Archive
Articles
Weekly opinion columns published in the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal from January 2011, and later in ACI Prensa and Noticiero Digital. Many were republished by other outlets in Venezuela and abroad. Translated from the Spanish.
253 articles
-
Living in Venezuela
A few days ago someone who lives in the United States told me that with the cold there these months, you don't feel like getting out of bed; you get up to study or work by sheer willpower.
-
Caracas Will Vote for Life
A few days ago in Caracas we learned some very serious news: the transsexual candidate Tomás Adrián (who goes by the name Tamara), 62, who was put forward by the Voluntad Popular party as a list candidate for deputy in…
-
Catholic Divorce
In today's column I am copying the question that journalists put to Pope Francis on the flight back from the United States to Rome about "Catholic divorce," a subject that is certainly of interest to many people.
-
Pope Francis's Gift to Fidel
On his recent visit to Cuba, Pope Francis went to see the dictator Fidel Castro. Some media outlets (especially those friendly to that government) described a very cordial meeting in which the Pope and Fidel talked…
-
Illness Is a Gift from God
Every time I hear the phrase "health is the most important thing in life," I answer that it isn't true.
-
The Hard Road
Last weekend was the Mass of thanksgiving for the high school graduation of my fourth son and his classmates. The priest's homily focused mainly on the importance of being good men, men who take the hard road in life…
-
Marriage and Family
Last weekend my family celebrated my parents' golden wedding anniversary. Fifty years since the day they said Yes before God forever… in sickness and in health… for richer and for poorer... It was a wonderful occasion…
-
We Are Near the End
Two days ago a plumber and his assistant came to my house, and as always we got onto the subject of politics. Both men confessed that they had voted for Chávez twice, then got fed up and stopped voting. And they told…
-
Venezuela Needs God
Hours before Nicolás Maduro announced that he had canceled his audience with Pope Francis, the apostolic nuncio in Venezuela, Aldo Giordano, gave an interview to the newspaper La Verdad. Among other very important…
-
Wealth and Corruption
This week Pope Francis spoke once again about corruption and its relationship to wealth. It is remarkable how many times this Pope has addressed the subject, because he is very clear that it is one of the gravest…
-
Rotten Corruption
The levels of corrupt thinking and behavior being reached in one sector of the country are so great that the rotten smell has rubbed off on many people, and what hurts most is that it is also rubbing off on children and…
-
The Conscience of the Corrupt
Some people believe the corrupt have no conscience, and that is why they live "happily," squandering everything they have stolen and doing whatever they please without their conscience saying a word to them.
-
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
Beyond all the back-and-forth we have read and heard this week after the encouraging words Lorenzo Mendoza spoke to his employees, all I have left to say is this:
-
The Gray Hair of Our Elders
There are people who do not appreciate enough the immense value of our elderly. Fortunately, in Venezuela this has not become as common as in other "first world" countries. We have to be vigilant in each of our families…
-
The Venezuelan's Way of the Cross
First Station: We are like people condemned to death. We need no formal sentence to know that at any moment any of us, or worse still a child or grandchild, may die in the street because of crime or repression. Only God…
-
An Open Letter to Mitzi and Antonio
Today I address you publicly at a time when appalling injustices, arbitrary acts and abuses that words cannot describe are being committed in our country.
-
Remember That You Are Dust, and to Dust You Shall Return
That is the phrase with which, today, Ash Wednesday, the cross is marked on our foreheads. A hard phrase that strikes us in the soul and the heart, because we remember (even if we don't want to) that all of us, from the…
-
Corruption Goes Out and Kills
Last Sunday, on the flight back to Rome from Manila, Pope Francis spoke about corruption once again.
-
Let’s Stop All the Complaining
This year I made a resolution to try not to listen to (or to cut short) negative, and sometimes terrifying, comments or predictions about our future, and about the future of our children and grandchildren, in our…
-
Happy New Year?
These days I have thought a lot about the phrase we repeat so often and wish others on December 31 when the clock strikes twelve: Happy New Year! Happy New Year!
-
Mary's Dream
A few days ago I read a story that reached me over the Internet about "a dream" the Blessed Virgin Mary had.
-
Any Zacchaeuses in This Revolution?
Yesterday I was struck once again by Pope Francis's homily at the Casa Santa Marta. Once more (I think it is about the tenth time) he returned to the subject of the corrupt. Yesterday's Gospel from Saint Luke, which…
-
Who Is the Father of Lies?
There is nothing more unpleasant than being face to face with a liar.
-
Those of Us Who Receive Communion Are Not Perfect
Two days ago my 20-year-old son came into the kitchen looking worried and said: "Mom, I don't understand why some bishops agree that divorced and remarried people (who are not living chastity) should receive Communion,…
-
Bad Breath and the Corrupt
I have always said that corrupt people smell bad. Even if they dress in silk and wear expensive perfume, they cannot hide the smell of thieves, of greedy, wasteful, insatiable people…
-
Thank You to the Synod on the Family!
I cannot put into words the joy I felt reading the Final Message that the bishops who attended the recent Synod on the Family sent to families all over the world.
-
How Long Will There Be So Much Greed?
A few days ago I read a phrase by Paul VI, who will be beatified this coming Sunday, October 19, saying that avarice is a sign of moral underdevelopment. It struck me as a very strong phrase and made me think: how much…
-
We Venezuelan Catholics Demand Respect
Some days ago, at a political meeting of the current Venezuelan regime, a prayer was recited that manipulated the Christian prayer par excellence, the Our Father, to pay homage to a person who has died.
-
Who Is Staying in Venezuela?
The political, economic and social situation we Venezuelans are living through is extremely hard. That is why many people are looking for new horizons abroad. It is said that more than a million Venezuelans have chosen…
-
The Pope Doesn't Fall for the Stories of the Corrupt
A few days ago, from the city of Caserta, Italy, the Pope once again denounced the corrupt with all his strength: "We must say No! to every form of corruption or illegality."
-
A Door Closes and a Great Window Opens
In Venezuela we are living through a great political, economic and social crisis. But above all we are living through a great crisis of values.
-
What If This Gets Worse?
Venezuela is living through one of the worst moments in its history. Corruption is running wild, there is no one to stop it, and its disastrous consequences for many of the country’s institutions and sectors are beyond…
-
Goodbye to El Universal?
