tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-707124836770833762024-03-14T04:53:01.017-07:00Una Poetisa PeregrinaUna poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-41928055000486852792020-01-10T15:29:00.002-08:002020-01-10T15:29:29.532-08:00Peacemakers in a New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGR4-E9-IGA_-Vq44n9XUApzo8y45QC11Wmz91DGjPR7l9SDMVLQ9rXxyIKKB-qr146w_H8LwjVOfH5fPBE3UeyxgxRxls5iObh29X1wuc0hRFwbJuyTPkHc6o6UArkzYwiq6nZ_xlw/s1600/Nunc+Coepit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGR4-E9-IGA_-Vq44n9XUApzo8y45QC11Wmz91DGjPR7l9SDMVLQ9rXxyIKKB-qr146w_H8LwjVOfH5fPBE3UeyxgxRxls5iObh29X1wuc0hRFwbJuyTPkHc6o6UArkzYwiq6nZ_xlw/s400/Nunc+Coepit.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">New possibilities unfold with a new year. Beginning
with the first month, it’s as if we could hear January say, “Let’s begin anew.”
Or as Venerable Bruno Lanteri, who founded the Oblates of the Virgin Mary,
advised, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nunc Coepi</i> — now I begin<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Ahora empiezo nuevamente</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So as we begin a New Year, Pope Francis urges us to be
peacemakers. In his message for World Day of Peace, observed each year on Jan.
1, the Holy Father focuses on “Peace as a journey of hope: dialogue,
reconciliation, and ecological conversion.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">His five points are ones we can apply close to home in
our families, work and communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peace,
a journey of hope in the face of obstacles and trial.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peace,
a journey of listening based on memory, solidarity and fraternity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peace,
a journey of reconciliation in fraternal communion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peace,
a journey of ecological conversion; and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
obtain all that we hope for”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pope Francis in his fifth point notes, “Peace will not
be obtained unless it is hoped for.” We have to want peace in our lives in
order to work for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The desire for peace lies deep within the human
heart,” he said, “and we should not resign ourselves to seeking anything less
than this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He adds, “The world does not need empty words but
convinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects
exclusion or manipulation. … Peace ‘must be built up continually;’ it is a
journey made together in constant pursuit of the common good, truthfulness and
respect for law. Listening to one another can lead to mutual understanding and
esteem, and even to seeing in an enemy the face of a brother or sister.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He said it is an enduring commitment, “an ongoing
work in which each individual makes his or her contribution responsibly, at
every level of the local, national and global community.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">W each have a small garden to tend</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While there is much happening around the world that is
out of our control, we can focus on what is within our reach, close to home.
Father Tad Pacholczyk, in his column on “Pushing back against evil,” said, “We
need to recognize how God has entrusted to each of us a small garden that he
asks us to tend. If we tend that plot well, he will extend the reach of his
grace in ways we cannot foresee or imagine, and we will actually contribute to
stemming the tide of error and evil well beyond the limited confines of our
particular plot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“This implies that each of us has different
responsibilities, depending upon our particular state in life, our commitments,
and our employment and family situations. By attending carefully to those
responsibilities and conscientiously tending our gardens, the air around us can
indeed begin to change.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thus, we can each be agents of change, peacemakers. As
the Holy Father tells us, “Day by day, the Holy Spirit prompts in us ways of
thinking and speaking that can make us artisans of justice and peace.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s remember, we walk together on the journey of
peace building. As Bishop Daniel E. Flores reminds us often, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Si no caminamos juntos, no vamos a llegar.”</i>
(If we do not walk together, we are not going to get to where we are going.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Being peacemakers close to home</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Easier said than done, you might say. How can we
practice this close to home?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As we consider the Holy Father’s words, it’s about
listening, about working collaboratively, about forgiveness. Some forces in the
world try to bully us into creating divisions and breeding competition. As the
Holy Father has said in previous talks on unity, “divisions wound Christ’s body
(and) they impair the witness which we are called to give him before the
world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But when we recognize God’s abundance and his saving
grace, we learn to celebrate each other and encourage each other on the
journey. Stephen Covey in his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">7
Habits of Highly Effective People</i>, talks about creating win-win situations.
