FIVE CENTURIES ago, many Spaniards crossed the oceans in search of El Dorado (a legendary city of immense wealth) in the Americas. Today, 50 years after the Treaty of Rome, which was the precursor of today's European Union, Spain itself has been transformed into a new promised land. Because of immigration, the population has increased from 40 to 44 million since 2000.

Spain is one of the European countries that absorbs the greatest migratory influx. And many are worried that this is only the beginning. Signs of transformation of our country through immigrant influences are everywhere. Mosques, evangelical churches, and other places of worship are sprouting up and changing the religious, cultural, and physical landscape. The task of integrating hundreds of thousands of newcomers every year, without eradicating their identity, is difficult but vital. And the government's resources to channel such a human flood are on the brink of being overwhelmed. Last year's tumultuous riots in neighboring France weren't the only loud warning signal of the tensions building throughout Western Europe.

In the face of all this uncertainty, there seems to be a great need for clarity. For me and many people I know, the understanding that there is only one God and His Christ embracing all of humanity helps maintain a clear and hopeful outlook.

What are some of the certainties that we can rely on? What's certain is that wonderful things are happening because God governs, and is constantly at work in people's lives. His infinite blessings are for all of us—whether we live in our native countries and are here to stay, or whether we have newly arrived and still need to find our bearings.

To someone watching the economy, it may look as if good things are limited: not enough jobs, not enough housing, not enough food to feed the hungry. But this is also how things appeared to Jesus' disciples, when they had only five loaves and two fishes to share with several thousand people. Yet there proved to be enough for all, because Jesus understood that good is unlimited since it comes from God, infinite Spirit (see Matt. 14:15-21). Like Jesus, we can trust that the greater the number of guests at the table, the more good will be multiplied. A Castilian proverb says that each child arrives with a loaf of bread under its arm—and this is true because everyone is the heir of God.

El Dorado is, spiritually speaking, where God is, where we meet with Him, where we are conscious of His infinite and loving presence. Moses in the Bible, himself an exile, experienced this in his encounter with a burning bush in the desert. Every exile who has been separated from his native country can know that he or she is living in the presence of God, and wherever in the world we are, the ground under our feet is holy.

As in other Western countries, Spain's population has been aging. Birthrates among Spaniards have dropped to very low levels. To some, even the future survival of our country has started to look dim. So the arrival of so many new people—brothers and sisters in God's family with differing accents and languages—can be seen as representing a veritable gift. Today, I notice that kindergartens are filled with the innocent laughter of young children from a wide array of ethnicities. As the Apostle Paul said, "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28).

Immigration can help fill the vacuum left by the generations who are now retiring. The need to care for elderly citizens creates not only new jobs, but also warm human relationships. I have seen fear of a lonely future replaced by new forms of tender communication. And immigrant workers' countries of origin can also find their economies benefit by the influx of currency sent home in family solidarity.

A deeper spiritual look is needed, however. In the kingdom of God there are no limitations and there can be no borders that serve as barriers. The earth belongs to God, and there is no place where any of His children can be considered strangers. In the light of Christ, we can't look on anyone as an intruder.

In God's land there is no room for chaos. All is order. And knowing this we can be assured that this truth must be reflected in our present lives. Our growing understanding of God's love and constant provision will help politicians formulate just laws and wise proceedings that will allow the orderly and safe circulation of the children of God. The search for a place in the sun does not need to be another via cruces, or path of suffering.

In a way, immigration has awakened society. Many cry over the almost daily tales of those who fail in their attempts to reach the Straits of Gibraltar, and rejoice with the treasures of solidarity and kindness that have been uncovered through the heartfelt rescue of some newly arrived refugees who came across the dangerous sea in small boats. The scourge of poverty and want presents itself not to be lamented, but to be corrected.

Before we can fulfill the command "Give ye them to eat" (Luke 9:13), we must first look up and acknowledge all that God has already given and that needs only to be discovered. From this spiritual reality will shine the light that is needed for each one to find what is his or hers. Each of us already holds a seat in infinite Love—and it's available without competition or strife.

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Originally written for El Heraldo de la Ciencia Cristiana.