Monday, December 20, 2010

Misiòn Nicaragüense: Day Three

We began the day with prayer and mass. The heart of mission comes from the Eucharist and from the final word of the Eucharistic liturgy, "Ite miss est.". In English, we usually hear something FTP the effect of, "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.". We hear implicitly the call to mission, "Go forth.". The Latin connects explicitly with the word "missa.". A Latin word of which the English word "mission" is a derivative. At the end of mass this morning we were told to go forth. In a tangible way we did. We worked. We dug and twisted metal to make rebar. The only machinery was our God given limbs and muscles. We separated earth from earth to prepare for the pouring if the foundation of two houses, a rectory for a newly established parish and for a family of thee, a mother and her two sons. The mother has cancer. They currently live in a 10' x 10' structure, simple but inadequate.

We worked. We dug. We sweated. We shared the load. We were doing a corporal work of mercy, providing shelter for he homeless. Were we? By digging and twisting metal, are we fulfilling the call to proclaim Christ crucified and risen? These are the questions that I ask myself. Is this what God called us to do?

I had a conversation with some of the guys about these questions tonight. I building the rectory we are allow the pastor to b near his people and better serve them as a priest and as a man. We in a small way aid in his proclaiming the gospel. With regard to the other house, I received some more information. Apparently the family'e next door neighbor is the brother if the man who left his children with their mother abandoning the family. The family of the brother-in-law have a very nice house compared to the 10' x 10' house of the of the family in question. They give no aid to heir neighbors and at least by law their family. To make things worse, the mother has cancer and yet still works to make ends meet. All this together living in a 10' x 10' house is not sufficient for their needs. In that we are doing a corporal work of mercy, and proclaiming Christ in our actions.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Misiòn Nicaragüense: Day One

These thoughts are in no sequential order or narrative form although they may be variations on some theme.

Today is a day of traveling. During previous trips this was always a tiring ordeal. Flying for me is very stressful, but as I look out the window I can't help but glorify God and the beauty of his creation. The clouds look like rolling waves in a vast sea. As the sun rose, the light reflected off the vapor formations that turned the rolling waves into a sea of fire, like what John describes in Revelation.

Flight allows for such ease and quickness in travel. Imagine what St. Paul or St. Francis Xavier would have accomplished with their missionary zeal and an airplane. It makes me think how far I have to grow in my faith, hope, and charity. We have been offered these great gifts in technology, often times enough their potential for glorifying God is never actualized, as in the present with flight. Granted, due to flight there have arisen missionary orders who send their members to the ends of the earth. Flight also has allowed people to hear first hand great philosophical and theological insights by bridging the gap between the US and Europe.

As I was preparing to travel yesterday I could not help but think of Christ telling the apostles what bring with them as they go out in twos. Certainly society today does not suggest packing so lightly, but nonetheless I had to reflect on what I was bringing with me. Much of the clothes that I am bringing will be left behind to be distributed to those who are in need. My hope is that this charitable donation will actually increase charity within my heart, an increase of which I am always in need. The apostles traveled to the ends of the known world after being stirred at Pentecost, each one proclaiming Christ crucified and risen. All but John shared their master's fate. I do not believe this will be the end of our small trip. We are called to much more discreet martyrdoms. This does highlight though the correlation between mission and martyrdom. They go hand in hand like an old man walking with his wife of 60 years. By appearance alone they look like they belong together. As you get to know them, it seems that one was created specifically and uniquely for the other. I see in mission and martyrdom the same relation. On mission one has to die to his idea of himself, he has to in some degree die to his native culture, the place in which he was born and grew up. He forsakes his homeland for a foreign place and culture all for the sake of the gospel. He must die to the ideologies that might sway his view of the human person or of politics and hold fast to gospel values and the solid foundation of the teaching of the Church. This, in and of itself, is sometimes a greater death than forsaking one's land.