When we shift our paradigms away from individualism and competition, we can
create environments in which we support one another, neighbor helping neighbor,
as God calls us to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God guides us at every step. He fortifies us through
the sacraments. He invites us to keep him at the center of everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As we greet each day and month this year, we can also
think of ways of finding peace within ourselves. Recently I visited the Poor
Clare Sisters at their monastery in Alamo. As we paused in the prayer garden,
Sister Martha invited us to “listen to the sound of peace.” You could also hear
peace inside the Adoration Chapel before the Eucharist. The visit with the
sisters in the chapel was a strong reminder that making time to spend with God
is essential, especially if we are to fulfill our role as peacemakers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in January 2020 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-27658176175754998202019-10-02T16:30:00.001-07:002019-10-02T16:30:05.433-07:00Our guardian angels: Don’t take them for granted<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8CnYIvxZsnoN2vj46x8VeA1yCZcYR9607QL5MyTROpVNotfpPsRDh3XF26NiksxhXRStKTtEyBOebEAc7hAfRODFLYjUQe_dgxk5XkedhBcUi5mXpISyT7F9U7iVOBARmLdiCP9Svg/s1600/DSC_0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8CnYIvxZsnoN2vj46x8VeA1yCZcYR9607QL5MyTROpVNotfpPsRDh3XF26NiksxhXRStKTtEyBOebEAc7hAfRODFLYjUQe_dgxk5XkedhBcUi5mXpISyT7F9U7iVOBARmLdiCP9Svg/s320/DSC_0612.JPG" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">We cannot see them, but they are always present – our guardian angels. From the moment of our birth, God assigned an angel to each person to accompany us at every moment of our lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Because they are invisible, it might be easy to take them for granted, or worse, forget they are present.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When was the last time you said thank you to your guardian angel?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am guilty of often taking my guardian angel for granted. Some say I often stress mine out in the course of my day-to-day doings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On Oct. 2, the Memorial of the Guardian Angels, the universal Church celebrates the gift of the spiritual realm present before us, a gift the Lord provides to help us on our faith journey. A few days prior on Sept. 29, we celebrated the feast of the Archangel Michael. On both days we recognize that God created “all things visible and invisible.” As St. Bernard of Clairvaux said in a sermon about the guardian angels, “Remember that the presence of something is not proved only by the sight of things.”</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDP0QU2xODeWusCloBPkCCgI05xnTonXPBpG3XOTJhea93fmG1m4tQc-fFrkH9w-r7AoQ_zSEdVTH72If702NbYm1yE-R7WJM50Ggy4ZJBsI6_RmdY8UHJUozQGeNrSGe78-lLj_Xqw/s1600/DSC_0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDP0QU2xODeWusCloBPkCCgI05xnTonXPBpG3XOTJhea93fmG1m4tQc-fFrkH9w-r7AoQ_zSEdVTH72If702NbYm1yE-R7WJM50Ggy4ZJBsI6_RmdY8UHJUozQGeNrSGe78-lLj_Xqw/s400/DSC_0614.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The angels – billions of them in the world, uncountable actually, are God’s messengers, the unseen of our faith. They are ever at our side to help us in countless ways. They help us to pray, to grow in understanding in our faith, to repentance for our sins, and from falling prey to sin or negative thoughts; they protect us from physical and spiritual harm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We should keep in mind when a loved one dies they do not become angels who watch over us from heaven. Rather, they join the communion of saints. As noted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their angels’ watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.” 336</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember the old cartoons where a winged angel was depicted standing on the right shoulder encouraging his human to do good, while a demon character stood on the left shoulder pushing for the opposite? Everywhere we go, our invisible companion goes with us, helping us make the best choices, those which will be pleasing to God. It is up to us how involved our angel is in our lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Father Chad Ripperger, a priest of the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, the Doloran Fathers in the Archdiocese of Denver, said in a lecture a few years ago, the angels are more active in our lives than we realize. How active they are is determined by two factors: The first, by God, and the second by us, by how actively we involve them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">From an early age, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was acutely aware of his angel. There are countless stories of how he could also listen to others’ guardian angels who brought him prayers on their human’s behalf. St. Pio said these celestial beings traveled faster than planes, thus they could deliver messages more quickly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a letter to his spiritual daughter, Raffaelina Cerase, he writes, “What a consolation it is to know one is always in the care of a celestial spirit, who does not abandon us (how admirable) even when we disgust God! How sweet is this great truth for the believer!”