoy NAC’s poetry series and that it will be a source of inspiration, connection, and clarity. Please comment and share. Our hashtags for the series are: #WednesdayWords and #NACpoetry. We look forward to growing as a community through art and acting together for justice!

​Good Shepherd Volunteer Patricia Kelly will work with the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd through mid-July 2021. 

​The pandemic has served to highlight the income inequality and poverty in the United States.  Both are caused by unjust minimum wage, unequal pay for women and people of color, high rates of unemployment and incarceration, and other unfair practices and policies. According to the Pew Research Center, the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorer families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016. 

The U.S. middle class, which once comprised the clear majority of Americans, is shrinking. Thus, a greater share of the nation’s aggregate income is now going to upper-income households and the share going to middle- and lower-income households is falling.

​COVID-19 is having a clearly disparate impact on the Black community.

According to a New York Times article, Black people account for 25 percent of those who have tested positive and 39 percent of the COVID-related deaths, while making up just 15 percent of the general population.

This is largely due to environmental, economic and political factors that have compounded for generations, putting Black people at higher risk of chronic conditions that leave lungs weak and immune systems compromised: asthma, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Redlining and environmental racism, for example, have consigned Black neighborhoods to breathing some of America’s dirtiest air, drinking contaminated water, and living in food deserts.

The current recession is hitting women harder than men.  According to Forbes, “Women feel the economic downturn more acutely than men. Even among women, there are disproportionate effects by race, ethnicity age and marital status. Those groups of women, who have experienced the sharpest labor market downturn, also tend to be the ones most financially vulnerable. The recession illustrates systematic differences that often stem from outright gender discrimination, resulting in fewer and worse job opportunities than is the case for men. They often work for low pay with few benefits and thus have few savings and cannot rely on a spouse’s earnings to help them pay their bills. In addition, many women, especially women of color, are the primary breadwinners in their families. The disproportionate job losses among women, especially women of color, will not mean hardship for families such as hunger right now, but that pain will persist for a long time, even if jobs return in the near future.”

In poor countries, the pandemic has wrecked fragile economies already burdened by debt, overreliance on extractive projects, and unjust trade agreements. Millions of people have been pushed into extreme poverty.  As in the 2009 swine flu pandemic, rich countries may well crowd out poor countries for access to vaccines.  The poor countries will receive the vaccines later and will be unable to cover many of their citizens.

We need to respond to this crisis with a long-term commitment to support workers, state governments, and small businesses.  As a matter of justice, we need to focus our help on those workers and communities of color who are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

​The economic pain is not evenly shared.  In 1980, the wealthiest one percent garnered 10 percent of the national income.  Today they amass 20 percent!  Rather than focus on this issue, the Administration is attempting to dismantle the Affordable Care Act which would leave people with nowhere to turn.

A passion for social justice and advocacy has brought me to Good Shepherd. In 2019, I graduated with a degree in Human Rights from Columbia University. Afterwards, I worked as a grant writer for the Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County, Inc. in my home state of Florida. There, I learned about how many people in my own community are suffering because of domestic violence, abuse, human trafficking, and poverty and are in need of healing.
 
Through these experiences, I developed a passion for Good Shepherd’s mission of supporting women and children experiencing violence, neglect, and poverty. I became a Good Shepherd Volunteer (GSV) because of the community’s dedication to this mission and for the opportunity to center my life around what really matters by living in simplicity, prayer, and community.
 
Through GSV, I have the opportunity to volunteer at NAC, which carries out the Good Shepherd mission through national advocacy. I came to NAC because I wanted to make a difference. Now, two months in, I already have the strong sense that I’m part of something bigger than myself.
 
Before I began my year of service, staying at home and socially distancing during the pandemic made me feel as though I was being forced to stand still, even in the face of devastating social problems and political turbulence. But at NAC and in the larger DC advocacy community, I’ve found a creative and dedicated group of people who have not slowed down at all. With operations shifted online, advocates work tirelessly to enact change through virtual Congressional visits, coalition meetings, panels, and conferences.
 
