Proud to be an American Catholic

Greetings good people, and please accept my apologies for the late post.... but I just returned to Mexico this afternoon.  Well, what a week it has been!

Since my posting last week, I got violently ill on Sunday morning.  I think I may have had food poisoning because I felt better in a little more than a day.  I was in bed all day on Sunday and only ate some yogurt at around 5pm.  I pretty much kept to myself and did not venture too far out of my room because I needed to know that I could be really close to the bathroom (you know what the subtext is here).  I woke up Monday morning and felt better but then went to prayer and felt a bit weak still, so I called in to school and decided to stay home and rest some more. The thought of being on the bus for 45 minutes without access to a bathroom did not seem wise!  I kept drinking plenty of liquids and ate a very plain diet for the day.  Come Tuesday morning I knew I was better because I was hungry for breakfast!

I left Mexico late Tuesday morning to make a quick trip to the US for Provincial Council meetings in St. Louis.  I arrived Tuesday evening without a hitch and stayed at my community from last year. The guys were awesome!   It was really great to be back in town and to actually understand a full conversation with people! Before my trip my phone battery died.  I was loosing a charge rather quickly over the past few months and sometimes the phone would indicate that I needed to plug it in for a charge even though it had been plugged in for over an hour charging in the first place.  So, that through me into a panic.  Can anyone remember that we used to actually travel without cell phones????? I did it for years, but for some reason, I was freakn' out about not having cell phone access.  I went to the Apple store in STL on Wednesday, and luckily after almost breaking down into tears, they "fit" me in to an already packed schedule.  Almost 3 hours later I had my phone in hand and was good to go.... another disaster avoided since I would have lost all my contact info if the phone could not get turned on again.  I also had a few other appointments on Wednesday and was able to accomplish all that I needed and wanted to accomplish... whew!

We had Provincial Council meetings all day on Thursday and Friday.  We were scheduled to continue meetings on Saturday morning, but thankfully, we moved through the items and agenda pretty quickly so I had an opportunity to just relax on Saturday and prepare my homily for Mass at Our Lady of the Pillar.  It was great to be back with all the good people of the parish.  I am always so impressed by people's goodness and kind words to me.   I won't be back in St Louis until December as our October and November Provincial Council meetings will take place in Dayton, Ohio. 

So, my visit to the US coincided with the Pope's visit.... now we did not coordinate our schedules, but it was so good to be in the US while he was here.  I was so touched by so many of his speeches and his kindness towards the marginalized- the elderly, the handicapped, people of color, and the young.  I was so uplifted by his hope filled  message and his challenge for all of us to be better- to remember that we do not live in isolation, that the person next to us matters, that the very nature of being human is being communal.  I was proud to be an American Catholic this week.... and unfortunately I can't always say that, nor have I always felt that in the past.  I felt like his homilies, his talks, his presence, was a shot in the arm for me and a reminder to me why I chose to say yes to come to Mexico. I hope all of you reading this were caught up in the "Pope Frenzy" because if you are like me, he makes me want to be a better person.  If all of us take on his challenges and his advise for how we should be in the world, we can change our world even if it is just a small change.  That's exciting to me! Let's pray for one another that we can be the type of  people the Pope thinks we can be...

Tomorrow, I am off again! I will be attending meetings for our Latin American Marianists in Bogota, Columbia. This will be my first time in Latin/South America.  I will be away until Saturday morning.  I think I will have internet access, but I definitely will not have phone access during my trip.  I am both excited and a bit scared about the meeting.  I hope that my Spanish is good enough to be able to not only understand what is happening, but be able to add to the conversation.  I am going with an open mind, but I do know that I am nowhere near fluent, so I do have some apprehensions.  I was assured by my Provincial that many of the players do understand English and speak some as well.... so maybe the meeting will be held in Spanglish? I also hope to get to see some of the city on Friday before I head back to Mexico. 

Okay, all for now, need to re-pack my suitcase. 
Un abrazo....

A Week of Transitions

Bienvendios mis amigos! This has been a week of transitions for me in school and in the community.  It has been a good week, but a week not without its challenges!