That is the question many of us who write for this paper have been asking ourselves since we learned of its sale. In the end I think what its managing editor, Elides Rojas, said on Twitter will prevail: "El Universal's…
-
What If This Lasts Forever?
About a month ago, one of my sons climbed into my bed at night and, with a worried look, asked me: “Mommy, what if this lasts forever?”
-
What Awaits the Corrupt?
It is striking how many times, dozens of them, Pope Francis has spoken about the corrupt since he became Pope. He has said very harsh things: that Jesus Christ did not say they should be forgiven, that they bring dirty…
-
For a Kilo of Milk
I wrote this article in 2014, when the food shortage in Venezuela was terrible. God grant that we never go through this again. Although now the problem is not the shortage of products but their high prices.
-
We Are Fed Up with the Corrupt
Last week on Twitter we read how, at an event held in the interior of the country, a businessman told a "prestigious" banker a few home truths. That man had the courage to tell him the truth, and the banker broke off…
-
An Unprecedented Meeting
Last Sunday an unprecedented meeting took place at the Vatican. The presidents of Israel, Shimon Peres, and of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, joined Pope Francis to pray for Peace. Below I share part of the…
-
Overflowing with “Glamour”
I think few times in my life have I liked a homily as much as the one I heard last Sunday at church. What I am about to say sounds a bit odd, but the priest talked to us about “glamour,” that famous word that so many…
-
Have We Lost Our Happiness in Venezuela?
If we reason with purely human arguments, it is a bit hard to understand how we Venezuelans can feel happy in Venezuela today. But it is a reality. I am very happy here, with my thousands of problems. And I know a great…
-
They Tremble Before the Truth
There is a scene in the film The Passion of the Christ where the Roman governor Pontius Pilate looks particularly nervous. At the moment he has to decide whether or not to crucify Christ, he asks, almost frightened:…
-
“I’m Not Leaving Because I’m Needed Here”
Like many in this country, I am on edge. Last week I started crying when Rosiris, the Colombian massage therapist who has been easing my back pain for years, told me: “I’m not leaving Venezuela because I’m needed here.…
-
Mothers and Grandmothers, Without Fear!
This coming Sunday we will celebrate another Mother's Day in our country. It will be a very special Sunday for the vast majority of Venezuelan mothers and grandmothers, whose hearts in recent years and months have grown…
-
Unique in History
Last Sunday I had the joy of going to Rome to cover the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. It is impossible to put into words what we lived that day in St. Peter's Square.
-
The Flavors of My Venezuela
If there is something wonderful about being born and living in Venezuela, it is the thousands of delicious flavors and scents that blend in our brains from practically the time we are in our mother’s womb. Even more so…
-
Following Christ, Light of the World
Today I share part of the homily Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino gave at the Easter Vigil last Holy Saturday, summarized in my own words. It is a message to reflect on in this Easter season, when we Christians feel…
-
Holy Week at War
A few days ago I was talking with a friend about the strange phenomenon we Venezuelans are living through right now. Our quality of life (such a fashionable term in this century) has declined dramatically in recent…
-
Living in Love
Today I share, summarized in my own words, part of Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino's message for this holy season of Lent. It can help us a great deal to reflect in these very turbulent days. The message is titled "Living…
-
The Nightmare of Being Corrupt
I recently saw Woody Allen's powerful film Blue Jasmine. I think it fits perfectly in a Venezuela, and a world, like today's, where some people will do anything (and when I say anything, I mean anything!) to have more…
-
Is There a Limit to Evil?
To answer this question, in this column I turned to a passage from John Paul II's book Memory and Identity (2005), in which he is asked whether evil, which sometimes seems all-powerful and in absolute control of the…
-
Young Venezuelans Triumph Abroad
Once again, a group of young Venezuelans has held Venezuela’s name high beyond our country’s borders. Seven fourth- and fifth-year students from the Academia Washington school in Caracas won first place at the 2nd…
-
“Hide Well”
Even if some don’t understand it, we Venezuelans are living as if in a war. Today many of us can say with authority that the armed motorcycle colectivos are not a dream or an online illusion. They are a tragic reality,…
-
It’s Hard, We Know That!
We all know that Venezuela is going through one of the most difficult periods in its history. These past years I have thought a great deal about my Lebanese great-grandparents and about people I knew who lived through…
-
We Have Two Options
Telling the story of what we have lived through in Venezuela these past years would fill a book of a thousand pages or more. They have been truly intense years, with news flying in from one second to the next, a great…
-
History's Mistakes
In these very hard days we are living through, days when we have slept very little, days when we have wept at so much violence and so much death, days when we have seen our students and political leaders mocked to our…
-
Nobody Can Stop This
Here in Caracas, reporting on what these days have been like in our country.
-
Sewing in the “Revolution”
One of the things that frustrated me most as a homemaker when I got married was that I didn’t know how to sew. I could sew on a button, and that was about it. I truly didn’t have the patience to sit down, thread a…
-
They Even Took Away Our Fear
"They have taken so much from us that they ended up taking away our fear." That could be read on one of the banners our young people carried at one of the many demonstrations held these days in our beloved Venezuela.
-
“Don’t Leave”
When I wrote my article “I Understand Why You Leave… But,” I never imagined I would receive so many emails about those lines, or for so long.
-
Marriage and Family in Today's Debate
Last week a bill was introduced in the National Assembly to legalize homosexual unions as marriage. Hours later I saw the main leaders of the gay lobby in Venezuela attacking each other on Twitter and Facebook, because…
-
To You, Grandmother, Who Came from Other Lands
Dear Grandmother:
-
A Senior Citizen in Caracas
Last week I received an email from an elderly man who lives in Caracas. It truly moved me, above all because I expected it to end differently. Here, in my own words, is the substance of what he told me.
-
I Understand Why You Leave… But
These past few weeks I have heard more people say they are thinking of moving to another country. I deeply understand and respect that decision. What I do not accept is that they speak ill of Venezuela or of…
-
There’s No One Like Venezuelan Doctors!
I have always thought there is no one like Venezuelan doctors! I have been ill since childhood and have spent more than half my life in clinics and hospitals, and I know hundreds of Venezuelan doctors to whom we must…
-
Venezuelan Barbecues
Recently someone told me about an email sent from abroad which said that those of us Venezuelans who stay here do so because we are well-connected to the government, and that "those little barbecues" we have on weekends…
-
Pope Francis, They Are Killing Us!