It has been empowering to learn how much can be done not only from an advocacy office, but as an individual as well. Now more than ever, anyone can engage in meaningful advocacy by getting involved online, sharing information, and contacting their legislators. 

​One of the first projects I had the opportunity to work on was researching the impact of the pandemic on housing stability across the country. What I found was alarming: Over 30 million people are at risk of eviction at the end of the year. As our country continues to grapple with the ongoing pandemic, many are experiencing financial hardships that threaten their very livelihoods. Since March 2020, 1 out of 5 Americans has filed for unemployment. Today, many businesses have permanently closed and the unemployment rate lingers at 7.9%.
 
With this widespread loss of income, millions of tenants in the U.S. are unable to pay rent.  Many renters still have no emergency financial assistance and will be debt burdened by back rent, penalties and interest when the national moratorium on evictions expires at the end of the year. Millions of Americans may be pushed out of their homes with nowhere to go.
 
With the livelihood of so many people at stake, it’s easy to get discouraged by the seemingly never ending negotiations and political games that have defined our government’s response to the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.
 
However, in just the short time that I’ve been with NAC so far, I’ve learned that there’s power in continuing to speak up and advocate for just laws that address basic human needs. I’ve had the opportunity to meet self-advocates and direct service providers who work in various fields, many of whom have emphasized the importance of advocacy. Learning about their on-the-ground work, I always ask the question - what can be done to help? Their answer is almost always the same: contact your legislators. Each person’s participation in advocacy is meaningful and has an impact.
 
Bearing this in mind, here at NAC we are responding to the impending eviction crisis by pushing Congress to pass $100 billion in rental assistance. Join us by clicking here to use our quick and easy advocacy tool to contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to respond to the rising need for financial assistance. Each of us has the power to take action to keep our neighbors safe, housed, and secure.
 
Through advocacy, we can raise our voices to bring attention to the true suffering and instability that has been exacerbated by the pandemic and work towards a solution.

Patricia Kelly will work with the National Advocacy Center through mid-July 2021.  

We are currently celebrating the first annual Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action, September 21 (the International Day of Peace) through October 2 (the International Day of Nonviolence). To learn how you can participate, go to: https://paxchristiusa.org/catholic-nonviolence-initiative/.

When we think of violence, we tend to think of wars, terrorist bombings, violent crimes, and police violence.  However, poverty is a much more pervasive form of violence.  Worldwide, approximately 9 million people die from hunger each year.

 In 2017, 40 million people struggled with hunger in the United States. One in six American children may not know where their next meal is coming from. Children who experience food insecurity are at a higher risk of developing asthma, struggling with anxiety or depression, and performing poorly in school or physical activities.
​
​To be truly non-violent, we must recognize and confront the violence of poverty, racism, and racist social structures.  For example, we must confront the violence we do to immigrants and refugees by denying them entry to our country.
​
I believe there is something incredibly hypocritical about telling a hungry person they should not protest while we are well-fed, well-housed, and have economic security.  Hunger and inequality will inevitably lead to social unrest.  When social unrest does occur, those who are comfortable are quick to label the protest as violent.

​This hypocrisy is double when we reflect that much of our material comfort is due to paying low wages to the people in this country and overseas who provide us with cheap food, clothing and other goods.  As a society and as individuals, we fail to ask what are the wages and living conditions of the people who manufacture our clothing, who grow and harvest our food, who make our electronic gadgets.  This too is violence.

So long as we permit racism to exist, deny help to immigrants and refugees, and allow multi-national corporations to exploit the resources of poor countries, our cries denouncing violence will ring hollow.  When people feel excluded from the system, not only excluded but perceive that the system is rigged against them, they certainly will not feel invested in the system.

We can try to end poverty and racism or we can declare the protesters to be criminals and put them in jail.  While the latter response may seem to address the immediate concern before us, history shows that people can be excluded and impoverished for only so long.  Eventually enough people will push back hard enough to force the system to change.

