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On the way from Quito to Boston. A few good views over the Carribean and Cuba, arriving in Miami. I'm hoping to share more of the mission along with home-made chocolate making, using the chocolate paste made in the Fundacion Amigos del Arca, and sharing the video made by the students in the high school..... Looking forward to being in Boston!
This past weekend in Santa Cecilia, as part of the liturgical prayer service, we did a little dramatization of the story of the Presentation in the Gospel (Lk 2:22-40). Here are Mary (holding the baby Jesus), Joseph, Simeon, and Anna. (Maria, Carlos, Byron, and Kelly)
And a photo of more of the whole group, too:
Dynamics like these are a way of making the story more concrete and real. They help to "enter into the Gospel," and help to develop an approach for praying and living life in the same way!
We finished updating a video for Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton, and they put together another one for us. Check 'em out: http://youtu.be/Zy-lFXAHUnY
http://youtu.be/0vZ_8gKw-5Y
I went with a few of the Franciscan sisters from Puerto Quito for a day off in Mindo yesterday. Mindo is a well-known tourist/vacation area with a lot of biodiversity and tourism activities. It's a cloudforest region that is about a 2-hr drive from Puerto Quito, and it's a very beautiful place. We stopped first at a quiet chapel in a religious community that is located in the greenery there, sharing in the day prayer with a priest and their seminarians. Afterwards, we went to eat. We have gotten to know Luis and Susan who own Caskaffesu, a restaurant and hosteria (small hotel). Susan is originally from Arizona, and is active in the local parish and in the Mindo community, as well as assisting seminarians. We've gotten to be good friends. Their place is a great place for lunch and coffee, and the rooms are great too if you stay overnight. To give you a feel for costs, one night in a nice room with a nice private bathroom in this beautiful place is ... $19 per person! After eating, we did our own journey in the day after eating, and we got to see not just the beautiful cloudforest and greenery, but a lot of different animals. A horse, two ostriches, a few baby cattle, cattle that we got to feed by hand, and a lot of tropical birds. It was a great and relaxing day in nature, just what you need regularly when you are giving yourself in service... "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." (Mk 6:31) Enjoy the photos!
From Zenit News Agency, the Pope on building bridges through humility and meekness: ******************
Building Bridges Instead of Walls
Pontiff Reflects on the Fruits of Meekness and Humility During Morning Mass
VATICAN CITY, January 24, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Meekness and humility are crucial to fostering dialogue. This was the central theme of Pope Francis’ homily this morning. Through these virtues, the Pope said, one follows the example left by Christ who humbled himself until the end.
The first reading today recalled King Saul’s persecution of David. Although David had an opportunity to kill David, he chose the path that leads to dialogue and makes peace.
“Meekness is necessary in order to dialogue, without shouting,” the Pope said. “It is also necessary to think of the other person has something more than me, and David thought of this: ‘He is the anointed one of the Lord, and is more important than me.’ Humility, meekness. In order to dialogue, it is necessary to do that which we ask for today in prayer, at the beginning of Mass: to do everything for everyone.”
Even though dialogue is difficult, the Holy Father said that it is worse to “create a bridge” with an adversary while holding a growing anger in one’s heart. A Christian, however, has the example of David and Jesus who through an act of humility, conquers hate.
“Jesus has done it: he humbled himself until the end, he has shown us the way,” the Pope said. “And it is necessary that too much time doesn’t pass. When there is a problem, as soon as possible, in the moment in which it can be done, after the storm has passed, come together to dialogue, because time makes the wall grow, the weeds grow and impede the growth of the grain. And when the walls grow, reconciliation is very difficult. It is very difficult!”
Echoing sentiments he expressed several times, the 77 year old Pontiff said that there is no problem if “a few plates fly”, whether in the family or in a community. The important thing is to look for peace as soon as possible. The Holy Father also emphasized that it is better to build a bridge rather than a wall, like the Berlin Wall that divided Germany for so many years. “Even in our hearts, it is possible to become like Berlin and build up a wall against others.”
“I am afraid of these walls, the walls that grow everyday and encourage resentments and hate,” the Pope said.
Concluding his homily, Pope Francis called on the faithful to follow the example of David who chose the path of dialogue with humility, meekness, and sweetness.
“Today”, he said, “we can ask Saint Francis de Sales, doctor of sweetness, that he give all of us the grace to build bridges with the other. No more walls.” (J.A.E.)
Pope Francis today: VATICAN CITY, January 15, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Continuing his catechesis on the Sacrament of Baptism, Pope Francis reminded the faithful that our Baptism calls us to become “missionary disciples” within the Church.