This past week I completed week 4 of my studies.  One of our classmates, Niehls from Holland, returned to his homeland at the end of last week and so that left Yukka (from Japan) and myself in class together.  Now, there are other students in the school, but all of us are at different levels of competency in Spanish.  In terms of competency, Niehls was a buffer between Yukka and myself.  Believe me, not that I am so far advanced, but my command of Spanish is better than Yukka's, so I felt like we proceeded very slowly this week in our learning to accommodate for the differences in competency.  While in the beginning I was okay with this, it is now becoming an obstacle to progressing at a more rapid pace.  I originally enrolled for 4 weeks of group sessions for exactly this reason.  I did enjoy the camaraderie and learning some of our cultural differences, but now it's time to pick up the pace.  I will now enroll in 3 hours of private classes so that I can cover more material in a shorter amount of time.  While I still make many mistakes, many of the things I am learning is in essence a "review" for me, so I am not a "first time learner", but rather, trying to retrieve information that I once learned many years ago. I will miss having Yukka in class because she is a very beautiful person and has shown me all the good aspects of the Japanese culture.

Something that might be of interest to those of you who may want to learn or review Spanish... in reviewing the past participle for an exam I had on Friday, I came across a website for learning Spanish that I have found very helpful.  Again, most of the topics were a review for me, but I find that I  need to review some of these "early" learnings so that I can refrain from making, what I consider, silly mistakes.  If you are interested you can find the website at www.StudySpanish.com.  I look forward to continuing my studies and advancing to the next level.  Because of the shift in the manner in which I will study, my hours at the school will change as well.  I am looking forward to this for two important reasons: (1) I will be able to stay in the community longer in the morning and as a result have the opportunity to celebrate Mass more frequently than solely on Saturday mornings, and (2) I will not have to fight with the early morning traffic and the crowd on the bus every morning.  I think these two consequences for the change in schedule will help both my confidence in liturgical Spanish and provide me with peace of mind in the morning.  So, I will keep you posted if this change was beneficial to my learning and my acclimation to priestly ministry in another language. 

This past week, the members of my community were away in Puebla for a meeting of all the Brothers.  Originally I was going to go with them, but as it turned out, the amount of time away from school was going to be too long for me as I had already paid for school for this past week.  They were away because we did celebrate Mexican Independence Day during the week.  So, the week left me mostly alone (there was a young man and his young son who acted as "security" during this time) and provided me with much time to think, pray, and reflect upon my experiences... and of course to watch Netflix!  There were a few moments during this time when I thought to myself, "What are you doing here?", and " You are never going to really learn this language, you might as well give it up now." Fear has a way of allowing self destructive thoughts to enter my mind.  Yes, I am not fluent, but I have only been here for 4 weeks!  I have to keep reminding myself that this is going to take time.  I have to be honest with myself and with others when I am feeling stressed, lonely, overwhelmed and frustrated.  I am typically a strong person, but at this point in my life, it is difficult to be the one who does not know, the one who doesn't "get it", the liability and not the asset.  It is difficult for me to be the weak one, and yet I have to remember the words of Paul, "when I am weak, I am made strong in Christ Jesus.". A tough and humbling lesson for me this week. 

I will be headed to the US on Tuesday for Provincial Council meetings.  I am very excited about being in St. Louis and staying with my community I lived with this past year while I attend meetings.  I will also have the opportunity to preside at Our Lady of the Pillar during the week and on the weekend.  It will be great to see some of the people who became important to me during my sabbatical year.  It will also be good to be able to speak with confidence!

So, to keep you all up to date with my life here in Mexico, I took a few pics of our property and community dwelling.  You can get an idea of how we live here by the pics.  The dwelling is an "open air" arrangement with rooms that open up to the outside.  In many ways, it is similar to the community dwelling in Hawaii but without the scenic view of Diamond Head... so enjoy!

A typical bedroom

 

part of the property

 

Community Chapel

 

Entrance to the Chapel

 

Small Grotto to Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

Memorial for the Deceased Brothers

 

Marianist Cross

 

 

As I have done in the previous two weeks, I leave you with my homily for this Saturday.  It was very fitting that the Gospel pertained to the seed that fell on different soil.  There were indeed moments during this past week when I felt dry, overburdened with worry, anxious and fearful.  The Gospel was a good reminder of what can happen when I let the Word of God fall upon the "good soil" of my life....