While we may describe such push-back as violence and condemn it, we would be better to first look at the violence we as a society are perpetuating on our own people and on people in other nations.  Condemnation of violence may make us feel better but it does not address the causes of violence and may simply serve to perpetuate it.

I end with the words of W. H. Auden in his poem, September 1, 1939:

I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return. 

Someone has blown the whistle and we all have had to get out of the pool.  As we stand around the pool, shivering and looking cautiously at each other, we have time to reflect on what we are doing. 

As individuals, we are rather helpless creatures.  But as members of society, we can be incredibly wealthy and powerful.  Yet our society cannot end at some arbitrary border where once we cross it, anything goes. 

​We need to free ourselves of the belief that we are competing for limited resources.  The human species has survived by sharing and cooperation.  While hoarding may have limited benefits for a brief time for an individual, society has a whole cannot survive that way and the world community certainly cannot.

This vision is contrary to the vision propagated by many who are currently in power.  In their view of the world, America wins when it gets the best deal for itself even if it means that a poor nation will become even poorer, that the environment will be totally wrecked, that local people will be denied clean water to drink and fresh air to breathe.  In response to the inevitable outcry of people in poverty, we militarize our police and sell weapons to corrupt governments to put down legitimate protests.
​
With COVID-19, we have been forced to pause for a moment.  If we are open to it, this could be a moment of grace.  In many ways, humanity is racing toward a cliff of extinction and dragging the rest of the world with it.  Scientists estimate that between 200 and 2,000 species become extinct each year.  We are called to be stewards of the earth.  But we cannot be good stewards if our only thought is enrichment either as individuals or as a nation.

In the United States, the wealth gap increases each year.  The top 10 percent average more than nine times as much income as the bottom 90 percent.  Worldwide, the wealth disparity is equally alarming.  Individuals owning over $100,000 in assets make up less than 11 percent of the global population but own 82.8 percent of global wealth. 

The interesting thing about amassing wealth is that there is no end to it.  Millionaires want to become billionaires.  Rich countries want to become even richer.  Human values are lost. The earth itself is in danger of being lost. 

So while we are standing around the pool, take a look. How dirty has the water become?  How much water is left?  Look at the people around you and around the border rivers and across oceans. Are they simply our competitors? Or are they very much like we are?  How do we want to relate to them?

​Soon we will all dive back into the water.  Will we resume our frantic race with each other? 
​
We are in a moment of grace.  Now is the time to be open to the transforming power of the Spirit.

Our country and our world are torn apart by nationalism, racism, civil unrest, pandemic, unemployment, economic disparity, and exploitation of the earth.  Many in our country hope to return to “normal.”  But what has happened has shown the rot on which our “normalcy” was built.

The people who create our new society must themselves be people of color, women, immigrants, and people in poverty and on the margins of society.  Otherwise the rot will continue and the new structure also will be swept away.

We are called to move from nationalism to a recognition of the humanity of all people regardless of geography or race or culture.  Surely this is the vision that most if not all the major religions call us.  So long as we are ensnared in a small, tight, world of limited resources, we will limit our potential for development both as individuals and as a world community.

​COVID-19 has dramatically shown us how interrelated we are.  While maintaining social distancing, we came to truly recognize our need for each other.  Not only are the first line medical providers heroes, but so are the trash collectors and the people who work in grocery stores. 
​
Now we must bring that insight into our work.  When national, state, and local budgets are developed, we need to distribute our resources equitably to ensure that those who most require our help have the resources they need.  Too easily an “America First” policy devolves into a “me first” mindset. 

​​As we let go of the solitary individual concept and recognize ourselves as social beings in need of each other, we can become less self-destructive.  We will see that when we extend ourselves to help the stranger, we become not less but more.

This shift in perspective also will help us to better love and preserve the earth.  The earth and its richness are not something to plunder but something to value and to care for.  We will better recognize the environment as an essential part of our very being.  When we harm the earth, we harm ourselves.