The Pope drew on his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, saying that through our Baptism, we are called to be “agents of evangelization.” As such, “the new evangelization calls for the personal involvement” of all who are baptized. Through this calling, the People of God are both disciples and missionaries.
“All of us in the Church are disciples, and we are so always, for our whole life; and we are all missionaries, each one in the place the Lord has assigned to him,” he said.
The Holy Father went on to explain the mystical and missionary dimension of the Christian vocation which are rooted in Baptism. As a community of believers, we are called to share the experience of the love of God to others. “No one,” the Pope said, “is saved on their own.”
Source: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-no-one-is-saved-on-their-own
Just two things to share, on the great feast of Sts Peter and Paul: First some Peter: Here's a photo from the ordination today in Santo Domingo, where my friend and housemate David was ordained to the priesthood. We have done a lot of work together in the parish here, I think he will be a great priest. Please join me in praying for him as he starts his life in Christ's ordained priesthood!
And now some Paul: Here's a video from the Special Olympics here in Ecuador on Thursday. It was a very beautiful and moving day, I felt like I was surrounded by miracles the whole day. The boy at 1:40 and 8:30, wow, just amazing. And I couldn't resist a little Chariots of Fire music too, especially at the beginning! ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEGDeZOBfy4
Hoping to post more this week. In the meantime, one of my favorite songs to go with a view from the mission for holy week:
“As you go through life You’re never alone, With you on the road Goes Holy Mary
/ Come walk with us Holy Mary, come /
Although some tell you That nothing can change, Fight for a new world Strive for the truth.
If men go through the world Without knowing each other, Never refuse your hand To the one who is with you.
Although your steps might seem Useless for walking, You go along making roads Others will follow.”
I'm heading out to a few of the villages this week for holy week, with a few religious sisters, in "mission". The communities cluster together to plan and share a holy week celebration - for me, that's basically staying out of the way! But I'm looking forward to it, and it looks like I won't have internet access until Easter... Have a blessed Holy Week and Easter if you're reading this! The other day, I was able to lead a liturgy of the Word in a fairly new, little village, a place that it seems not too many people look forward to going to. But I do. It's a place that I hope to be going back to and begin getting to know the people more and starting some fun and creative evangelization. We'll see ...
Here's a short clip from Palm Sunday today in the church. In the day, it's been about 90 degrees here in the shade, the humidity must be 90%, and the sun around noontime must be probably the hottest that the planet sees.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lf3M1gUlOM
And here's a traffic jam on the way back from one of the palm Sunday celebrations in one of the recintos. Moooooooove! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocBWRsLCwH8
And a few days ago, I really wanted to hop into this river. Don't you? I'll meet you there:
Jerome
"One of the first reasons [I chose the name] was Francis' love for the poor," he explained. "How many poor people there still are in the world! An what great suffering they have to endure!" ...
Pope Francis spoke of his role as Pontiff, that is "bridge-builder," saying that he wants dialogue that will help all peoples to see in others "a brother or sister to be welcomed and embraced."
"My own origins impel me to work for the building of bridges. As you know, my family is of Italian origin; and so this dialogue between places and cultures a great distance apart matters greatly to me, this dialogue between one end of the world and the other...It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people... Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and constructing bridges: these, as it were, are the reference points for a journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take up." - ZENIT News Agency, 3/23/13
This last week, a mission team with medical staff and priests and students from Franciscan University at Steubenville came to the parish here in Puerto Quito. I was a companion/guide for one of the groups that would go out to the villages, and on one day, I went with a group to a village called Piedra de Vapor (Rock of Vapor). After arriving at the little chapel San Pedro (St. Peter’s) and getting settled in at the local little school, at one point I went with some of the kids and the Franciscan students to see the Piedra. We couldn't wade out to the large Piedra in the middle of the river, but I took this picture after the group climbed up on this other rock. It’s as if you can see the church – from the US and Ecuador – standing together on the rock, isn’t it? On this rock I will build my church. (Mt 16:18) Little did we know that just as this picture was being taken, Pope Francis from the Americas was being chosen! The smoke came up 20 minutes later in Rome. We all found out afterwards. This is where I was when we first heard the news from one of the missionaries. We were watching the movie about St. Philip Neri and his ministry to the poor children of Rome on a smartphone taped to a speaker stand!
"
This is what I want, a poor church for the poor.
" - Pope Francis
Afterwards, we gathered around a little TV with rabbit-ear-like reception in someone’s home to watch the Pope’s first words, we were all very excited. As you might expect, people here are happy that the new pope is from Latin America, but then life, a difficult life, goes on as usual. But the visit was a great, great gift, and hopefully something to continue to build on :)… I hope to post more soon!
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