 

Homily, Sept. 19, 2015: TM 6:13-16, LK 8:4-15

 

When we pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, gentleness and not envy, insults, conflict with one another, and a love for money, then we live the commandment that Paul encourages Timothy to live in his letter.  The pursuit of those great ideals can only come to believers if the Word of God is planted in good soil.  How many times have we heard this parable, and if you are like me, I often think, well, yes, I am planted in good soil…look at all the good things I do, all the good things I say to others, I’m a Marianist, I better be in good soil!  But if the Word of God is living and active, then we must always be aware that the soil must be fed and nourished.  The seed cannot grow in dry earth.  It needs to be watered, tended to, pruned back and have enough sunlight in order for the seed to grow and bear much fruit.  Even if we have had good soil in the past, it does not guarantee good soil for life-we must actively work on our relationship with Jesus and our relationship with the Word of God that has the power to transform our lives.  Did you ever notice that you can hear the same Scripture passage over the course of years and each time the passage may mean something a little different to you? If we do not tend to the soil of our lives, then we stifle the power that the Word can have in our lives individually, communally, and as a Church.   We will always have fears, worries, insecurities, confusion and doubt in our lives.  That’s not the problem.  The issue is how do we handle these situations in our lives?  Do we give up or give in? Or do we know that our lives are firmly planted in the soil of Christ Jesus and that with him we can overcome anything? We have to work each day to ensure that the Word of God falls on the good soil of our lives, it’s our life’s project, and it is not a onetime thing.  Through prayer, the reading, reflecting and sharing on the Word of God, and through works of mercy we can avoid envy, insults, conflicts with one another, and love for money and pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness, for this is what grows in the good soil of the Word of God. Do we want to bear good fruit or be stuck in our ways that we may think may be good, but in the end does not bear the fruit that the Word of God invites us to bear? Let our seeds produce much fruit today!

 

Cuando buscamos una vida de rectitud, piedad, fe, amor, paciencia, y mansedumbre y no envidia, insultos, conflicto entre sí, y un amor por el dinero, entonces vivimos el mandamiento que Pablo anima a Timoteo a vivir en su carta. La búsqueda de esos grandes ideales sólo puede venir a los creyentes si la Palabra de Dios se siembra en buena tierra. ¿Cuántas veces hemos escuchado esta parábola, y si usted es como yo, a menudo pienso, bueno, sí, estoy plantado en buena tierra ... mira todas las cosas buenas que hago, todas las cosas buenas que decir a otros, yo soy un marianista, yo seré mejor en tierra buena! Pero si la Palabra de Dios es viva y eficaz, debemos siempre tener en cuenta que el suelo debe ser alimentar y alimentada. La semilla no puede crecer en tierra seca. Se necesita ser regado, tendido a, podados atrás y tener suficiente luz solar para que la semilla para crecer y dar mucho fruto. Incluso si hemos tenido un buen suelo en el pasado, no garantiza un buen suelo para la vida tenemos que trabajar activamente en nuestra relación con Jesús y nuestra relación con la Palabra de Dios que tiene el poder de transformar nuestras vidas. ¿Te has dado cuenta de que se puede escuchar el mismo pasaje de las Escrituras en el transcurso del año y cada vez que el pasaje puede significar algo un poco diferente a usted? Si nosotros no solemos el terreno de nuestras vidas, entonces nos ahogamos el poder que la palabra puede tener en nuestra vida individual, comunal, y como Iglesia. Siempre tendremos miedos, preocupaciones, inseguridades, la confusión y la duda en nuestras vidas. Ese no es el problema. La cuestión es cómo manejamos estas situaciones en nuestras vidas? ¿Nos damos por vencidos o cedemos? O sabemos que nuestras vidas están firmemente plantados en el suelo de Jesús y que con él podemos superar cualquier cosa? Tenemos que trabajar todos los días para asegurarse de que la Palabra de Dios cae en tierra buena de nuestras vidas, es el proyecto de nuestra vida, y no es una cosa de una sola vez. A través de la oración, la lectura, la reflexión y el compartido sobre la Palabra de Dios, y por medio de las obras de misericordia podemos evitar envidias, los insultos, los conflictos entre sí, y el amor por el dinero y sigue rectitud, piedad, fe, amor, paciencia y mansedumbre, porque esto es lo que crece en la tierra buena de la Palabra de Dios. ¿Queremos dar frutos buenos o ser atrapado en nuestras formas en que podemos pensar que puede ser bueno , pero al final no da el fruto que la Palabra de Dios nos invita a llevar? Que nuestras semillas producen muchos fruto hoy.