In terms of our relationship with other nations, we will not seek simply to get the better deal but strive for agreements that enrich each nation.  Too often, the desire for short-term gain at another nation’s expense results in long-term loss.  At first, we may seem to win but too often this approach results in civil unrest, armed conflicts, and war. 

​The change in perspective from the individual to the community also would change our trade agreements. Aside from looking at the cheapest price, we would try to look more deeply into the manufacture and transportation of goods. Is slave labor involved?  Under what working conditions were the goods manufactured.  What safeguards can we implement as a nation to help improve the working conditions of other nations?

Most of the inhumanity in the world is the result of our seeing each other and the earth itself simply as resources to enrich ourselves, our families, and our nation.  Politicians ask us, “Are you better off this year than last year?”  Perhaps a better question would be, “Is your neighbor better off this year than last year?”  This is not just idealism; it is a change of perspective that is necessary for our survival.

I have been practicing Tae Kwon Do for 35 years and I am now a 7th Degree Black Belt. For the last 33 years I have taught in a Korean school and have offered free classes in various community centers. At the community centers, I have taught primarily low income and immigrant families. I have been joined in this effort by amazing volunteer instructors, including former students.

On Thursday, September 19, my students and I will be performing a TKD demonstration as part of NAC's fundraiser/birthday party celebration. See https://www.gsadvocacy.org/celebr8.html. During the demonstration, we will include a discussion as how TKD is a path to peace.

Peace is not simply an absence of violence but a way of being in the world.  And peace begins with each of us. Through the daily practice of TKD, I can bring my body, mind, and spirit together. In TKD, I learn to focus my mind and to channel my energy.  

From the first class of TKD and every class afterwards, we practice showing respect to ourselves and to each other. We do this practice through the traditional Asian practice of bowing to each other. The students bows to the instructor and the instructor bows to the students. Before a sparring match, the participants bow to each other.

This is key to non-violence. If we have to use force to restrain another person either to protect that person from doing self-injury or to protect another person, we use the force mindful of the other person's dignity as a human being. We would use minimal force required and would know how to apply this force.

There is the story of a Buddhist monk in a boat with other people. One of the men assaults a woman. The monk relates that using an umbrella he struck the man with loving kindness. Certainly, non violence would not prohibit us from using force to protect a person from self destructive behavior or doing harm to another person. But the moral requirement is to use such necessary force with loving kindness.

Using force skillfully requires intense practice to avoid over reacting or acting inappropriately.  Although I have never had to use force against another person, I have moved into situations to help prevent impending violence. My TKD practice gave me the assurance that of the people present, I was the person most likely to be able to help.

TKD helps to create self-confidence.  Aside from the benefits of self-confidence in everyday life, it also serves to create peace. Much of violence is based on fear and insecurity. If we are confident we do not have to prove ourselves to others through violence. 

We begin and end each class with a brief period of meditation. For many people, this may be the first time they have sat quietly and let the mind settle down.  This experience can lead to peace. 

Each student experiences the spiritual dimension of TKD in their own way. For me as a Catholic, the energy of TKD  is the spiritual energy of the Holy Spirit.  In addition, almost from the beginning I have asked Mary to bless our TKD classes.

A central part of our TKD classes is learning forms. The forms are set patterns of blocks, punches, and kicks. As the students progress in their training, the forms become more complex. Learning and practicing these forms is the traditional way of becoming a martial artist.

In times of grief, I have found practicing the TKD forms a way to healing. It is a way of safely releasing energy that may be blocked by our sorrow and feeling overwhelmed.

For many people, TKD is a way of safely getting in touch with their anger. We all suffer situations where we may be demeaned.  If we are not comfortable with our sense of anger, we may deny to ourselves that we are angry. For some people this unacknowledged anger can turn into depression. Through the TKD practice, we can get in touch with that anger and find a safe way of expressing it.

The TKD class provides a sense of community.  Students are lined up according to rank with the more advanced students instructing and helping the newer students. This sense of a caring community can be very important.

