Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit

by Groody, Daniel G.

• ISBN13: 9780742522411
• ISBN10: 0742522415
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-01
• Publisher: Natl Book Network

Summary

This is a powerful, first-hand account of a religious ministry that reaches out to console, heal, and build the lives of poor and desperate immigrants who come to the United States in search of a better life.

Author Biography

Daniel G. Groody, C.S.C. is an assistant professor of theology and director of LEPC at the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
The Crushed Heart: The Dynamics of Mexican Emigration and Immigration	p. 13
A Hunger for Freedom, A Wall of Separation	p. 13
Breaking from Home in Mexico	p. 15
The Pressure to Immigrate	p. 16
Breaking from Family	p. 17
Breaking from the Familiar	p. 18
Crossing the U.S.-Mexican Border	p. 19
The Border Patrol: La Migra	p. 20
The Smuggler: El Coyote	p. 22
The Life-Threatening Elements: La Muerte	p. 23
Entering a Foreign Land	p. 26
Political-Cultural Alienation: Mexican in an American Land	p. 26
Socio-Economic Alienation: Poor in a Prosperous Land	p. 27
Psycho-Spiritual Alienation: Lonely in an Unfamiliar Land	p. 29
The Immigrant Predicament: A Stranger in a Foreign Land	p. 31
The Immigrant Journey as a Way of the Cross	p. 32
The Rehabilitated Heart: The Dynamics of Healing and Empowerment	p. 41
A Spiritual Home in a Foreign Land	p. 41
The Coachella Valley	p. 41
The Valley Missionary Program	p. 42
The Shrine and the Retreat House	p. 44
The Missionary Encounter Retreat	p. 45
Ritual and Mexican Immigrant Spirituality	p. 46
A Spirituality of the Heart	p. 47
A Ritual Process of Spiritual Transformation	p. 48
Arriving with a Guarded Heart	p. 48
The Cracking Open of a Stony Heart	p. 49
The Healing of a Wounded Heart	p. 51
The Creating of a Spiritual Heart	p. 52
The Touching of God's Heart	p. 53
The Ennobling of a Mexican Heart	p. 55
The Cleansing of a Sinful Heart	p. 57
The Awakening of a Joyful Heart	p. 58
The Empowering of a Loving Heart	p. 59
The Witnessing of a Grateful Heart	p. 60
A Contextual Theology of Encounter	p. 61
A New World and a New Way of Life: A Sacramental and Incarnational Spirituality	p. 69
The Animated Heart: The Dynamics of Conversion and Transformation	p. 79
A Foundation for Conversion	p. 79
Affective Conversion through the Experience of the Beautiful	p. 82
From Guardedness to Openness	p. 83
From Negative Stereotypes to a More Positive Self-Identity	p. 84
From Guilt to Forgiveness	p. 85
Social Conversion through the Experience of Love	p. 86
From Cultural Denial to Cultural Affirmation	p. 87
From Indifference to Care	p. 90
From Family of Blood to Family of the Spirit	p. 90
Intellectual Conversion through the Experience of the Truth	p. 92
From Machos to Hombres de Verdad (From Studs to Authentic Men)	p. 92
From Viejas to Mujeres de Dignidad (From Old Maids to Dignified Women)	p. 94
From Functional Illiteracy to Internalized Wisdom	p. 95
Personal Moral Conversion through the Experience of the Good	p. 97
From Powerlessness to Empowerment	p. 98
From Self-Centered to Christ-Centered	p. 99
From Immigrants to Missionaries	p. 102
Religious Conversion through the Experience of Friendship with God	p. 103
From a Distant, Impersonal God to a Close Personal Friend	p. 104
From Sacramental Obligation to Sacramental Celebration	p. 106
From Desgraciado to Graciado (From Disgraced to Graced)	p. 107
From Death to Life: The Paschal Mystery in Coachella	p. 108
The Flowering of the Heart: The Dynamics of Inculturation and Mission	p. 115
The Mesoamerican Story and the Guadalupe Story	p. 115
The Religious Ethos of Mesoamerica: Two Core Mesoamerican Symbols	p. 116
Atltepetl: Fertile Center of the Divine Spirit	p. 116
Corazon: Source of Life and Knowledge	p. 117
Guadalupe: Rooting Christianity in Mesoamerican Soil	p. 118
Tepeyac: A Christian Atltepetl	p. 118
Juan Diego: An Encounter with the Divine Heart	p. 123
Guadalupe: The Flowering of Mexican Christianity	p. 124
The Encounter Retreat in Coachella: The Guadalupe Story and the Gospel Story	p. 124
La Virgen and the Team: A New Message, a New Way of Life	p. 126
Juan Diego and the Candidates: Out of Darkness, a New Light	p. 127
Bishop Zumarraga and the Church: A Listening Church, a Church of the Poor	p. 129
Tepyac and the Shrine: A New Center, A New Home	p. 130
Flor y Canto: A Divine Message, A Human Medium	p. 130
The Tilma and a Spirituality of Conversion: An Initial Response, An Ongoing Challenge	p. 132
Juan Diego as Prototype of Converting Mexican-Immigrant Christian	p. 133
Afterword	p. 137
The Nican Mopohua--The Guadalupe Story	p. 141
Bibliography	p. 157
Index	p. 179
About the Author	p. 187
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