 

Have a great week, and I hope to hear from you... prayers and hugs!

The Most Holy Name of Mary

From August to October, the Marianist Family celebrate many Marianist feasts which are important to our identities as religious and lay members of the Family of Mary.  Today, we celebrate the Holy Name of Mary which Fr. Chaminade declared our patronal feast.  For as Marianists, we dedicate ourselves to the mission of Mary and it is under her patronage that we fulfill our mission of bringing Jesus to the world.  So, today is a reminder about the sacredness of names, our own names and the names of those who have gone before us in faith.  Today we celebrated with a Mass in honor of Mary and after Mass we were treated to hot chocolate and pan dulce, singing Las Marianitas -a song in honor of Mary and a song that is sung for Birthdays here in Mexico.  At the end of the post I will post my homily for the day.

So, my third week here in Queretaro was not without its surprises or different experiences.  On Monday, I was waiting for the bus that I usually take in the morning.  There are no schedules here in Mexico, the bus comes when it comes, but you can sort of guess when it will arrive +/- 10 minutes.  I was ready to board the bus, but it did not stop... it was already too crowded and so I had to wait another 15 minutes for the next bus. I thought I was going to be very late for class, but in fact, I arrived just on time for class.  So, the rest of the week I kept wondering, will I get on the bus or not?  For me, its very frustrating but it is a fact of life here. 

My experience in school has been very good so far.  I am learning many things, but it is one thing to answer questions correctly when they are in front of you, it is another to use that knowledge to answer questions in a live conversation.  Again, the nature of learning a language is to be in the perennial mode of making mistakes... so far I have an A in mistakes!

On Thursday I went for a beer with one of my classmates, Niehls, who is from Holland.  He will be leaving Queretaro on Sunday, but he will return in November.  He has a girlfriend named Pauline who is Mexican.  She joined us for a drink after about an hour of our sharing and getting to know one another outside of class.  Both of them are great people and I feel glad that I had an opportunity to meet them.  I look forward to his return in November. 

On Friday, we had a fiesta at the Language School.  It was in honor of those graduating from the program and in honor of Mexican Independence Day which is celebrated on September 16 (not Cinco de Mayo as we celebrate in the US).  We had a great time of sharing, talking, eating, drinking beer and tequila and dancing.  It was a great way to blow off some steam and become better acquainted with some of the other students whom I see each day, but with whom I do not share classes. 

Today is my day to cook, so I will go to the local tiendas (butcher and fruit and vegetable store) to purchase the items for the meal.  Once again, I will ask one of the Brothers to go with me as I am not yet ready to "fly" on my own.  Going to these places is not like going to the supermarket where everything is laid out for you and you can easily choose what you want.  Most items are behind a counter and you have to ask for the items, as well as, the quantity of items.... and remember they use the metric system here, so what you would normally buy in pounds for a meal needs to be calculated into kilograms, otherwise you may buy too much or too little.  So, yes, everything is different and really nothing is easy for me but I am doing surprisingly well. 

So, I hope all of you, my loved one's-friends and family- are doing well.  Un gran abrazo y besito de Mexico!  Hasta la semana proximal!