If you have an interest in TKD or another martial art, I suggest you visit various martial arts schools. Observe the classes.  Is the instructor knowledgeable? Is the sense of the class one of order and caring for each other?

When the student is ready, the instructor will appear.

To learn more about TKD and the work of the National Advocacy Center, please come to our celebration on Thursday, September 19 (https://www.gsadvocacy.org/celebr8.html).  Thank you.

This afternoon I met with some 25 people from the RGS community in Honduras to further discuss the root causes of immigration. 

In addition to extorting money from business owners, the gangs may also demand that you sell their drugs. If you refuse, it can be deadly. One woman held an imaginary pistol to her temple to emphasize this point.

By now I knew the answer, but I asked why someone didn't inform the police about these demands and threats. My question provoked much amusement. I guess it is like calling an arsonist when your house is on fire.

I asked if the United States sending money to Honduras was of any value. They assured me that it was useless unless the money was sent directly to the community or marked for a particular purpose such as education or health.

In Honduras, impunity is the name of the game. Some 98 percent of crimes go unsolved. Talking with people in Honduras is to reveal a dystopia where the bad people have won.

Early this morning I had the honor of meeting some of the poorest people I have ever met. Against all reason, I remember them as very joyful and hopeful. 

"I will not tire of declaring that if we really want an effective end to violence we must remove the violence that lies at the root of all violence: structural violence, social injustice, exclusion of citizens from the management of the country, repression. All this is what constitutes the primal cause, from which the rest flows naturally."
                                                                                        ~St. Oscar Romero 

This morning as I was awaiting a cab to the airport, I chatted with a security guard. He mentioned that he was a member of both the police and the military.

This joining of the police with the military is a major concern.  It increases the risk of human rights abuses by security forces who are trained for war scenarios, not for keeping the peace. 

Today I asked a community leader for the RGS Congregation which was more powerful, the military police or the gangs.  She claimed that the military police and the gangs have joined together.  The MS 13 gang controls the police and another gang controls the military. 

Although Honduras has greatly increased its military police to "confront the rising level of violence," there is no evidence of an abatement of gang violence. When I visited Bajo Aguan, it was apparent that residents saw the military police not as a force to control the gangs but rather as an occupying force.

When I met with a group of community leaders, we discussed the root causes of immigration. As usual, poverty and violence were mentioned.  Also small businesses have failed because of the state taxes and extortion by the gangs. Since 20 percent of Honduras GNP is remittances from the United States, pressure is put on people to emigrate in order to send money back home.

The community leaders claimed that the government has focused on the wrong things.  Instead of trying to improve education, health care, and other societal needs, the government has focused on repressing its citizens.  Small wonder people want to leave! 

The money the United States gives to Honduras simply strengthens their military police.  It does not provide needed aid to its citizens. 

We began the day in San Pedro Sula by holding our final press conference. We again presented the findings of the team that I discussed in an earlier blog.  

After the press conference I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of a women's forum ( Foro de Mujeres por la Vida). 

Femicide is a major problem in Honduras. In the majority of the cases, the women have been killed in scenes of great cruelty: abducted, raped, tortured, dismembered, and in some cases their bodies left in public places with obscene messages written on them.

The forum provides education for women and accompaniment. In cases of domestic violence, they offer women  safe houses.

We discussed the possibility of representatives of the forum coming to Washington DC to learn about our legislative process and perhaps meet with legislators to discuss the Honduran situation.

Since I don't leave for Tegucigalpa until Wednesday, tomorrow is a free day. I plan to spend much of the day walking along the beach. I have been assured it is relatively safe so long as I leave the beach before dark.  I plan to do so.

Today we did the Stations of the Cross as we processed through downtown Progreso. Afterwards, we attended Mass where the children welcomed us with a song.  Throughout the pilgrimage, the people have received us with great hospitality and kindness. 

