Memories of a Trip with Ramon: Words Spoken at a Cathedral of Hope

Last updated on: October 16, 2014 at 10:05 pm by Jeff Hood

Memories of a Trip with Ramon: Words Spoken at a Cathedral of Hope 2014-10-16T22:05:45-06:00 Jeff Hood

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Good morning Cathedral! I think it is appropriate for me to tell you a little about my week on the same day that we are remembering and celebrating the life of Matthew Shepard. When Matthew Shepard died, there were so many of us who promised “never again.” We declared, “When we meet situations of injustice we are going to stand up and do something. Never again will we let such moments pass by without action.” This week I had the tremendous privilege of standing with you as we refused to let a moment of injustice pass us by without action. You see last week…Cathedral of Hope, Congregacion Latina and Hope for Peace and Justice stood together to make a difference in a young man’s life. It all began when Father Alberto called us up and asked us to come to an apartment in Carrollton, Texas. When we went into the apartment, we found a 28-year-old young man named Ramon dying of bone cancer. Ramon had lived and worked in this country since he was 18-years-old without papers. In so doing, Ramon paid taxes, stayed out of trouble and committed himself to performing all of the duties of a citizen…unfortunately due to his immigration status, Ramon was not able to receive the benefits of having done that. Ramon was also not able to access the quality of healthcare that many of us are able to access. There were other pieces of the story that only exacerbated the injustice that Ramon faced. Ramon’s father was desperate to help him get back to see his mother and brothers in Guadalajara, Mexico before he died. As we sat in that apartment, a number of us tried to figure out how we could help this young man get to Mexico. We asked our selves over and over, “How can we make this happen?” We decided that this was definitely something that we needed to do. We needed to find the money to get this young man to his family. We knew that a cousin was going to fly with him…then that fell through due to her passport being out of date. Father Alberto looked around and declared, “Who’s going to go to Mexico? This young man needs us.” I kept on thinking the same thing to myself…”Who is going to go?” Then out of nowhere, I heard someone say, “I’ll go!” I thought, “Who in the hell said that?” Then I realized it was me. The next thing I know, I met Ramon and his father at the airport. Then, Ramon and I flew to Guadalajara together. Ramon was barely able to move and required constant care. When we arrived, I got to see him encounter his brothers for the first time in ten years. It was really beautiful. Throughout it all, I kept think about the beauty of the confluence of events that brought Cathedral of Hope, Congregacion Latina and Hope for Peace and Justice together to work hard and allow Ramon to die with his mother and family. This confluence of events produced a moment of unbelievable brilliance and beauty. Together we declared, “Never again!” and praise God we meant it. Now, together we must pray for Ramon and his family and be ready for the next time someone needs our help. Until then, may God continue to bless this beautiful congregation. Amen.

hope for peace and justice

Previous Post

October 12, 2014

The Blessing of Communion at Domestic Violence Prevention Wednesday // Cathedral of Hope UCC 10/8/14

Next Post

October 17, 2014 the confusion of the outside agitator: apoem

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Danny & Jeff fresh writings latest poetics north texas fellowship of reconciliation Sermon theology from death row Thoughts Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What happened when the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the Jordan River?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The water turned to blood A bridge appeared The river split into two streams The water stopped flowing