Homily: Feast of the Holy Name of Mary

Today we Marianists rejoice in this feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, because this is our patronal feast.  This is the day in which we are reminded that we commit ourselves to Mary’s mission.  As we often pray in our prayers of consecration, today we are reminded that it is for “ her honor that we embrace Marianist life”.  The only way we can embrace Mary’s mission for our entire lives is to ensure that we have a firm foundation in faith and Marianist religious life.  Our formation in religious life must ensure that we will be like the house built on a firm foundation and the tree that produced good fruit mentioned in the Gospel.   If our formation is weak, then the worries of the world, insecurities, the next new idea or way of doing things will shake the house and the house will collapse.  If our formation is weak, then the decisions that we make both individually or communally will cause the house to collapse and we will bear rotten fruit.  When we have a strong foundation and we know who we are to whom we belong, then we can embrace Mary’s mission with zeal and security and produce good fruit.   When we don’t know who we are, or to whom we belong, then we will be insecure about our future, always second guessing what we should do and permitting many other “good” things to get in the way of us to live our lives together as religious. 

Our life as an apostolic community is a both/and experience and not an either/or way of  life.  We live a life of prayer and work.  Our prayer should assist our work, and our work should influence our prayer and even go as far as to influence how and when we pray.  Initial formation is critical to the future of a member of the Society of Mary.  Men come to religious life with some foundation already, but it is in initial formation that one learns how to live in a Marianist house for the rest of his life.  Ongoing formation is critical for the maintenance of our Marianist house, because with age, preventive maintenance is necessary for the house to remain firm and strong. 

 It is a grand mission that we embrace, and we embrace our religious life under the name of Mary.  So, as we celebrate this patronal feast of the Society of Mary, both temporary and perpetually professed members must ask themselves, How is my house? Is it strong? Is the foundation weak? Will my house weather the storms of everyday life or will it collapse under pressure? Has my formation produced good fruit for myself and for my brothers? Is my tree ripe with fruit or is it barren now?

Let the words of the Gospel ring true for our lives today, let us build a firm foundation and bear good fruit for our sisters and brothers here in Mexico.  When we do this, then we will honor the Most Holy name of Mary.

 

Hoy nos Marianistas se regocijan en esta fiesta del Santísimo Nombre de María, porque esta es nuestra fiesta patronal. Este es el día en el que se nos recuerda que nos comprometemos a la misión de María. Como solemos orar en nuestras oraciones de consagración, en la actualidad se nos recuerda que es por "su honor que abrazamos la vida marianista". La única forma en que podemos abrazar la misión de María para toda nuestra vida es asegurar que tenemos una base firme en la fe y la vida religiosa marianista.

Nuestra formación en la vida religiosa debe garantizar que seremos como la casa construida sobre una base firme y el árbol que produce buen fruto mencionado en el Evangelio. Si nuestra formación es débil, entonces las preocupaciones del mundo, inseguridades, la próxima nueva idea o forma de hacer las cosas hará temblar la casa y la casa se derrumbará. Si nuestra formación es débil, entonces las decisiones que tomamos, tanto de forma individual o en comunidad hará que la casa a derrumbarse y nos darán fruto podrido. Cuando tenemos una base sólida y sabemos lo que somos a la que pertenecemos, entonces podemos abrazar la misión de María con celo y la seguridad y producir frutos buenos. Cuando no sabemos quiénes somos, o al que pertenecemos, entonces vamos a ser inseguros acerca de nuestro futuro, siempre segunda adivinar lo que debemos hacer y permitir muchas otras cosas "buenas" para ponerse en el camino de nosotros para vivir nuestra vive juntos como religiosa. Nuestra vida como una comunidad apostólica es una vida de ambos/y, no sea/o. Vivimos una vida de oración y trabajo. Nuestra oración debe ayudar a nuestro trabajo, y nuestro trabajo debe influir en nuestra oración e incluso ir tan lejos como para influir en cómo y cuando oramos.

 La formación inicial es fundamental para el futuro de un miembro de la Compania de María. Los hombres vienen a la vida religiosa con algún fundamento ya, pero es en la formación inicial que se aprende a vivir en una casa Marianista para el resto de su vida. La formación permanente es fundamental para el mantenimiento de nuestra casa Marianista, ya que con la edad, el mantenimiento preventivo es necesario que la casa se mantenga firme y fuerte.

