Reflection: A commitment to migrants
Ana Maria Rodriguez-Alfonso joins us as a general summer intern from the Boston University School of Theology with experience in public and constitutional law, human rights, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, and public services. In this piece, she reflects on what drove her to serve with Church and Society.
English
Summer Intern: Ana Maria Rodriguez-Alfonso
For a while now, the idea that human beings are naturally migrants has become clearer to me. The thought that we should remain united to a specific territory or nationality contradicts the history of humanity and denies the multicultural and multiethnic roots that built our current societies. In this sense, as many others have pointed out, there are no illegal human beings. I am convinced that migration should not be criminalized, because migrating is a human right.
Given the above, we must also consider that the Bible calls us to a responsibility for the migrant. In this sense, we see that not only what is established in the law, in the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, but also Jesus and later his disciples. Migrants are God’s primary concern and should be a primary concern of the church. As a church committed to God’s cause, our commitment must be the protection of the little ones of the kingdom of heaven.
In the current context of the migration crisis we are in, I believe that the work done for entities like the General Board of Church and Society is crucial. The commitment of this entity is truly inspiring. For this reason, I am very happy to be part of this team during the summer. It is a great opportunity to bring my professional and academic experience to work toward the establishment of justice preached by Christ. I hope to learn from all the work that GBCS is doing and to support this entity in the best way. I have deep gratitude for this opportunity to do relevant work that impacts our communities.
Español
Pasante de verano: Ana Maria Rodriguez-Alfonso
Desde hace algún tiempo ha sido mas clara para mí la idea de que los seres humanos somos naturalmente migrantes. El hecho de pensar que debemos permanecer unidos a un territorio o una nacionalidad especifica contradice la historia de la humanidad y niega las raíces multiculturales y multiétnicas que construyeron nuestras sociedades actuales. En tal sentido, como muchos otros han indicado, no hay seres humanos ilegales. Estoy convencida de que la migración no debe ser criminalizada, porque migrar es un derecho humano.
Dado lo anterior, también debemos tener en cuenta que la biblia nos llama a una responsabilidad sobre el migrante. En tal sentido, vemos que no solamente lo establecido en la ley, en los profetas de la biblia hebrea, sino también Jesús y posteriormente sus discípulos. Los migrantes son una preocupación primordial de Dios y deben ser una preocupación primordial de la iglesia. Como una iglesia comprometida con la causa de Dios, nuestro compromiso debe ser la protección de los pequeñitos del reino de los cielos.
En el contexto actual de crisis migratoria que vivimos, creo que es crucial la labor realizada por entidades como el General Board of Church and Society. El compromiso de esta entidad es realmente inspirador. Por tal razón me encuentro muy feliz de hacer parte de este equipo durante el verano. Es una gran oportunidad para brindar mi experiencia profesional y académica para trabajar hacia el establecimiento de la justicia predicada por Cristo. Espero aprender de toda la labor que esta haciendo GBCS y apoyar de la mejor forma esta entidad. Tengo una profunda gratitud por esta oportunidad de hacer un trabajo relevante y que impacte a nuestras comunidades.
Ana Maria is currently pursuing a master’s degree in divinity at the Boston University School of Theology. A native of Columbia, she also holds a master’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s degree in law. She is a member of The United Methodist Church and will serve as a delegate to the 2020 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference representing the delegation of New England. As a Latin American woman and young adult, she wants to be an advocate for a more progressive church that welcomes everyone to the table.