</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr8rijbE61A0hpkuXInSQTjmO16MYl9arrEWfSlu0CpA0iaW1rcVDyxQWl-hzf_sw901bg7W8JI0AFXvzDXYuPqPdGkIOtkfGUfVgmBqZMKox7LnOg0RWbD5IqDnKzMchNkYkw4mXmQ/s1600/Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_Madonna_Adored_by_Angels_%2528Madonna_della_Vallicella%2529_-_WGA20184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr8rijbE61A0hpkuXInSQTjmO16MYl9arrEWfSlu0CpA0iaW1rcVDyxQWl-hzf_sw901bg7W8JI0AFXvzDXYuPqPdGkIOtkfGUfVgmBqZMKox7LnOg0RWbD5IqDnKzMchNkYkw4mXmQ/s320/Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_Madonna_Adored_by_Angels_%2528Madonna_della_Vallicella%2529_-_WGA20184.jpg" width="184" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It should give us great comfort to know we are never alone. Think of the moments when you felt certain your guardian angel helped you in some way. I can certainly think of several, particularly during one of my travels when walking alone on an isolated street. But, given our free will, we sometimes don’t listen to our angels. I am sad to confess there were times I ignored my angel, times when I made him cringe and look away by the decisions I made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To get our guardian angels more involved in our lives, Father Ripperger said we need to foster a relationship with them and ask them to help us. Also, show them acts of devotion. Pray to your guardian angel, and be sure to thank him regularly, he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can ask them to guide your dreams, help you remember things, help you to pray. There is much more that can be written about the angels as “the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.” (CCC 334).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While we are not supernatural beings, we can learn from the angels. We can try to imitate them by our day-to-day responses to others in need. By being present for another to listen or offer assistance, we can be God’s helpers here on earth, making him present in world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let us continue learning from our angels, these “spiritual creatures who glorify God without ceasing”(CCC350) engaging them daily, and showing our gratitude to God for the gift of his celestial helpers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Originally published in October 2019 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</i></span></div>
poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-82536478384871319002019-07-01T16:54:00.001-07:002019-07-01T16:54:59.833-07:00Finding the courage to be imperfect<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">How embarrassing to
confess one’s imperfections to the world. However, when you write and work in
communications, any misstep is bound to end up in the public eye. As much as we
try to avoid mistakes, we grimace when it happens.</span><br />
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">I am thankful to those
who caught one of our mistakes in the June edition of </span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 120%;">The Valley Catholic</span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">.
After experiencing a litany of emotions — unsettled, disappointed, and
embarrassed among others — we made the correction and looked for ways to avoid
repeating the error again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">While we were able to
correct it for the online edition, the error made us realize that we must be
more vigilant and careful, but also that we are human. A priest once advised me
that no matter how careful we try to work out every detail, we are bound to end
up with some </span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 120%;"><i>espinitas</i></span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">
(small thorns). These </span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 120%;"><i>espinitas</i></span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">,
he said, remind us we are not God, that we are imperfect beings in need of
God’s graces to guide us in everything we do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsz1Udfyu3jAHEn367UdSvnlcabSwMxh-bF0p_ibPTGrEUAfl7Iarnfx4q-YHx9AEggLcpiU4TODRuRCIxHExkAfzxiU5ZxVajk2E5HReI-xgR7p1VYwgznMTdZr3Dl4QRZo-eR3kIQ/s1600/Roses+for+Mary+Quilt%252C+BNR.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="875" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsz1Udfyu3jAHEn367UdSvnlcabSwMxh-bF0p_ibPTGrEUAfl7Iarnfx4q-YHx9AEggLcpiU4TODRuRCIxHExkAfzxiU5ZxVajk2E5HReI-xgR7p1VYwgznMTdZr3Dl4QRZo-eR3kIQ/s320/Roses+for+Mary+Quilt%252C+BNR.png" width="320" /></a><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">Confronting our
imperfections is not an easy task. Worse, the fear of making a mistake, of
being less than perfect, can paralyze us from moving forward. I think it is one
of the top reasons we sometimes procrastinate. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">This summer I returned