 

Es una gran misión que nos abrazamos, y abrazar la vida religiosa bajo el nombre de María. Así, al celebrar esta fiesta patronal de la Compañía de María, los dos, miembros en votos temporales y perpetúales deben preguntarse, ¿Cómo está mi casa? ¿Es fuerte? ¿Es el fundamento débil? ¿Mi casa capear las tormentas de la vida cotidiana o va a colapsar bajo presión? Mi formación ha producido buenos frutos para mí y para mis hermanos? Es mi árbol madura con frutas o es estéril ahora?

 

 Que las palabras del anillo Evangelio cierto para nuestras vidas hoy, vamos a construir una base firme y da buen fruto para nuestros hermanos y hermanas aquí en México. Cuando hacemos esto, entonces vamos a honrar el nombre santísimo de María.

 

Feast of Mary Queen of the Apostles

Bienvenidos! Okay, so the connection is a bit better today, so I thought I would quickly write a few thoughts.

So this past week was a good week at school.  I feel like I am learning a lot and also re-learning many of the things I studied when I was in high school.  My time of classes changed this week, and so I only attend Morning Prayer with the Brothers in the morning and then head outside of the community to take the bus at 7:30am.  Every day is different, but the bus is always crowded at some point during the journey.  Most times I have to stand for about 25 minutes of the ride and then I can get a seat during the next 20 minutes of the ride.  Only once was I lucky enough to have a seat the entire way! As, I've indicated before, after I take the bus to the Centro (Downtown Queretaro) I have to walk about a mile to the school.  During my walk I encounter many plazas, statues, and reminders of the history of Mexico.  Here are a few points of interest:

The entry way to the Alameda (the park I walk through each day on the way to school)

 

A plaza

In the Almeida

 

Another Plaza with Fountain

 

 





Each day, I have 2 hours of grammar followed by 1 hour of conversation.  There are three of us in our class, each with different abilities in speaking the language, but I guess we are together because we are within a range of abilities in the command of the language.  I do enjoy having others in the class, so when someone is not understanding the question or the topic, (normally very frustrating for me) I am able to just let it go and remember the times when I am at table with the Brothers and I am having a difficult time understanding.... maybe baby steps in growth for me!

 

I am still mentally exhausted by the end of the day, and I still find myself better at speaking Spanish in the morning, but each day I try and make many mistakes.  The Brother's have continued to be good at correcting my Spanish and again, I am happy to be corrected because at some point I want to be able to speak fluently and without hesitation. 

This week also brought about a new phenomenon in my life.....ZUMBA! Since it is difficult for me to get to a gym, one of the Brothers does ZUMBA in the afternoon, so I have joined him for the past two days and will join him again this afternoon after La Comida.  It's been fun, and you can really work up a sweat! I'm trying to convince the whole community to have a community meeting in which we all participate in ZUMBA.  Now that would be a great picture for Family On Line!

 

Yesterday I had my first meeting with the group of people who have been planning the new project of opening a primary school  for the poor children here in Queretaro. The people in attendance included one of our Brothers, Juan Pablo and two women who understand and work in the Educational system in Mexico, Karina and Millly.  The meeting lasted two hours and 95% of it was conducted in Spanish.  There were a few times when I had to change to English because of the complexities of some of the issues and my limited vocabulary which does not yet account for nuances.  I really felt like I understood the reality of the project and the hope's for the future because of this meeting.  I was actually pretty happy with how the meeting proceeded and really could have used a drink after it was all over!  But alas..... no drink was to be found in my hand, which I guess was a good thing!

 

Today is a Feast Day for the Society of Mary. Today we celebrate the Profession of Vows of our first members in 1818.  I presided at our Mass this morning, so I will leave you with the homily I gave for the Mass.  I will include both the English and Spanish translation.  I did use the assistance of google translator, and if you know anything about the translator programs, you need to go back and re-check the translation because sometimes the choices provided do not really make much sense.  So, enjoy the long weekend (not here!) and continue to pray for us in Mexico.....