Traveling also provides a time for reflection, for thought, for community. Whether walking or riding or flying there certain times of quiet that naturally occur. They provide the chance to pray or reflect. These are sacred times to be human and bring the physical act of traveling into the spiritual. I left my homeland, where I am comfortable, were my friends and my family are, were in a certain sense my flock is, and I am in Nicaragua a land very different from my own. This is part of the mission ad gentes that the Vatican Council fathers and John Paul Ii speak in the Church documents on mission. Modern travel and technology has it's downsides, though. Because of its speed, we can take for granted the fact that we are traversing so many miles. We can easily lose the breadth of our movement. Travel becomes mundane because distance loses some of its meaning in a global environment. Earlier I spoke of the thought of St Paul having an airplane for his missionary journeys. Instead, he walked and sailed. He was subject to the environment and to the winds. In airplanes, cars, and buses, our inventiveness takes wind and weather more or less out of the picture of travel. We can drive in rain, sleet, or snow and not worry about getting wet or our belongings being degraded.

The last chapter of Luke gives another look at travel. The road to Emmaus can provide multiple reflections with regard to this trip, but I will look at just one right now. The Risen Christ walked with his two disciple as they returned home from Jerusalem. They were unaware of his true identity; he was hidden to them while being present with them. Notice also they traveled in two. One can possibly infer that they traveled together in twos in a previous time maybe as part of the 72 that were sent out by Christ. They might have been on mission previously. Christ walks with them who had gone on mission and lights on fire they're stony hearts that were unable to perceive the depth the Scriptures held in proclaiming Christ and him crucified and risen, which indeed became their mission after Pentecost. In a sense their hearts burn because they wish to continue the mission of the Scriptures and proclaim Christ crucified and risen.

Misiòn Nicaragüense: Day Two

Yesterday evening some of my confreres and I were speaking about little critters, namely large spiders, we had encountered here in previous years. One had encountered a scorpion; two years ago I found a spider the size if a small saucer in my shoe I put it on for the day; my first year on the trip we saw a tarantula a little smaller than a salad plate. At the talk of this we all became somewhat uncomfortable. There was a palpable fear of the unknown. The fear unknown though comes with the territory of mission work. We go in a with basic understanding of what we are doing but much of it requires trust in the Holy Spirit. Unknown and unexpected things will happen, being pulled over by a government official asking for a bribe, not having adequate transportation, sickness, and many other things. Mission can bring forth in someone a greater faith and hope which will in turn show themselves in greater charity. Fear of the unknown turns, in the faith, into trust in divine providence. From a Stoic point of view fear of the unknown is moot; you can't worry about what's out of your control.

Part of being a missionary, as well, is knowing the situation in which the people to whom minister live. Today allowed me the opportunity to learn more about the people, the political and economic situation in Nicaragua. I rode with Fr. Kelly, a a Maryknoll Missionary and the director of pastoral formation at the seminary. He was a missionary in Central America for more than half of his eighty years. He is a man full of wisdom and knowledge, and he holds the church close to his heart. He gave me the run down of the economic situation here as we were driving through the hills to meet with a local priest so we could purchase the materials for the two houses we will start to build. It was a time for me to listen and soak in. He makes connections that are way beyond my thought process. I ask him about an advertisement for the current president, Daniel Ortega. It says, "Nicaragua, Cristiana, Socialista, y ..." (I can't remember the fourth word, probably because it won't have much bearing on my next statements.). Daniel Ortega is for himself first, a socialist second, Nicaraguan third, and last, if at all a Christian. These billboards are all over the country. They bear the aforementioned words along with him smiling and hand raised in a regal wave fashion. He is trying to gain support in a primarily Catholic Christian country by connecting Christianity with socialism and nationalism. Both socialism and nationalism operate opposite the tenants of Christianity. He outright lies to his people, to his constituency. This is the country and the people we are ministering to. It is an unstable government that doe not have the support of the people. It thrives on supporting revolution but only it's revolution, and I fear someone, not necessarily better, will revolt against him.