Looking back, I have felt very privileged to have come and seen firsthand the challenges facing the people of Honduras and their courage and resilience. As the children sang to us at Mass, I was reminded how children always give us hope and the desire to create a better world.

Tomorrow we will have a news conference to bring to a close our pilgrimage. For many years, I  have wanted to go on a solitary pilgrimage.  I still hope to do such a pilgrimage, but this experience touched my heart in a profound way.

After the news conference, I will stay in San Pedro Sula until Wednesday morning when I Ieave for another part of Honduras to visit with the Good Shepherd Sisters. 

This is my fifth visit to Honduras. In some ways, I feel it has been an homecoming.  Certainly,  the people of Honduras are special to me. During the rest of my visit I hope to deepen that relationship.

"For all that has been
Thank you.

For all that is to come
Yes."

Dag Hammarskjold

Today was a day set aside for reflection. When St. Oscar Romero was about 60, he had a dramatic change of heart. He became the person we remember today: a passionate advocate for people living in poverty. 

Archbishop Romero was influenced by the murder of Fr. Rutilio Grande who had worked in poor, rural communities.  Grande was on his way to mass with three other priests  when they  were all slaughtered by machine gunfire.

Romero once said, "When I looked at Rutilio lying there dead I thought, 'If they have killed him for doing what he did, then I, too, have to walk the same path.'"  

As I approach 80, how ready am I to change? How have I changed?  Several decades ago I heard that if a man wanted to be a feminist he should find a strong woman to support.  At the time, I considered that a weird idea. Now it sounds like a great idea. At least in that respect, I have changed.

What about all the other areas in my life such as racism? The challenge to become more human, more Christ like, will continue to my last breath.

Where else is the challenge to change? What risks can I take tomorrow and the next day and every day for the rest of my life?  How ready am I to make mistakes?  Not to be perfect?  How ready am I to be fully alive?

"The transcendence that the church preaches is not alienation; it is not going to heaven to think about eternal life and forget about the problems on earth. It’s a transcendence from the human heart. It is entering into the reality of a child, of the poor, of those wearing rags, of the sick, of a hovel, of a shack. It is going to share with them. And from the very heart of misery, of this situation, to transcend it, to elevate it, to promote it, and to say to them, "You aren’t trash. You aren’t marginalized.' It is to say exactly the opposite, 'You are valuable.'"                                                                                                                                                                    ~ St. Oscar Romero 

Today was another full day. We began by meeting with Maria Soledad Pazo, Representative of Country, United Nations, Human Rights.  

Representing the  only office specifically charged with protecting human rights, she was saddened by the widespread poverty, violence, and corruption in Honduras. With almost 70 percent of the people living in poverty, it is clear that poverty itself is a human rights issue.

She also decried the lack of investigation of human rights abuse and the overly zealous investigation and detention of human rights defenders. For example, four people arrested in Honduras a year ago for a minor offense protesting the fraudulent presidential election are still in jail awaiting a trial.

Pazo identified part of the problem as the weakness of governmental institutions. I was reminded of the mayor who claimed he opposed the creation of the refinery that would pollute the river, but could find no way to protect the river.

Our next meeting was with Heidi Fulton, Charge d'Affairs, United States Embassy.  She said very little but listened to the report of our team's findings and the impassioned testimony of two residents.

Our report centered on the lack of investigations of human rights abuse; the inhibition of free speech, the absence of due process, and public smearing with implied threats.

For example, there has been practically no investigation of the murder of 22 people who were killed after protesting the last election. Meanwhile some 7000 people have legal proceedings against them for engaging in peaceful protests.

The team also deplored the militarization of the Bajo Aguan region where the primary role of the military is defending the interests of the mining companies. 

After our meeting with Fulton, we had a news conference where the team reiterated its findings and recommendations. 

I was very proud of my fellow team members. They were able to identify the major issues and suggested possible ways of addressing those issues.

Today was a full day. We met with community activists who addressed several concerns. Because of the heavy presence of the military and the police in the Bajo Aguan region, they felt under constant surveillance and a lack of freedom of movement. 