to a quilting project I started 14 years ago. In the quilting world, we refer
to these as UFOs (Unfinished Objects). One of the women in the sewing circle
was shocked that I had not finished the quilt. It gave her anxiety to think of
a project sitting in a closet all these years in limbo. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">Other priorities and
projects got in the way, I explained. I have tendency to take on too many
projects, and naturally, family, work and writing take top billing. But after
thinking about it further, I realized the reason stemmed from something more,
namely a fear of not doing a good job, of ending up with a less than perfect
quilt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">Over the years, I have
improved my skills at piecing together quilt tops and have become proficient at
hand applique, one of my favorite techniques. However, I am limited in my
skills when it comes to making the quilt sandwich and quilting the layers
together. Which is why I hesitated to finish the quilt, and instead opted to
start another, and then another. Confession: I have six quilt tops waiting to
be finished. I also have several manuscripts of writing that are waiting as
well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">I started this year
determined to bring these UFOs to completion. The first quilt I finished
shortly before the New Year carries a few imperfections that I am not happy
with, but these imperfections I realize now are part of my learning process.
They help give me courage to try again. This imperfect quilt serves as a lesson
that sometimes we have to give ourselves permission to make mistakes. And as
Betina, one of my dear quilting friends points out, a finished quilt is better
than an unfinished quilt stored away in a closet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">This summer I finished a
second one, a wall hanging that features a Rosary of hand-appliqued roses. I
started it as a Lenten project years ago. I lost track of how many hours it
took me to cut out each petal and hand stitch each one into 53 rose buds and
five larger roses. After all the hours I invested, I was afraid of ruining it
with my novice quilting skills. But with each project I gain a bit more
confidence. I am also finding the courage to be imperfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless you look too closely, my </span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 120%;"><i>espinitas</i></span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">
are not easy to spot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">With each step forward,
I recognize we are always learning, and on this route, we are bound to make
mistakes. There is a great humility in knowing our weakness. It also takes
courage to be imperfect. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 120%;">What have you stored
away or ignored? What have you been avoiding because you are afraid to make a
mistake? Just as we are works in progress and just as the Lord is merciful with
us, we should be merciful with ourselves. Yes, we all want to strive for
perfection. But in order to move forward, we have to give ourselves permission
to make mistakes, to learn from them, and to embrace the humility of our
imperfect selves and ask for help and guidance when needed.</span></span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in July 2019 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-25865217562297617262019-03-08T16:04:00.001-08:002019-07-01T16:27:04.642-07:00Come meet our superheroes: Women of action<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When U.S. and Mexican Customs officers spot the red Ford F150 pickup truck, both know what to expect. The nun who is driving the truck is on her way to Las Flores/Nuevo Progreso, Mexico to make her rounds. She’s been making these rounds for 29 years, delivering beans and rice, tuition for school children, clothes for those in need.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The nun, Sister Maureen Crosby, a member of the Sisters of St. Dorothy, crosses the bridge three to four times a week. Her mission: “I am trying to help people stay in their own country, assisting them with food, clothing, meds, education and prayer.” In the immigration discussion, we tend to forget about those who are helping people stay in their homeland, helping them find a way to make a better life where they are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">At 76, she jokes, “Nuns don’t retire.” These last 15 years, she has logged 250,000 miles on her truck, which she named Joseph. Sister Maureen is looking for someone to take over the ministry when she does retire, but people are afraid to cross into Mexico, she said.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLybw5h-oTru4dAyfVg3LIdLn7uvmHNMTZFFbk4cSH0qCEUq0fnYshpl3-_TxkQZsg4eie1V2LR6g-URaqFkrRohpaFueOq9TEKxmHfKmxXTzI-EY8lGJztqagkBW097u_mPS_Uo-hg/s1600/Our+Superheroes.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLybw5h-oTru4dAyfVg3LIdLn7uvmHNMTZFFbk4cSH0qCEUq0fnYshpl3-_TxkQZsg4eie1V2LR6g-URaqFkrRohpaFueOq9TEKxmHfKmxXTzI-EY8lGJztqagkBW097u_mPS_Uo-hg/s320/Our+Superheroes.