WE ARE CALLED TO BE CITIZENS

In this day and age, thousands face many different situations in their desire to pursue legal status in the United States and whereby have peace of mind and a chance to gain stability; so, I ask myself, does failing to obtain legal status in the United States mean that I will be in a very bad situation long-term? I would like to share some good news based upon my own experience and personal testimony; for a while I knew what the lack of a legal status here meant, as my mother and I entered this country several times with a visa and therefore were subject to its restrictions. Since my mother decided to overstay and not return to Mexico, we automatically became “illegal.” My mother was detained by Immigration (ICE) twice. The first time, I was around 8 years old, my mother was given the chance to leave voluntarily and because of that we were permitted to stay a few more months on the condition that, upon leaving, she had to sign her departure form at the border so that the Immigration office had proof that she had left the country; my mother never instilled in me the fear of going back to Mexico, she was always a woman of faith and trusted that wherever she was she was with God and she would be fine.

A few years later we returned to the US and lived here for about three years until the same thing happened again. One day, on her way to work, there was a raid at a bus stop and she was again taken to an office where she had to give her information. At that time, I was about 13 years old and a student in Los Angeles. My mother told ICE she had a son at school and history repeated itself, they gave her the opportunity to stay three more months and leave voluntarily. She did the same thing as before, we left and she signed the departure form at the boarder to confirm that she had complied. Once again, my mother showed no fear, only her great trust in God the Father, and we returned to my hometown, Tijuana. A few years later, we managed to return and, this time, obtain legal status. Later, I was able to apply for U.S. citizenship, while still remaining a Mexican citizen. My mother said to me, “I want to be a citizen too,” the problem was that she didn’t speak English. Nevertheless, she took the test many times until one day she finally succeeded and also became a citizen of the United States.

I was awed by the way she studied and worked hard at English because she had not gone to school as a child and had taught herself to read and write. I can now see that her faith and trust in Jesus, and the intercession she asked of Our Lady of Guadalupe, granted her legal status. The most important thing for me and my mother was not only becoming citizens of the United States but also understanding that Jesus came to call us to be citizens of the Kingdom of God. Today, I affirm with total conviction that, if I had to choose only one citizenship and someone asked me, which one would you desire? I would undoubtedly choose citizenship in the Kingdom of God, because I have discovered the true treasure; Jesus, who came into this world so that you and I might qualify for legal status and citizenship in Heaven, to live with God, the Father of Mercy forever. I would not trade Heavenly citizenship for any other, and although I thank God and this country for allowing us to come here and aspire to a better life, today I say to those who suffer because they do not have legal documents do not accept living in fear but rather live in Faith and Trust God; He will never leave you alone. Jesus promised to be with us, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Mt 28:20). Let us remember, that Jesus gave His Life so that we might become citizens of the His Kingdom. Jesus offers to be our advocate before the Father. An advocate represents someone before a judge, so today Jesus is representing each one of us who recognizes Him as our representative before God, the Eternal Immigration Judge.

The youngest of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus is John, who leaned on His chest at the Last Supper. He recognized Jesus as His advocate and wrote these words for us to remember today, “my children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He offered Himself as a sacrifice so that our sins might be forgiven, and not only ours, but those of the whole world” (1 Jn 2:1-2). Jesus also advocated for us to “seek first the Kingdom [of God] and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:33); here He presents us with our priorities, that is, before worrying about everything else, we must first seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Finally, let us remember what St. Paul said about citizenship, “but our citizenship is in Heaven, from where we await the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our mortal body to be like His glorious body, with the power that enables Him to rule over all things.” (Philippians 3:20-21).

We see people who live in great material poverty with not enough to eat but consider themselves “multimillionaires” because, based on their Trust in God and great Faith, they know they are “citizens of the Kingdom” and are therefore certain that, with God, everything will be fine, even if they suffer lack today. On the other hand, we see those who have material abundance and lacking nothing in this regard, yet they may be the poorest in the spiritual area because they do not have or even aspire for citizenship in the Kingdom of God. Citizenship in the Kingdom of God is Eternal Life; life on Earth is temporary. Jesus died and rose again, conquered death, and ascended to the Kingdom, to Heaven, where He wants us to live forever one day with Him. That is the opportunity we believers have, and I pray to God the Father for you, that with a heart open to Jesus, you may be accepted as a citizen of the Kingdom through repentance (metanoia); that is the legal document that the Savior of the world offers us. If we repent from the depths our hearts, the boarder will open and we will qualify to be citizens, for God the Father offers us His mercy through Jesus Christ, His Son, who paid the price for our sins with His precious blood.

Right now, if you have never accepted the invitation to be a citizen of His Kingdom, pray this prayer of surrender to Jesus; if you have already done so, reaffirm and renew your “yes” to the Lord, Heavenly Father, I acknowledge by faith that You see me and hear me now. Today, I open the door of my heart to Your call to be part of Your Kingdom. I ask Your forgiveness for my sins, which you know, and I beg You to have Mercy on me because your Son gave His life for my salvation and paid the price for my sins, all so that I would not be lost and might be saved. Lord Jesus, I thank You for being my Advocate and Savior. I acknowledge You and receive You into my heart. I surrender my life to You as it is and ask to be transformed by Your Holy Spirit and to follow the path to Eternal Life. Amen.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to each of you who continue to give your offerings to ESNE; may God grant you abundance for your generosity, so that this ministry, which is so important to so many souls who long for God’s Mercy in their lives, may continue.

Now I would like to extend a cordial invitation to two great events we will have this month. The first is Metanoia Denver on Saturday, August 2, and the second is Metanoia San Diego on Saturday, August 16. Place your trust in God by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and experience these events, which are a great blessing for you and your family.

And finally, I want to tell you that we are getting even closer to you through our Consecration to Jesus Project of the Church through the NEW ESNE73 APP, which, for your convenience, you can download by simply scanning the code at the end of this letter and join an experience that will change your life through the Holy Scriptures. Don’t miss this opportunity. Download it now and join the next group that starts on October 21st. If you need further guidance, please contact us at (773) 777-7773. You can also write to us at info@iamthe73rd.com, and one of our brothers will assist you and guide you on this path of discipleship.

Your friend and servant,