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 this option, the main destinations being the United States, Canada, Spain (because of the many Spanish immigrants who came to our land and passed Spanish nationality on to their children or grandchildren), the Dominican Republic, Panama and others.

It is not at all easy to live in a country where you have to keep candles ready and water containers full in case the power and water go out; where you have to stand in line for hours to buy basic goods; where you may not find the urgent medicine you need; where you may die in a hospital waiting to be seen, or not be operated on because the necessary supplies are lacking; where, every time you go out, you don’t know whether you or your children will come home alive, because crime is out of control.

And yet, with all these terrible problems weighing on us day after day, there are many people here determined to stay to the end. To the end of whatever comes. Of whatever God wills.

Because while it is true that some are leaving, and we understand it with all our hearts, it is also true that if all of us Venezuelans who dream of a better country for our children and grandchildren leave and abandon the struggle, we will be handing over this land God entrusted to us at birth so that we would work it and sow good things in it. We cannot abandon that land and leave it to those who are doing things the wrong way.

Love of country is not a fantasy. It is something real, lived and felt with the mind, the soul and the heart. It is so real that the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in its section on the Fourth Commandment (no. 2239), says that love and service of one’s country belong to the duty of gratitude and to the order of charity.

And beyond what the Catechism says, I think many of us feel our love for Venezuela as an immense passion, something that ties us to our land, our roots, our families, our fellow Venezuelans, our history, and so many memories, feelings, smells and tastes…

One may think about how hard it is to live in a country that seems to be at war. At such moments it is good to remember Saint John Paul II, who lived through two terrible totalitarian states but loved his Poland with all his heart, and who, together with many Poles who stayed in their land praying and struggling tirelessly, won freedom.

Many good people are staying here, giving everything they have so that justice, truth and peace may reign in this country. How can we leave and abandon them here? How can we leave our Holy Catholic Church in Venezuela, where our bishops, priests, religious and lay people are giving an example of total dedication and selflessness?

When you know, live and work with so many people who are staying in this country by their own choice, because they could leave, you remember those who fought tirelessly for freedom and development in their nations. So many people, in so many countries, who did not abandon their nation in times of grave crisis and saw its reconstruction with their own eyes. We have seen it close by, in Colombia and in Peru. And that is what those of us who stay here hope to see, because there are many of us: many grandparents, fathers, mothers, children and many, very many! exemplary young people.

Many people are staying here who are working silently and tirelessly, and who will be the protagonists of a great and Dignified! story, the one that will remain in the history books as the example to follow. It will be the story of the triumph of perseverance, work, honesty, study, preparation, fortitude, patience and prayer, and of unity in the tireless struggle for justice, truth and peace! for all Venezuelans.

A great many wonderful! Venezuelans are staying here, striving to be better Christians every day and to recover values in our beloved Homeland. And we have nothing to lose, even if we lose our lives along the way, because if we leave this earthly life on the road, because of runaway crime, we will reach eternal life in our final Homeland, Heaven, since we owe nothing! to anyone.

That is why we are not afraid, and we will keep going, without rest, with God’s help, for as long as He wills and as long as life allows us, here in our beloved Venezuela! Our Lady of Coromoto, our mother, protect all our families!