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This March 8-14, as we recognize women religious during National Catholic Sisters Week, which falls within National Women’s History Month, we say thank you to all our sisters serving in our diocese. Most of them serve behind the scenes, like Sister Maureen or Sister Rosalia Vadala, with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sister Rosalia, 78, first came to the Rio Grande Valley in 1987, and in 1994 started assisting immigrant families living in the colonias. Since she started Proyecto Santo Niño de Atocha, she has helped thousands become U.S. citizens. She also expanded her ministry into Reynosa, Mexico to reach out to maquiladora workers, teaching them how to speak out and obtain better working conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">While the numbers of religious sisters nationally and close to home are diminishing – we have 63 in active ministry, half of what we had 10 years ago – the fruits of their labors continue to grow here in the Rio Grande Valley. More than that, their work inspires us to follow their example.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sister Rose Marie Quilter, of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who recently returned to the area, recognizes that vowed religious life has an important place in the Church. “While we will likely get smaller, we are here to support the laity,” she said. Sister Rose reminds us we are all called by our Baptism to share in the work of the Church. That means we as the laity need to do our part in our community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I invite you to reach out and meet the religious sisters who give so generously to the people through the work they do. Their faith and trust in God pours out in their love for the people they work with. You have met several of these women featured on the pages of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Valley Catholic</em> and elsewhere. Among them, Sister Norma Pimentel, a Missionary of Jesus, who has caught even the Holy Father’s attention with her humanitarian response. More than 150,000 immigrant men, women and children from Central America have come to the respite center since it opened in 2014.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This month in Those Who Serve, we feature Sister Zita Telkamp, 85, with the Sisters of Divine Providence. Sister Zita, who has run a shelter in San Benito (La Posada Providencia) for indigent immigrants, asylees and asylum seekers since 2008, will celebrate 70 years as a religious in August.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our sisters work in all areas of ministry – education, social services, health care, community outreach, and immigration. Working in education, we find Sister Cynthia Mello, a Sister of St. Dorothy who serves as superintendent of Catholic Schools. Working with the elderly, Sister Jane Frances Ambrose of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit of Mary Immaculate prays at the bedside of residents at Ebony Lake and Brownsville Rehabilitation Nursing Home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Praying behind the scenes are cloistered nuns like Sister Martha A. Garcia, of the Capuchin Poor Clares in Alamo. Out in the colonias, the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary who built St. Anne Church and started Proyecto Desarrollo provide needed services to the people in the Pueblo de Palmas in Peñitas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Further west, we find three sisters who moved here from Crookston, Minn., Benedictine Sisters Nancy Boushey, Luella Walsh and Fran Solum. The retreat house they built in Rio Grande City serves as an oasis for those who need a spiritual retreat. They also started a radio station, KSGS 99.9 FM, eight years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">While we try to highlight the work of our religious women, some sisters remain under the radar. Among them are poets, painters, musicians. Women of many talents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over the years, I feel blessed to have developed close friendships with some of these amazing women. They compel me to continually discern how God is calling me to action.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sister Maureen’s courage, her energy, her devotion, keep her adding miles to her red Ford pickup as she crosses back and forth from the United States and Mexico. If you accompany her someday as she makes her rounds in Las Flores, you’ll discover you have little to complain about. Life is different for thousands living across the border, and this one nun, past retirement age, is doing all she can to give the people she meets a hand in the journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Her first stop is usually to Lupe’s house, the woman who lives near the corner school. The minute the children see the red truck, they flock to it in the hopes Sister Maureen will have a treat for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sister Maureen started going in 1990 and her love for the people keeps her returning. She has seen both success and despair with the three generations of families she has worked with. The youngest call her <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">abuela</em> now. Others