Dear Pope Francis:
-
Hope from La Guaira
Last week I slipped away from Caracas to La Guaira with some of my children. We left very early and stopped facing the sea so we could watch a few rays of sunrise while we waited for the bakery to open, so we could eat…
-
To Start 2014 Well
A few days into this new year, I want to share in my column today the New Year's Message that our Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino addressed to all the faithful of Caracas. It is a clear message that helps us continue our…
-
Christmas in Caracas, 2013
Today, December 25, we wake up once again short of sleep and with swollen feet in our beloved Caracas. This year the December chill, the "pacheco," is delightful. It's almost seven in the morning. We turn on the coffee…
-
Old and Alone
Last week I read a news story that filled me with great sadness: the police in Rotterdam found the body of a woman who had been dead in her home for ten years without anyone noticing. The press report said the body was…
-
No Getting Depressed Allowed
We live in a world where depression seems to be almost fashionable. You hear some people talking about their "depressions," and psychologists and psychiatrists have more work every day. I ask myself: why do depression…
-
Forgive the Corrupt?
Last week I was deeply struck by the words Pope Francis spoke in another homily at the Casa Santa Marta. We Christians know that God is infinitely merciful, but the Holy Father, speaking once again about the corrupt,…
-
Watch Out for the Devil!
In these last weeks of the liturgical year, the Mass readings speak of the last things: death, heaven, purgatory, hell, the particular judgment and the Last Judgment. Above all, they call us to stay awake, because we…
-
This Is Going to Get Much Worse
Everyone is saying it, in the street, in the lines, on social media, everywhere!: this is going to get much worse. Some show fear, others anguish, others uncertainty about what may happen in 2014, 2015, 2016…
-
Dirty Bread
Last week Pope Francis spoke again about the corrupt and their families. In his Friday homily at the Mass he celebrated at the Casa Santa Marta, he commented on the Gospel in which Jesus speaks of the dishonest steward…
-
Living as If at War
When I was studying journalism at my beloved Central University of Venezuela, my dream was to be a war reporter like the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci. I loved photography and doing interviews, and I don't think I…
-
The Good Side of Stress
Last week I watched a video that helped me understand some very interesting things. It was a talk by the psychologist Kelly McGonigal of Stanford University, entitled “How to Make Stress Your Friend.” She shows,…
-
How Long Will There Be So Much Evil?
On Saturday night I had a terrible nightmare. I dreamed I was weeping in despair at so much injustice and wickedness in our country. I saw people dying in the street. I saw lines of people fighting over food. I saw sick…
-
When Our Parents Fall Ill
I always remember that when I was in primary school, our natural science teacher taught us that human beings are born, grow, reproduce and die. That was called the cycle of life. They explained it to us very simply, and…
-
We Are Not Going to “Throw in the Towel”
That the political, economic and social situation in Venezuela is complicated: it’s true!
-
“The Virgin Isn’t Packing Her Bags in Venezuela”
This past September 11, we in Venezuela celebrated the feast of our patroness, Our Lady of Coromoto. Many mass celebrations were organized in her honor in the city of Guanare, in Caracas, and in other cities of the…
-
Pope Francis and Abortion
Last Thursday, the very day after some secular media manipulated the content of an interview with Pope Francis, he reiterated his clear position on abortion. Below I copy part of the address the Pope gave that day to…
-
Back in Venezuela
When you come back to Venezuela after several days away, you feel two things as you set foot in Maiquetía airport: first, great happiness at being back on our own soil to continue the fight alongside our fellow…
-
From Venezuela to the Vatican
Many Venezuelan Catholics felt immense joy when we learned that Pope Francis had appointed our nuncio, Pietro Parolin, as Vatican Secretary of State. Today I want to share a few things about this bishop, who will surely…
-
Reasons to Stay in Venezuela
First of all, I am deeply grateful for all the emails I received last week offering condolences on my grandmother’s death and thanking me for my column “When an Immigrant Dies.” Every message was very moving. What stood…
-
When an Immigrant Dies
Last week my ninety-five-year-old grandmother died. She was born in Lebanon. At the age of nine she left her hometown (Zgharta) with her mother, while her father stayed behind to arrange everything so the rest of the…
-
How Do You Live with the Lack of Safety?
Several years ago, at an airport, I struck up a conversation with an older woman from New York. I asked her what it was like to live in her city, and she asked me what it was like to live in Venezuela. I told her that…
-
The Government's Relations with the Church
Anyone who has been following, step by step, this government's relations with the Church fails to understand many things. Last week our Cardinal Urosa was once again the target of insults from the Minister of the…
-
Pope Francis and Homosexual People
Last week parts of what Pope Francis said about homosexuality were spread in the media. Below I copy everything he said on this subject on the flight back to Rome after World Youth Day in Brazil.
-
Go, Without Fear…!
Youth is a wonderful stage of life. It is the stage when you dream great things, when you dream of changing the world! Some of us grow older in years but keep the youth in our hearts just as it was, or even greater.…
-
What Awaits the Pope in Brazil?
Pope Francis is now in Brazil. Our first Latin American Pope has some very intense days ahead of him at the World Youth Day being held this year, 2013, in Rio de Janeiro. It will be an event of huge proportions,…
-
The Key to Holding Out
This article was published on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. I am publishing it as it was, because what it describes still exists in our Venezuela today.
-
Pope Francis Clarifies What Marriage Is
Last week Pope Francis's first encyclical, Lumen Fidei, was published, with a great contribution from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
-
We Want No More Violence!
Once again I write my column today with great pain in my heart. These last few days we have seen in the media how some ministers and governors forget the dignity of the office they hold, and the example they should set,…
-
How Do We Put an End to Hatred?
Not long ago I read something in a magazine that I think can help all of us a great deal: “An important man shouted at the director of his company because he was angry at that moment. The director went home and shouted…
-
We Want a Homeland, and Toilet Paper!