 

Feast of Mary Queen of the Apostles

 

Today we Marianists celebrate this Feast of Mary, Mary Queen of Apostles as an important feast as part of our founding story.  For today we remember the first seven members of our community who professed vows as Marianists.  What were their hopes? Their dreams? Their aspirations? Their fears at starting something new? It is a day for all Marianists to reflect upon their own day of First Profession.  So go back in your memory to your First Profession, for some it was not too long ago, and for some of us here it was a long time ago! What did you feel on that day? What did you hope to accomplish as a Marianist? What have you realized so far? What more do you need to do in order for your hopes to become a reality in your religious life?

Reflecting upon our zeal at the time of First Vows is especially important for the members of the sector of Mexico, for just like the first seven men who professed vows on this day, we are being asked to start something new.  If we do not bring zeal to this mission of opening up a school here in Queretaro then perhaps we will live in fear rather than in faith.  The title of the Feast should bring us comfort, Mary Queen of Apostles…. Mary is with the apostles, beside them, comforting them as a mother comforts and guides them too.  When we have fears, lets us remember that Mary is with us, not leaving us alone but standing and praying with us as she did in the Upper Room at Pentecost. 

The words of Paul to the Colossians today may be a reminder to us of the commitment we made when we professed vows as Marianists, “ persevere in faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel you heard.”  These words are important for any commitment in life, but especially true for us Marianists who remember our ancestors in faith this day, and who call to mind our own hopes and dreams at the time of our own First Vows. 

 So, Brothers, do not be afraid. Mary, Queen of Apostles is standing with us.  Hold on to the hopes you had for your life and for Marianist life in Mexico and together, let us make our own Marianist history in Mexico!

 

 

Hoy nos Marianistas celebramos esta fiesta de María, María Reina de los Apóstoles como una fiesta importante como parte de nuestra historia fundacional. Para hoy recordamos los primeros siete miembros de nuestra comunidad que profesaban votos como marianistas. ¿Cuáles eran sus esperanzas? ¿Sus sueños? Sus aspiraciones? Sus temores a empezar algo nuevo? Es un día para todos los Marianistas de reflexionar sobre su propio día de la primera profesión. Así que volver en su memoria a su primera profesión, para algunos no fue hace mucho tiempo, y para algunos de nosotros aquí fue hace mucho tiempo! ¿Qué sentiste en ese día? ¿Qué es lo que espera lograr como marianista? ¿Qué has dado cuenta hasta ahora? ¿Qué más hay que hacer para que sus esperanzas se conviertan en una realidad en su vida religiosa?

 Reflexionando sobre nuestro celo en el momento de primeros votos es especialmente importante para los miembros del sector de México, por igual que los primeros siete hombres que profesaban votos el día de hoy, se nos pide para comenzar algo nuevo. Si no traemos celo a esta misión de la apertura de una escuela aquí en Querétaro entonces tal vez vamos a vivir en el miedo más que en la fe. El título de la fiesta nos debe llevar consuelo, María Reina de los Apóstoles .... María está con los apóstoles, junto a ellos, consolando a ellos como una madre consuela y les guía también. Cuando tenemos miedo, vamos a recordar que María está con nosotros, no nos deja solos, pero de pie y orando con nosotros como lo hizo en el Cenáculo en Pentecostés.

Las palabras de Pablo a los Colosenses hoy puede ser un recordatorio para nosotros el compromiso que tomamos cuando profesamos los votos como marianistas, "perseverar en la fe, con firmeza a tierra, estable y no pasar de la esperanza del evangelio que escuchaste." Estos palabras son importantes para cualquier compromiso en la vida, pero especialmente cierto para nosotros los marianistas que recuerdan a nuestros antepasados ​​en la fe este día, y que reconozcamos nuestros propios sueños y esperanzas en el momento de nuestra propia primeros votos.

Así que, hermanos, no temas. María, Reina de los Apóstoles está de pie con nosotros. Aférrate a la esperanza que tenía para su vida y para la vida marianista en México y juntos, hagamos nuestra propia historia

Amen? Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad Internet Connection

Hola good people! We are having difficulties with our internet connection right now, so I will not be able to post the happenings of this past week.  I will post as soon as we have a connection that will allow me to download pictures and write more than a few words without losing everything.  Just know I am well and I appreciate your thoughts and prayers, your posts on the blog, and your personal emails.  I really feel supported....hasta luego  or until I have a better connection!
Paz y Amor
John