call her by her first name, “Moreen.” She worries about the children who get caught up with the drug cartels. The cartels are recruiting younger kids these days. Some of the fathers drink too much, some mothers make a living sewing, others doing things they are not proud of. But Sister Maureen does not go there to judge them. She goes to give them hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">She and all our sisters in the Rio Grande Valley carry out a legacy of service dating back to 1852. Think back to the four sisters of the Congregation of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament who left Lyons, France in 1852 to sail by ship for 52 days to Texas. They didn’t know exactly what was waiting for them in the most southern part of the United States, but they came anyway. They opened the first Catholic School in Brownsville, Villa Maria of the Incarnate Word, in 1853, 20 years before the first public school. In 1923, the Sisters of Mercy opened one of the first hospitals in Brownsville and in the Valley.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is but a glimpse as to how religious sisters respond to the needs of a community. Today, Sister Rosalia encourages us to “look and see what’s not being done.” In other words, get to work.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“When God inspires you, follow the inspiration. Don’t let others tell you it can’t be done. He will give you the courage.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To all the women religious in our diocese, past and present, I thank you each for your example. I pray that we can respond accordingly and do our part.</span></div>
poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-13402643773850214862019-02-25T15:58:00.000-08:002019-03-08T15:58:44.611-08:00Oh, the places you’ll go<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Minion Pro",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Minion Pro";">"You have
brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any
direction you choose."</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Minion Pro",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Minion Pro";">– from the Dr. Seuss book </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Minion Pro Subh",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Minion Pro Subh";">Oh,
The Places You Will Go!</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Minion Pro",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Minion Pro";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Setting goals is always useful to help focus
our energy and efforts. At the beginning of the New Year, people took to making
resolutions or vision boards. The future is full of possibilities. However,
sometimes we miss a critical step – asking God for his guidance, paying
attention to his will for us in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_8xL9aKA0BL5sQSq2b4MrZ7ySkH1wihA0csYtVzhY1hySoCmTbQ23skTa9Pgh9n4POGLnT8X799MfMP9usRYmsubmQWO95y2S7EecwRxBpEx0V69J1LyJLEtI8QMATdiqozwVPe6pw/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_8xL9aKA0BL5sQSq2b4MrZ7ySkH1wihA0csYtVzhY1hySoCmTbQ23skTa9Pgh9n4POGLnT8X799MfMP9usRYmsubmQWO95y2S7EecwRxBpEx0V69J1LyJLEtI8QMATdiqozwVPe6pw/s400/IMG_2646.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Meet Maria Dolores “Lolis” Flores from
Brownsville. For years, this 23-year-old who recently completed the two-year
diocesan lay ecclesial ministry formation program wanted to become famous for
her singing talent. She sang every chance she could, auditioned for different
television programs, looked for every opportunity to get recognized by talent
scouts. She was becoming discouraged, but during a retreat, she experienced a
conversion that helped her surrender her will to what God might be calling her
to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">She became more involved in her parish, Our
Heavenly Father Church in Olmito, and started taking formation classes. Soon
she discovered she could use her voice to evangelize, to sing for God’s greater
glory. “The singing that he has given me is a gift from God and I want to share
that with everyone,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In July 2018, she started praying the Rosary
and sharing her music live every night at 10 p.m. on Facebook. Within six
months she had more than 50,000 followers. She now has more than 58,000. She
has since added an Instagram account that is growing a following as well. “I
remember my first live broadcast. I was scared and nervous. I was trembling,”
she said. “But one follows the will of God and I entrusted my fears and my will
to him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Lolis, who started singing in the mariachi
when she was 16 years old in high school, said she has drawn inspiration from
praying the Rosary live. Since she began, people from throughout the world have
joined her in prayer. “It has been a blessing to unite with so many, to join
together night after night to pray the Rosary,” she said. “Praying every night,
Mary takes us to Jesus.” She said hundreds have since shared their own
conversion stories with her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Last year Lolis also released two singles.