Minister Jaua: last week I felt great pain when, after speaking about your pleasant visit to the Pope, you addressed a group of people (in language not at all fitting for the office you hold) and asked them whether they…
-
Love in Hard Times
If there is one good thing about the crisis we have lived through in Venezuela in recent years, it is that the difficulties have made many marriages more united and more in love than ever. Some, as I will explain below,…
-
Corruption and Double Lives
Last week Pope Francis, in his daily homilies at the Casa Santa Marta, spoke two days in a row about the corrupt. His words were really harsh. I hope the corrupt people scattered across Venezuela and the whole world…
-
In Defense of the Cuban People
Today I am risking being insulted, having some radicals stop reading me or following me on Twitter, and who knows what else, but I truly can no longer bear the pain I feel every time I hear or see, in the media and on…
-
"Boat Show" or "Food Show"?
I saw on Twitter that the famous Miami "Boat Show" took place last weekend. It seems some Venezuelans went to enjoy the "wonderful" world of boats. They say that what is on display there, for sale, are luxury…
-
The Venezuelan Church and Crime
The whole world knows that Venezuela faces a very serious problem: crime. All of us Venezuelans have been affected in one way or another by robberies, kidnappings or murders, which increase more and more every year. The…
-
Strong in Hard Times
How proud I am to be Venezuelan!
-
Pope Francis and Venezuela
For all Venezuelan Catholics it was very important that Pope Francis addressed the Venezuelan people last Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, at the end of the Regina Coeli prayer.
-
The Doctor of Death
On May 14, the abortionist doctor Kermit Gosnell was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of three babies born alive. A former employee of this "doctor," Stephen Massof, testified in court in early April that he…
-
What Do We Have in Common with China? What Isn't Said About China
Last week we saw the vice president of the People's Republic of China visiting an oil subsidiary in Anzoátegui state. He spoke of wanting to work with Venezuela to turn crude into refined products, said all the…
-
Pain for Venezuela
I don't know whether it is my immense love for my homeland or what it is, but these days I have felt great pain for Venezuela. On Mother's Day I thought a great deal about the many Venezuelan mothers who are going…
-
Children and Hatred in Venezuela
As a mother, one of the things that worries me most right now about the hatred and violence we Venezuelans are living through is our children.
-
We Have to Be Strong!
One of the things that has most stirred my admiration in recent years is the fortitude with which millions of Venezuelans have faced this crucial chapter of our country’s history.
-
Venezuela Is a Different Country
We Venezuelans have just lived through one of the most important experiences in our history. Last Sunday hundreds of us mothers said goodbye to our children at three in the morning because they had to go and work at the…
-
No One Will Steal Our Hope
Only those of us who have lived in Venezuela over these last ten years know what it means to live clinging to hope. Without it, we would have stopped fighting, and the sadness would be terrible. Some Venezuelans who…
-
Who Can Be a Saint?
All of us Catholics can be saints, even canonized saints. The universal call to holiness, which is central to the Gospel ("Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect," Mt 5:48), is addressed to all the…
-
Are We Venezuelans Lazy?
Every time I hear someone say that we Venezuelans are lazy, I wonder whether the people who say so have ever talked with the people standing in line at bus stops from very early in the morning; with the cashiers at the…
-
Jesus Christ Is Unique and Unrepeatable
Today I am using my weekly space in El Universal to share part of the homily given last Palm Sunday in the Cathedral of Caracas by the leading representative of our Holy Catholic Church in Venezuela, Cardinal Jorge…
-
Habemus Papam
What great joy fills us! On March 13 the cardinals of our Holy Catholic Church elected a new Pontiff. Few imagined that the man elected would be the new Pope. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was not on the lists of…
-
The New Pope
One of the most important pieces of news this week will undoubtedly be who the next Pope will be. However much one has read about the cardinals in the conclave, it is very hard to predict who will occupy the chair of…
-
Another Letter to Alberto Cutié
Almost two years ago, in this same newspaper, I published an article addressed to Alberto Cutié, a former priest of the Catholic Church who has devoted himself to speaking ill of it. Today I am writing again to ask this…
-
Does Money Bring Happiness?
According to the latest report from the Gallup organization, which measured “positive emotions” in 148 countries (surveying about a thousand people in each), the wealthy population of Singapore is the least happy in the…
-
Renewal in the Church
In recent weeks a media whirlwind has broken out around Benedict XVI's resignation. The press has hung on the Pope's every word. Someone wrote on Twitter that never before had so many journalists read a Lenten message…
-
Modernize the Church?
If there is one phrase you hear endlessly among non-practicing Catholics, it is this: "The Church has to modernize; it has to adapt to the times we live in."
-
O Death, When Will You Come?
If there is one sure thing in this life, it is that we are all going to die. Last Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, was a very fitting day to begin reflecting on death. The priest kept repeating to the long line of…
-
Afraid of Death?
I have never been afraid of death (neither my own nor that of a loved one). I think it is because when I was very little they spoke to me about Heaven with such excitement that it gave me great peace. Knowing that I…
-
Why Is the Pope Resigning?
No one expected the Holy Father Benedict XVI to resign. When I heard, I felt my heart shrink with pain, and the tears came at once. Benedict XVI has meant a great deal to our Holy Catholic Church, above all in these…
-
Stations of the Cross of a Sick Venezuelan
Since next February 11 (the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes) is the 21st World Day of the Sick, I would like to write today a simple Way of the Cross about what the experience of illness can mean for some people here in…
-
The Sick Person's Way of the Cross
Since this February 11 (the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes) is the 21st World Day of the Sick, I wrote a Way of the Cross about illness, after living with arthritis for more than 30 years.
-
Children Helping Children
Every day more adults and young people are waking up from the lethargy of indifference and comfort that reigned in our nation years ago. Thousands of children, who have shown great maturity, have learned that solidarity…
-
What Is It About El Ávila?
Before I begin my article, a small clarification for those who would like to correct me that El Ávila is no longer called El Ávila, and that its official name is now Waraira Repano. I apologize in advance and tell you,…
-
Faith Moves Mountains
Last Monday we witnessed one of the largest demonstrations of faith on the American continent: the Procession of the Divina Pastora. Millions of people attended this massive event as a sign of faith in God and in his…
-
Can We Venezuelans Be Happy?
Some will think that at this point in our history it is impossible to answer this question with a yes. And yet we have seen happiness in others, and we have felt it ourselves, living here and overcoming the thousands of…
-
Did You Know This About Our Priests?
Today I am going to tell it like it is about our priests, from the one who lives in the poorest municipality in our country to the one who holds the highest post in the Church hierarchy.