This evening we got to see real missionaries at work. We celebrated mass with four Missionaries of Charity and the girls under their care. I always look forward to this mass because the singing of young girls has an angelic quality that cannot be simulated. These four women from all parts of the world are there to teach the girls and take care of them, as well as feed the poor of Granada. They are guided by the mission of their founder and Christ's words to her, "I thirst.". That was written in large bold letters next to the crucifix in the chapel, "Tengo sed.". Each year I'm struck by those words. Do I attempt to satisfy that thirst? Do I offer even vinegar? Or do I just walk by like the priest and scribe in the parable of the good Samaritan? Part of mission is to provide for the basic needs of the people to whom we are ministering, physical and spiritual. The Missionaries of Charity show to me the unity of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Mission requires, demands both, not just one or just the other but both in concert. (As I continue, I can't deny this reflection has its origin in one of my confreres, but I will fleshing it out some). Mission just as service will end in feeding the stomach while the soul sits starving. Just as mission solely through the corporal works of mercy will prepare someone for death while at the same time quickening their death unnecessarily. Mother Theresa had this always in mind; I hope as the trip continues that do as well.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Misión Nicaragüense: Prologue

Although my beloved sister is the main contributor of this blog, from time to time, I have put in my thoughts with regard to mission.  I felt it appropriate now to share with you my upcoming mission trip to Nicaragua.  I will be traveling with Notre Dame Seminary as one of the leaders in an annual mission trip for all of the first year theologians from that seminary.  I will use this blog in the next 8 days as a vehicle for my thoughts and ideas about the trip, about the nature of mission, and about the missionary nature of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

I will have limited access to the internet.  Hopefully, I will be able to post daily, but at least every other day.

I already have some thoughts in mind and hope that you will humour (sometimes I like British spelling) me.

Please pray for all of us.  We will encounter many people, rich and poor, blind and lame, young and old, faithful and athiest.

The name of the trip is called Acompaño, which translated into English is "I accompany," or "I walk with."  We are there to show the people of Nicaragua that as members of the same Catholic Church and the Body of Christ we walk with them daily.  As member of the United States of America, we walk with them in global solidarity, to provide for their basic needs of food and shelter but also love and friendship.  We walk with them on the mutual journey towards heaven, our heavenly homeland that transcends place, culture, and language.  Heaven brings all together in the ultimate act, the worship and glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Happy Advent!

So, I had a friend point out to me over Thanksgiving break how bad I am about updating my blog. I knew he was right, but I think i was still in denial.
Then I went to look at it today and its been a month since I have posted. I promise this well change! I am going to make an effort this next semester to make this thing a priority.

Until then I just have a few updates:

1. My teammates invited Cam Newton to FOCUS Conference 2011!!!! I am seriously so proud of them!! I ask your prayers for him, that if the Lord wants him there he will answer the call or he tells his other football buddies about it and one of them comes! How epic would that be!

2. I have a parish talk scheduled for December 18th and 19th. I ask your prayers for its success. I know the Lord has already picked out those he wishes to join my in the mission of the new evangelization!! Pray that I can be bold and courageous.

3. I am about to leave for an epic road trip with my teammates. We are going to Atlanta, then Gainsville to visit the Florida FOCUS team, and then Orlando for a Fundraising bootcamp! Pray that we can continue to discern the Lord's will for FOCUS at Auburn.

4. I know I have implored your prayers and not really given you any profound thoughts. But, I leave you with this to reflect on in this season of Advent:

"The Church again is putting before us the growth of Jesus within us. We cannot bring him forth if he does not grow within us; we shall bring forth only ourselves; our words shall be like the tinkling of cymbals, as sounding brass. "Come", the Advent watchword, is the expression of desire and of permission. When we say to a person, "Come" it is a desire. We do not honestly say, "Come" to a person or to a thing that we do not desire. The second element is permission. We have to let the person in. This is what we mean by "Come!": desire and permission. We must desire Our Lord to come into our lives, and that "Come!" must be wholehearted.
Each "Come" should ring out to heaven. We want it to fill the world; we want to reach out to all the world, so that it says, "Come" If we open wide, he will come in; he will grow within us, in each of our lives and in the lives of our communities, and we will be able to respond with joy to everything that his coming asks of us, expected and unexpected; ordinary or extraordinary; predictable and unpredictable. He will come in and give us the strength as he says, "I will take my rest with him; I will take supper with him, if he lets me in""

Make a home for Christ in your heart this Advent season....Our Lady will be your guide

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Be aggressive..Be Be agressive!!

Hello there

Again I am super horrible about posting on this thing. It is one of the many things I plan to work on as the second semester of my life as a missionary comes rolling around.

Tons of things have been happening here in Auburn...especially the fact that Auburn finally got the memo that it was November and the weather is suppose to be cold. I finally got to walk out of my door all bundled up!