Also, they were fighting back against major corporations who had changed the laws to enable mining in a national park.  Further, African palm trees were being planted to replace banana tree. The palm trees greatly deplete the soil.

Afterwards, I joined a subgroup to meet with the Comandante of the Bajo Aguan region. We had several questions to ask, such as why does the military perform police work; why such a large military presence in the region; why has the military been unable to control the para military forces?

The Comandante presented the military as primarily concerned with supporting the infrastructure for schools and hospitals. Their current focus was not on the large landowners but the small landowners who were competing with each other. Similar responses were given to our other questions. 

Prior to the meeting, I had suggested that community people may want to set up a series of meetings with representatives from the military. This suggestion was met with fear. They consider the military a hostile, occupying force.

In the evening, we accompanied a large group of community people protesting the creation of a mining refinery on a nearby river. While people of wealth can drink bottled water, poor people must rely on the river for their drinking water.

My sense was that the people in power made laws that gave little regard to the people without power. When the ordinary people realized the negative impact of these laws, they protested. In response to these protests, the government criminalized the protesters.

I had a nice conversation with a young man at the rally. Eddy, who is 25, is the youngest of seven siblings. He works in a nearby cornfield. He doesn't own a car but has a bicycle which he considers better because of the exercise. He enjoys playing soccer with his friends. In response to my question concerning violence, he replied that there was little violence in his community but a nearby community was known to be violent. 

He seemed like a rather joyful person. I was glad I had ended the day by chatting with him. 

Today we visited the radio station, Radio Progreso.  It is an alternative voice to the government propaganda and has high credibility. Unfortunately, many of their staff members have received death threats. 

We then took an eight hour bus ride to meet with activists and government officials tomorrow concerning the destruction of the environment due to mining.

I felt bored and restless during some of the ride, but reminded myself that this is only a minor inconvenience. The trip did have its high points including a spectacular stop along the water.  

In chatting with one of the fishermen, I mentioned we were here to learn about the root causes of immigration. He smiled and said, "Imagination."  Good answer!

I am looking forward to tomorrow. The area has been heavily armed and many people unjustly arrested. We will have a lot to discuss and learn.

Today marks a new beginning. I now have joined the SHARE Interfaith Root Causes Pilgrimage. For the next week we will be traveling to various parts of Honduras to listen carefully and accompany people as they describe their lives and their hopes. 

We are not hear to seek solutions. That would be arrogant on our part. We are here to be in solidarity with the people who are struggling to survive, to protect their community, their environment.

As with any new beginning, I find myself wanting to pull back, to withdraw, to wish for the familiar and the comfortable. But another part of me wants to explore, to discover new things, new ways of being, to be transformed.

I know the comfort-seeking part will gradually recede as I overcome the initial resistance. But it's strange how I can so yearn for the familiar and find a dozen reasons for not opening up to what is new.

I am glad we are not here to seek solutions. Even if we did find solutions they would not work because they did not come from the people themselves.  As we accompany them, we will be of more value than if we tried to impose our views. 

And so the adventure begins.

Sunday was a day of relaxation and reflection. The scripture reading was on the Transfiguration where Jesus reveals his divinity and, by doing so, reminds us we are called to share in his divinity. While the three Apostles gladly would have stayed on the mountain, Jesus leads them back into the world and into his passion and crucifixion.

I continue to see my trip to Central America as a time of personal transformation. I see it as a time of re-commitment to immigrants and refugees.

Looking back, I was impressed by the many Good Shepherd projects such as the schools and using micro financing as a form of inclusive financing. However, I was greatly saddened by the sights of extreme violence and hearing the stories of lives wasted and whole towns taken over by gangs.

I will not begin to accomplish my mission for visiting El Salvador until I return to the United States and bear personal witness to the truth of poverty and of violence as push factors. I will not accomplish my mission until I lobby for changes in legislation and, as a nation, we seek to change our collective understanding and heart.