-
We Want No More Lies
In Venezuela there are many people of good will who have been working for several years for reconciliation and peace in our beloved homeland. Just as we condemn every message of hatred, every rumor and every baseless…
-
What Does 2013 Hold for Us?
For some of us, it’s customary as the New Year approaches to ask ourselves: what will next year be like? A group of friends were talking about this a few days ago, and the conclusion we reached (we were married couples…
-
Five Minutes to Midnight, 2012
Place: any home in Venezuela. Time: five minutes to midnight. Station: Radio X. Atmosphere: the children, asleep with their eyes open, walking around like mummies; the women, as always, running between the kitchen and…
-
Mission: Forgiveness
Last week I received messages from people who are ill, and from parents of sick young people or children, thanking me for the article “The ‘Gift’ of Illness.”
-
Forgive and Be Filled with Peace
Continuing last week's theme of the "Mission of Forgiveness," today I want to share the final part of John Paul II's message "Offer Forgiveness and Receive Peace," written for the 30th World Day of Peace on January 1,…
-
The “Gift” of Illness
God knocks on all our doors in this life in different ways. One of those ways is through what I call “the gift” of illness, because it is in those moments that we tend to let go of many earthly things and allow God into…
-
The 5th Most Powerful Man in the World?
Last week Forbes magazine published its list of the most powerful people in the world. When I saw the name of Benedict XVI there in fifth place, it seemed an interesting subject for this week's article. Forbes's editors…
-
God Forgives EVERYTHING
I will never forget a story I read from the Spanish Civil War, in which a Republican was dying and called out to two Nationalist soldiers who were passing by: “A priest, please! A priest!” One of the soldiers shouted at…
-
I Had an Abortion and I Can't Get Over It
Last week many people wrote to me in gratitude for the news about Project Hope, which the Family Ministry Department of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference is carrying out to try to ease the pain of mothers who have had…
-
The Devil's Birthday
Halloween celebrations are becoming more common in our country every day. We see stores decorating everything for the occasion, and the vast majority of people who celebrate it really do not know what lies behind it,…
-
Project Hope in Venezuela
Last week the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference hosted the second Pastoral Training Workshop on Post-Abortion Syndrome and Healing. It was aimed at priests, deacons, seminarians, family ministry workers, psychologists,…
-
When Menopause Comes
If there is one sure thing in every woman's life, it is that sooner or later menopause will come. When that stage of life arrives, many will look back to consider how their life has been and what they have done with it.…
-
Hugs for Peace
Last week the "Family Hug" campaign took place throughout the country. The National Family Department of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference has held it every year since 1990.
-
Beyond What We Could Have Dreamed
If there is one phrase that has marked the path of our marriage in these 20 years of happy union, it is this one from our beloved Saint Josemaría: "Dream, and your dreams will fall short." Going back some 30 years, I…
-
Living and Proclaiming Our Faith
Last Saturday, November 3, a packed Mass was celebrated at the Church of La Chiquinquirá to open the Year of Faith and promulgate the Pastoral Plan of the Archdiocese of Caracas. More than 1,500 people overflowed the…
-
How Do Rulers Die?
When King Philip III of Spain lay on his deathbed, he exclaimed shortly before dying: "I beg you, my good friends, that in the sermon at my funeral nothing be preached except how those who govern die. Let it be said…
-
What Have We Venezuelans Learned?
In this last decade, millions of us Venezuelans who live in this country have learned many important things: • We have learned the meaning of the word Homeland and, above all, love of our homeland. • We have learned to…
-
News That Gives Us More Hope
Although I wrote this article when our national universities were not yet going through the very severe crisis they are living through now, I include it to recall what our universities are, and to remember that there…
-
Keep Going
Today I almost left my column blank. The reason: I had to send my article to El Universal early on Monday and I didn't have it ready. I had planned to write it after the elections, because what I wrote depended on…
-
Will We Achieve Our Dream?
“Dream, and you will fall short.” This is one of the phrases that has marked my life most, and I always try to put it into practice when I feel things are getting hard.
-
A Big Announcement This Week
There are 10 days left until the presidential election on October 7. In one way or another, we Venezuelans are experiencing an anxiety (I would say an almost unique one) about what may or may not happen that day in our…
-
The Poison of Hatred
Last week, at a meeting, we started talking about the political situation in the country and about the hatred you can sense in some people. I said that as Christians we cannot feel hatred; we must bring God’s Love to…
-
We Needed a Moral Example!
Last week, while I was checking my Twitter messages, I saw the famous bribery video. My first thought was: "Now they'll come out and deny it, nothing will happen, and it'll all be forgotten in a few days." That is what…
-
What Is It About Venezuelan Music?
Whenever I don’t feel like doing what I have to do, or when I’m a little down, I put on a CD of Venezuelan music, and that is more than enough to give me an incredible burst of energy that has me singing and dancing in…
-
The Woman Who Will Give Us Peace
Tens of thousands of people attended the liturgical celebrations held in our country over these last few days in honor of the Blessed Virgin. People from every sector and every political persuasion came together again,…
-
What Is the Devil Afraid Of?
Last year the ACI Prensa news portal published an interview with one of the best-known exorcists in the world: Father Gabriele Amorth. He is 88 years old and has some 70,000 exorcisms to his name. The first thing he…
-
Who Dares to Take Away Our Hope?
As the days go by and you keep finding yourself tangled in the web of problems we have everywhere in this country we love so madly, there are moments when you think you are going to stop in your tracks or “throw in the…
-
What Have Our Young People Learned?
The example of fortitude, courage and perseverance given by our students (and by many of their fathers and mothers) has been vital in this historic period we are living through. And no wonder.
-
A Vacation of Tragedy and Faith
During these vacation months our country has lived through sad tragedies that have brought mourning to many Venezuelan homes. While crime continues unchecked, taking many lives, we see that the "hell" of the prisons…
-
Praying to Win?
