Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

Father Omar Ontiveros (who accompanied me to the Regional Immigration Conference) and I visited the National Holocaust Museum while in Washington D.C. We were both deeply touched by this moving, if not horrific, presentation of a very dark time in our world’s history. It is impossible to fathom the depth of suffering that took place just before and during World War II, a suffering that continues to this day as families remember the Shoah and the terrible tragedy that so many of their ancestors endured during the 20th century. One of the museum’s goals is to keep in our consciousness the terrible scourge of genocide and through its educational presentations serve as a reminder that it can happen again, and indeed has happened again! One does not have to go back very far to remember the genocide that took place in Rwanda, as were the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia, just to name a few. Indeed, genocide is taking place today in Darfur. When we also consider the tragic realities of abortion, war, euthanasia and the death penalty, we realize that we have a long way to go in shaping a world that truly respects and honors the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. It is important to pray for the victims of the Holocaust as well as the victims of violence in general: Those babies that will never see the light of day and the victims of crime and hatred throughout our violent world. May Christ, the Lord of Life, lead us to respect always the precious and unrepeatable gift of life that only he can give.