This weekend was wonderful! My lovely teammates and I went to Statesbooro, Georgia for a gathering of all of the missionaries in the southern region. Let me just tell you...we got ourselves a crazy group of people that the Lord has called to evangelize the south!! I don't think I stopped laughing the entire weekend.

The Lord really rejuvenated and refreshed me through the words and presence of my fellow missionaries. There was also a great priest who gave us a few talks and really ministered to us the whole weekend. I came back with many things on my mind and many things I wanted to work on improving.

One thing he said that really stuck out to me was about being bold in our missionary work. He gave a mediation on a story in 1 Samuel about Jonathan and the Philistines. He explained how Jonathan was agressive in his attack. He told his armor-bearer that basically we are going to attack unless God stops us. The priest told us that normally we have the opposite position. We sit back and wait...if God shows me this I will do this...if this happens I will do that. We are more passive with our decisions for God. The priest said basically to GO FOR IT unless God stops you. Now he did make the point that this should not be a test of God. We should not go and do all of these things and abuse God's power or stop to listen to his voice. We must first have the inclination to do something, trust that it is God's will and then move forward, asking the Lord to stop our efforts if they are not his will.

This really moved me because..... well I am typically a passive person. I am no Martha...I am a Mary all the way. Being a missionary has challenged me so much in this area, but I know that I must continue to grow in it. I must be bold for the Kingdom of God. He has called me to be a worker in his vineyard, and I long more then anything else to be with every human person in heaven. I can't wait!!!

PS - Being a missionary has helped me sympathize with men and their role. I feel like I am constantly asking women on dates haha. I get this pity feeling in my stomach and this nervousness to put myself out there for rejection haha. It is so funny the amount of text messages and phone calls I make saying, "I would love to get coffee or lunch just to get to know you a little better." Hahaha it makes me laugh everytime!!

As you can tell..I am in a silly mood...sorry bloggers!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Psalm 73

This Psalm got me through the day today and I wanted to share it with yall

Psalm 73: 21-28

Since my heart was embittered
and my soul deeply wounded,

I was stupid and could not understand;
I was like a brute beast in your presence.

Yet I am always with you;
you take hold of my right hand.

With your counsel you guide me,
and at the end recieve me with honor.

Whom else have I in the heavens?
None beside you delights me on earth.

Though my flesh and my heart fail,
God is the ROCK of my heart, my portion forever.

But those who are far from you perish;
you destroy those unfaithful to you.

As for me, to be near God is my good,
to make the Lord God my refuge.
I shall declare all your works
in the gates of daughter Zion.

Amen

Friday, October 8, 2010

A few updates

So, I am officially HORRIBLE at writing blog posts. It seems as though I have all of these ideas and thoughts to write down and not enough time to write them down in. Don't worry though! I am not giving up! I will persevere and make this thing happen. I am using my wonderful brother as inspiration.

A few things for now.....

1. This weekend is our big retreat here at Auburn called Pan y Vino. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray for the students going. There is about 63 of them. Almost all of my freshmen Bible Study is going..Please keep them in prayer. I just love them so much and I know the Lord has amazing things waiting for them this weekend.

2. I am so unbelievably proud of my brother. He is and will always be my inspiration for holiness. It is amazing how much you can love someone when he is your biological brother and best friend. Thank you Kyle for your Yes to Christ......You are going to be an amazing Priest of the Church soon.

3. I am eternally grateful to Christ for calling me to be a FOCUS missionary.

Until next time....which I promise will be sooner then later!!

Love and prayers

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Pope on Evangelization of Culture