At the recent London Olympics, the International Olympic Committee's list of rules for athletes expressly banned bringing religious printed material or books into the Olympic village and the stadiums. Even so, it could…
-
The Cardinal Speaks to Young People
Last August 5, in the city of Valencia, almost 10,000 young people gathered for the closing Mass of the Second National Meeting of Young Catholics, ENAJÓ 2012. It was a joy to see young people from every corner of the…
-
The Subtle "Charm" of Superficiality
Superficiality is a way of life that has spread through a small part of Venezuelan society, and of the whole world, like a gentle drizzle that leads us to live as if we were the heroes of a fairy tale or of a glossy…
-
The Church and Homosexual People
Here I share the answer Benedict XVI gave in Malta (in 2010) to a young man who asked him why the Church marginalized homosexual people and why, if God is Love, Saint Paul had written such strong words against…
-
The Excitement of Voting on October 7
Very exciting things are happening ahead of the October 7 election. As you can see in the media and on social networks, here we are all running around, working hard and each doing whatever we can to achieve the best…
-
The Future of Our 2012 High School Graduates
July is the month of high school graduations in Venezuela. It is a custom in our country for the soon-to-be graduates to drive around in caravans on the last day of classes to celebrate the occasion, and the joy you…
-
The Church and Divorced People
If there is one subject that interests many Catholics, it is how divorced and remarried Catholics can take part in the life of the Church. Today I think it is important to recall in my column what Pope Benedict XVI said…
-
The Bishops Speak of Our Anxieties
Last week the president of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Diego Padrón, spoke about several very important issues that worry every sector of society. First, he said that Venezuelans suffer the same…
-
Venezuelans and Alcohol
Last week one of the emails I received about my article "Venezuelans and Suicide" suggested that perhaps Venezuelans are happy because they drink a lot of alcohol. Along with that comment, they sent me a news item…
-
Venezuelans and Suicide
My article on happiness last week generated all kinds of comments: political ones, crediting their happiness to the government or to the opposition; emotional ones; analytical ones, among others. One of the analytical…
-
Homosexuality Under Discussion
Last week there were two important pieces of news about homosexuality. One was that the French government would authorize same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples in 2013. The other was the publication of a…
-
What Lugo Missed Out On, and a Few Others
Last week we all saw the news of Fernando Lugo's removal by the Senate of Paraguay. As I watched the news I thought of something that goes a little beyond the merely political and earthly. I felt great sorrow, because I…
-
An Open Letter to Benedict XVI
Holy Father, today I write you an open letter in my weekly column, because I want to use my profession as a Venezuelan journalist to tell you some things that usually no one tells you through the media. I do so after…
-
Venezuela, “Heaven’s Branch Office”
A month ago, my husband and I went to Italy to rest a little and to hold some work meetings in Rome. Every time someone asked my husband, “And where are you from?”, he (a typical joke-cracking Venezuelan) would answer:…
-
Speaking the Truth in the Media
The Catholic Church has celebrated World Communications Day since 1967, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. This year that feast fell on Sunday, May 20, and from May 23 to 26 Venezuela will celebrate the 46th…
-
Why Do We Need Priests?
Last Sunday, May 27, was Pentecost and Seminary Day in Venezuela. For that reason, today I want to share with you a beautiful text by the Argentine novelist Hugo Wast (1883-1962), entitled "The Wonder of the…
-
When Death Is Knocking at the Door
April 19 was Pope Benedict XVI's birthday. He celebrated it privately with a Mass attended by his brother and his closest collaborators. The homily was very personal and moved those present, because in it he admitted…
-
Miss Venezuela and the Gender Identity Debate
Last week, at a press conference held by the Miss Venezuela organization, Osmel Sousa addressed the controversy stirred up by some people after Miss Canada accepted a transgender contestant. He said it would be…
-
What Did the Cardinal Say About Santería?
Last week a group of santería practitioners filed a complaint against Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, alleging that he had violated the article of the National Constitution that protects freedom of worship and religion. In…
-
Always Forgive? And Everyone?
One of the hardest things in this life is forgiving our enemies, above all when it comes to terrible things like forgiving the murderer or rapist of a child, someone who robs us and leaves us bankrupt, someone who has…
-
Stories from Some Venezuelans in Cuba
During Benedict XVI's recent visit to Cuba, a group of Venezuelan Catholics traveled to the island to see the Holy Father. Some days ago I spoke with a few of them, and after hearing what they told me I decided to write…
-
Living? What For?
We all know that living in the 21st century, in such a turbulent world and in a country like Venezuela, is not at all easy!, and much less so for those of us who call ourselves Christians and must behave as such,…
-
Cuban Communism Could Not Defeat the Faith
I believe one of the most striking events we Catholics have lived through this decade has been Benedict XVI's visit to Cuba. For many of us who work for our Holy Catholic Church, it has been one of the most important…
-
If You Want Peace, Defend Life
If there is one thing we Venezuelans are crying out for right now, it is to live in Peace. One initiative just launched to help that longed-for peace reign in our nation is the "Week for Life" campaign run by the…
-
To My Beloved Venezuela
Writing about the love I have for you will be difficult, because I will never find the right words to describe this passion that boils in my heart every time I hear your name, every time I see your flag... This passion…
-
Through Him, with Him and in Him…
Today I will turn once more to the Manual handed out at the National Eucharistic Congress held in Caracas last year, to explain the sacred meaning of a very significant phrase used in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
-
Are Priests Happy?
I have just read a Europa Press report saying that eight out of ten priests would choose the priesthood again if they were born again. That is the finding of several studies carried out in the United States and compared…
-
This Is How We Live, but We're Not Leaving!
I have just seen the news that shots were fired during candidate Henrique Capriles's walk through Cotiza, and that Ismael García's son was wounded. A big fright gripped my heart at the thought that something bad might…
-
Working for Peace
That is the title of the Lenten message Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino has written for all Venezuelan Catholics to reflect on in these days. I will summarize some of its main points; you can find the full text at…
-
Implants That Change Your Life
Today I want to share, in my own words, the testimony a Venezuelan woman sent me about her breast enlargement surgery with PIP implants. She asked me not to reveal her identity because of the great shame she feels, but…
-
And Now What?
Last Sunday, after going to vote and finding a public school full of people from working-class neighborhoods voting (when some said only the "oligarchs" would vote), and finding the streets jammed (worse than any…
-
Talking About Plan B
Today I wanted to share a few testimonies that sound a little strange when the subject of Plan B comes up.
-
Murders in Small Print
I was very struck when I read the essay that won the "Third Metropolitan School Contest for Human Rights," written by a 17-year-old girl (Isabel Virginia Alfonzo García) from Colegio Caniguá in the El Hatillo…
-
My Boss Is God
Most authoritarian rulers think they are God. We have seen this throughout history with dictators of the right and the left, whom power sadly blinded to the point that they believed they were gods.
-
A Virgin at 30
Last week we read with great astonishment that the best-selling book in Venezuelan bookstores has been "Virgen a los 30" (A Virgin at 30), by the young and beautiful model Vivian Sleiman, published by Editorial Planeta.…
-
Teachers Who Never Fail
On January 15 of last year, a reader posted the following comment on my article thanking Venezuela’s exemplary teachers: “…my mother was a teacher her whole life. She raised four children on her own, who are all…
-
Father Ugalde Is Outraged, and Rightly So!
Last Sunday was Teachers' Day. Today I want to talk about Father Luis Ugalde's article "Public or Private," published on February 12 in El Nacional. In it he expresses his outrage at the president's statement that the…
-
Basilicas and Political Events
Last Friday many Venezuelan Catholics felt great indignation when we saw the Minor Basilica of Guanare turned into a kind of arena for something very much like a political rally. What a disgrace, and what a lack of…
-
A Plea to Diosdado
Diosdado, today I am writing to you because one of the first things you said on taking up that important post (where God has given you the opportunity to be) was: "With me there will be no conciliation." You, more than…
-
2012: Still in the Fight
We would all like to have a crystal ball to see what will happen in Venezuela in 2012. It is truly hard to explain what each of us has lived through in this Land of Grace in recent years. They have been hard years,…
-
2012: Still Standing in the Fight
We would all like to have a crystal ball to see what is going to happen in Venezuela this year, 2012. It is truly hard to explain what each of us has lived through in this Land of Grace over the last two decades. They…
-
Christmas in Caracas, 2011
I am leaving the following article exactly as it was when it was published, because it describes moments of scarcity that we lived through and that are now part of our country’s history.
-
Every Herod's Hour Comes
In Venezuela it is a typical Christmas custom to find Nativity scenes in many places around the city (churches, shopping malls, barracks, hospitals, homes and so on). In some of them we see Herod's castle, to remind us…
-
Protect Us, Dear Virgin, Please!
I understand perfectly why many people have gone to live abroad. The problem of crime is extremely serious. I have lived through moments of great anguish when I have felt like grabbing the suitcases and running off with…
-
Obama Proves Us Right
Last week we had the surprising news that the Obama administration had blocked the over-the-counter sale of the "emergency contraceptive" in pharmacies in the United States.
-
Here You Can Sell Anything!
A few weeks ago I was having lunch with a group of friends. One of them had just come back from Spain because she lost her job, and she said the unemployment situation there was terrible, so many people have had to make…
-
Will We Hold Out?
For several years now (starting with the Vargas floods of 1999) we have lived through very hard and difficult Decembers in our beloved homeland. At Christmas it is normal to feel the crisis more, along with people's…
-
What Greed Does
Last month we began to denounce the vulgar, multimillion-dollar advertising campaign for the "emergency contraceptive." Many fathers and mothers have been outraged by the insistence with which an ad that goes against…
-
How Can Venezuela Be Saved?
Last Saturday more than 7,000 Catholics from Caracas (of every age and "color") gathered at the United Nations Park for the closing of the Continental Evangelizing Mission and the enthronement of the Virgin of Coromoto…
-
Why This Love for Venezuela?
A few days ago I read a phrase I liked very much: “I will die in a rocking chair, looking at El Ávila, in a democratic country.” And I thought: why do so many of us Venezuelans love this country, with all its problems,…
-
Poison? For Our Girls and Teenagers
When you love your country and your people, you are willing to do whatever it takes to defend them. And when you see our girls and teenagers treated like little animals with no will to control their sexuality, and being…
-
The Emergency Contraceptive... or Abortifacient?
Some days ago I saw a TV ad in which a young woman urges the use of the "emergency contraceptive." She laments having had her child. What will that child feel when he hears her publicly lamenting that she gave him life?…
-
I Do Whatever I Want with My Life
In our great-grandmothers' day this phrase was occasionally heard from teenagers. Today some children start using it at a very early age, and young people (with their natural rebelliousness) use it more and more. But…
-
Eves Who Cook?
A few days ago a friend told me that for her 12-year-old daughter's birthday they invited some of her little friends over to teach them baking. The girls, amazed and delighted to be let loose with the ingredients, said…
-
Don't Have an Abortion! Anything but That!
Below I share, in my own translation and slightly abridged, part of one of the many testimonies collected by the Association of Victims of Abortion in Spain.
-
Is Abortion a Solution?
"The same as your mother." With these words, a priest of the Archdiocese of Madrid left a taxi driver who wanted to mock him about the legalization of abortion completely speechless, after the driver asked his opinion…
-
"I Was Raised by a Same-Sex Couple"
Last week the Bishop of Cabimas, William Delgado, expressed the Church in Zulia's rejection of the first pregnancy of a lesbian couple through in vitro fertilization, and stressed that the Catholic community does not…
-
Profane Advertising
Several months ago an advertising campaign was released that disrespects something sacred to Catholics: the altar and the figure of the Holy Father. It caused widespread displeasure among Venezuelans, above all among…
-
From “It’s Cheap, Give Me Two” to 2011
I remember that when I was in high school, one of the things that hurt me most was seeing how some of my friends lived dreaming of going shopping in Miami during vacations, while I saw so much poverty in the poor…
-
Young People Who Can Change the World
We have just lived through, in Madrid, one of the World Youth Days with the greatest impact on world public opinion. Very few people thought that in a country like Spain (where there have been attempts to remove God…
-
How Can This Be Explained?
There are questions, in the twenty-first century, that are a little hard to answer because they go far beyond merely human and materialistic reasoning. Some of those questions arise from World Youth Day, held in Madrid…
-
A List of Things We Venezuelans Need
A few days ago a Venezuelan friend who lives in Miami came to Caracas to take care of her family's medical appointments and stopped by to see me. And imagine my surprise when the little gift she brought me was a bag of…
-
Why Believe in Venezuelans?
I never imagined that my article “Don’t Speak Ill of Venezuelans!” would have the impact it did. Anyone who read through the readers’ comments could see how many people (very few compared to all those who love Venezuela…
-
Don’t Speak Ill of Venezuelans to Me!