This is a quote from Pope Benedict XVI's homily to the Scottish Church in Glasgow earlier today.
The evangelization of culture is all the more important in our times, when a “dictatorship of relativism” threatens to obscure the unchanging truth about man’s nature, his destiny and his ultimate good. There are some who now seek to exclude religious belief from public discourse, to privatize it or even to paint it as a threat to equality and liberty. Yet religion is in fact a guarantee of authentic liberty and respect, leading us to look upon every person as a brother or sister. For this reason I appeal in particular to you, the lay faithful, in accordance with your baptismal calling and mission, not only to be examples of faith in public, but also to put the case for the promotion of faith’s wisdom and vision in the public forum. Society today needs clear voices which propose our right to live, not in a jungle of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms, but in a society which works for the true welfare of its citizens and offers them guidance and protection in the face of their weakness and fragility. Do not be afraid to take up this service to your brothers and sisters, and to the future of your beloved nation.
The Holy Father is speaking to the Scots, but it is just as pertinent to us in the US.  This evangelization begins  in our hearts.  We must die to the self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms that are projected onto us by media and our secular education system.  Live a life of the sacraments.  Live a life absorbed in shadow of the cross.  It is then that we will fulfill our baptismal call and evangelize this culture which is ruled by a dictatorship of relativism.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

"The Lord himself will fight for you" - Exodus 14:14

"What he wants from us first of all is not a technically correct performance, but our heart" - Peter Kreeft

Before I left New Orleans, I was having some girl time with a few wonderful women. We were just talking about various things...the usual topics, but also so much more. It reminded me of the moment when Elizabeth and Mary met, and the holy children in their wombs leapt for joy. These women and I were sharing in the joy of the Lord. We were delighting in the Presence of God that dwelt in each of us.

We got on the topic of what each of us were going to be doing with the next few years of our lives. One of the women simply said, "You know someone asked me what I was going to do with my life and I responded that I am trying to figure out what God wants....and then I thought wait...that is a lie...I know what God wants....He just wants my heart."........I sat stunned. It was one of those moments where beauty..where light just penetrates your heart in a deep way.

I have made it my life's goal to figure out what God wants of me, and all he wants put simply is my heart. I was overwhelemed by the truth in this. If I could give God my heart..all of it...at every moment...then we would be so closely united that his thoughts were my thoughts and my thoughts were his thoughts. Complete Union. Now I know that this is not wholly possible until heaven because I am a sinful person, but this statement can dramatically change your life. It is slowly changing mine.

Every morning I wake up and I am overwhelmed by everything I have to do..everything I don't know how to do...everything that could go wrong...everything that could go right. Then I go to prayer and I let Jesus fight for my heart. I try with my feeble will to give him all of it....and that is sufficient.

That is what will evangelize this campus. That is what will change the lives of those around me. That is what will sanctify this world.....If I..If we...every day fight to give our whole heart to Christ.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

.Follow Me

May all Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

"Follow me".......Christ says these two words and just like that his disciples leave everything. Everytime I would read those passages in Scripture, I always thought I would NEVER be able to do that. Just two words..and I would go into the unknown, the uncomfortable, the unplanned, the unseen. I just couldn't do...In my head I would always complain to Christ and say "if you ever did that to me, you would have to give me a little bit more, some kind of floorplan, some kind of understanding about what was to happen. Or else..I would be the apostle still standing on the boat with my net saying, "I think I"ll just catch some fish. I know how to do that."

Yet, here I am in Auburn, AL.

In the beginning of this year, the Lord said "Follow me" and I did!! I really did it! I flew all the way to Annapolis, Maryland to interview to be a missionary with an organization called FOCUS. I knew nothing but what the website said about the organization, I knew not one person, I had no idea how to be a missionary, and I went! To this day, I am amazed at the way the Lord brings us beyond ourselves. His grace and his love can change the hardest of hearts.

I was eventually offered a position on staff. My life as a FOCUS missionary started at training in Champaign, IL. It was such a wonderful experience. The Holy Spirit is doing amazing things through the willing hearts of his children in FOCUS. It is the New Evangelization at work, and I feel so blessed to have been called to take part in it.

Now, I have officially started my second week here at Auburn (which is the university to which I have been assigned). It has been a crazy whirlwind! I have met SOO many people and have already grown to love this place. While I do occasionally have the homesick pains, it has helped me to understand what Christ means when he says, "Take up your cross, and follow me." Leaving home...the place I love..the people I love..my safe place..is my cross and sacrifice made for the salvation of not only myself but for others. For Christ left the home of heaven to dwell with us. I have left my home to dwell with the students of Auburn!!

Pray for me Please. Everyday I feel like a little kid on his first day of school, not sure what to do..what to expect..how to act..who to talk to, but SOO excited about every new thing.

Please know of my continued prayers for you.

"Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word." Luke 1: 38