A few Venezuelans who live abroad sometimes have the bad habit of speaking ill of their country and of those of us who are here fighting for a better future.
-
Who May Receive Communion?
Today I will share with you more of the teaching we received, the 1,300 Catholics who attended the Fourth National Eucharistic Congress held in Caracas last June. I do so because many people thanked me for the article…
-
My Daughters and the President's Communion
That was the phrase my daughters (aged 12 and 11) shouted happily when they saw, on television, the President receiving Communion at the Mass celebrated last week by Bishop Mario Moronta at the Military Academy in…
-
Homeland, Illness and Prisoners
If there is something we must thank God for in these years, in which we have lived through hundreds of problems, injustices, hatreds and divisions among Venezuelans, it is that those of us who are here fighting for our…
-
Deeds, Not Words: "By Their Fruits You Will Know Them"
"By their fruits you will know them. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree…
-
We Celebrate Divorces
Some days ago I found in my mailbox an advertisement from a production company that "turns celebrations into unforgettable events." The flyer said, word for word: "Turn your celebration into an unforgettable event.…
-
October 7
October 7 is a very important date for all Catholics. It is a tradition in our Church to celebrate October as the month of the rosary. But where does that tradition come from? From the fact that October 7 is the feast…
-
Does the Catholic Church Need Reforming?
It is very painful to see how some people who were Catholics (priests or lay people) and who were not faithful to their personal vocation try, through articles, books or the media, to have the Catholic Church "reformed"…
-
Scandals in the Church
What is the argument some people use most often whenever a Catholic speaks about something immoral in society, or tells others how wonderful it is to walk the "narrow way"? Pedophile priests. Yes, those of us Catholics…
-
I'm a Non-Practicing Catholic
That is the phrase some Catholics use to justify not going to Mass on Sundays. Today I want to pass on an answer to that phrase that I found at the Fourth National Eucharistic Congress, held in Caracas from June 23 to…
-
Fathers from the Turbulent Nineties to Today
Dear fathers and grandfathers: I hope you were spoiled plenty on Sunday. Here is the second part of the article I promised you last week.
-
Did You Know This About Venezuelan Fathers?
You often hear wonderful things said about Venezuelan mothers (I am the first who never stops praising them), and people say that Venezuela is a matriarchal society, that mothers provide for their families on their own,…
-
A Letter from a Venezuelan Woman to Dr. Hans Küng
Dr. Küng: I have learned that you harshly criticized the beatification of John Paul II in statements to the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau. You say he was an "intolerant and authoritarian" pontiff who "cannot be…
-
My Memories of the Macuto Sheraton
I never thought the television report I saw about the Macuto Sheraton would affect me so much. I try not to let the news get to me, and I struggle every day to keep hope very much alive, because I believe that is the…
-
To Those Who Attack Religious Images
I hope that those who have committed acts of vandalism against the various images of the Divina Pastora, Our Lady of Coromoto, Our Lady of the Rosary, José Gregorio Hernández and others will read what I am about to…
-
Is the Condom the Only Answer?
Last week a friend came to my house who had taken her daughters to a concert by a famous teen singer. She felt cheated, because she had bought (very expensive) tickets to see a music concert and found herself caught up,…
-
What Can We Do for Venezuela?
Every time we start criticizing the problems in Venezuela, the first thing we should ask ourselves is: and what am I doing to make the country better?
-
A Living, Young Church Was What We Saw in St. Peter's Square on May 1
Putting into words what those of us who were in St. Peter's Square last May 1 experienced is almost impossible. The magnetism of Our Home drew more than a million faithful and hundreds of journalists from all over the…
-
“All-Terrain” Mothers
Today I dedicate my column to Venezuela’s “all-terrain” mothers (and grandmothers).
-
What Will the Future of the Church Be?
To think that a simple Catholic like me could answer this question exactly would be truly presumptuous, but I am going to explain what I lived through these days in Rome, and especially in Saint Peter's Square on May 1…
-
Is There a Maternal Intelligence?
For decades, some feminists spread the prejudice that motherhood "dulls" women, because they have to center their daily lives on the routine of breastfeeding, changing diapers, making baby food, washing clothes and so…
-
Are We Losing Our Next Generation?
I will build my answer to this question from three articles published in this same newspaper. The first is by Luis Vicente León, "Why Did My Friends Leave?", whose subtitle was "The next generation is practically lost."…
-
God and Venezuela
Since Lent begins today, I want to take the opportunity to write about a subject I love: the wonderful Faith there is in Venezuela.
-
To the Parents of Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
Some will ask why I keep going on about those who leave and those who stay. Well, I believe it is one of the most discussed subjects in our country today, as a result of the serious national crisis we are living through.
-
To the Young People Who Are Staying
Last week I wrote to the young people who are leaving. Today I write to those who are staying. Writing to the young people who are fighting in Venezuela is something I consider more than a duty. Being a journalist…
-
The Nazarene and the Venezuelans
Lent begins this March. "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return": that is the phrase marked on our foreheads with the cross of ashes every Ash Wednesday. A hard, strong phrase that shakes us up, that…
-
To the Young People Who Are Leaving!
Venezuela is a country blessed by God in many ways. And one of the greatest things our nation has is that it is full of young people. Millions of wonderful young people who were born in our land and who love their…
-
Politicians: Kneel More, and Better!
I recently read this phrase by Mother Teresa of Calcutta which, like everything she said, is full of great wisdom: she was convinced that politicians spend too little time on their knees, and that they would do their…
-
Pray Lovingly for Your Authorities
Several years ago, around 2005, a priest living outside Venezuela sent a letter to a large group of Catholics living in our country. Already, from abroad, a hatred among Venezuelans never seen before could be felt. The…
-
Venezuela: Our Beloved Homeland
Here in Venezuela there are many of us, young people and some not so young, who have decided to “grin and bear it” and “give it all we’ve got” (and we say we are staying right here).
-
The Joy of Venezuelans
Some people find it a bit hard to understand the reason for Venezuelans’ joy: how we can make a joke out of anything; how we manage to celebrate whatever comes along and get together with family and friends, even when…
-
Our Mission Is Here
Not long ago, my ten-year-old daughter was listening to some people talk about the lack of safety in the country. They were weighing the possibility of going to live somewhere else, and my daughter surprised everyone by…
No articles match these filters.