Her first single, “Siempre Has Sido Tu,” was released in June 2018. Produced by
Joan Sanchez at GOSPA studios in McAllen, the song is available on all digital
platforms. Lolis said the song describes her personal “before and after”
experience of meeting God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“It is great to see how people connect to
this song. I think we have to share what God has done with us. Through our
testimony, people can identify with us, and this song has been a blessing – to
record it and to share it,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTfotfOYi7xVnDOb2SxJNb7AfheHRtcMeMn_zXkaCK-M1I0qelUbuFhMVpWPq-_KPBiKg0ldX5qF6tn5f1cSxQC1eaNeUfvZS00Not1Cy8IHXdKwPWI2sFxXpix2ipEH-xOVMFE3LUQ/s1600/IMG_2593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTfotfOYi7xVnDOb2SxJNb7AfheHRtcMeMn_zXkaCK-M1I0qelUbuFhMVpWPq-_KPBiKg0ldX5qF6tn5f1cSxQC1eaNeUfvZS00Not1Cy8IHXdKwPWI2sFxXpix2ipEH-xOVMFE3LUQ/s200/IMG_2593.JPG" width="200" /></a><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In her song, Lolis
shares: “<i>Sin darme cuenta, cerré las puertas, le di la espalda a tu amor. /
Y siempre has sido tú lo que más necesitaba, Siempre has sido tú el anhelo de
mi alma.</i>” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">(Without realizing it I closed the doors, I
turned my back on your love. You have always been what I most needed, without
realizing it. It has always been you.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As someone who is not in the habit of posting
daily on social media, I consider Lolis’ advice something to consider: “I
invite you to share your testimony with others,” she said. “What God has done
for you in your life may be what others need to hear. God is always present for
us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Lolis released a new song, “Bendita Maria,”
on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this past December. It speaks of her
devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, whose “yes” changed the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">While some young people are using social
media platforms to post about their daily lives, highlighting everything from
the parties they attend to the celebrities they follow, it is inspiring to see
how one young woman and others like her are using social media to give witness
to how the Lord is working in her life. At the same time she is bringing the
light of Christ to others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">I anticipate we will be hearing more from
this young woman in the future. Oh, the places you’ll go when God is leading
the way. Lolis, “You’re off to great places.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in February 2019 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-69132315901844007762019-01-31T15:31:00.000-08:002019-03-08T15:47:16.648-08:00By the work of our hands<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“May the favor if the Lord our God be ours.
Prosper the work of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!” (Psalms 90:17)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Look at your hands for a moment. Consider all
that they do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Imagine the hands of Jesus who worked
alongside Joseph as a carpenter. What did he build after he held a piece of
wood in his hands, after he cut it, planed it, and created it into something
new? Imagine the hands of his Blessed Mother Mary, who held the infant Jesus,
who changed his diapers, who mended his clothing, who prepared his meals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">We spend so much time in front of a screen
these days, we take for granted the value of the work we do with our hands. Our
hands that prepare meals for those we love, hands that prune away weeds and
overgrown bushes, hands that hold another’s when they are ill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Sister Rose Carmel Garay, 79, a Sister of the
Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence, beams with joy when she shares
something made by her hands. When she is not working full time with pilgrim
groups at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle – National Shrine, she
enjoys cooking and making religious items and jewelry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Her joy is contagious. Sister Garay said
cooking and making jewelry give her energy. When working with beads, she finds
delight in the infinite possibilities and color combinations. “Discovering what
we can create with our hands are pure joy; they are God-given gifts,” she said. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">She added we can each experience this joy as
we discover our own gifts. It also gives her joy knowing her creations make
others happy and serve a purpose. The sales from her homemade salsas and the
items she creates contribute to the retirement fund for the religious sisters
in her order.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As I consider my own interest in sewing and
mixed media art, I find my recent fixation on making aprons stems from what
they represent. Yes, we value their utilitarian features intended to protect
our clothing when cooking, painting or gardening. For me, however, an apron
symbolizes something more. It points to the joy of undertaking such tasks,
activities that require the use of our hands, that pull us away from the
computer or from our sedentary habits. T</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">he simple act of putting on an apron
triggers the brain to focus on the work ahead. There is a humility too that
comes with honoring our role in creating something, whether it is a simple meal
or a work of art.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">A CBS News story that aired March 18, 2018
highlighted “how busy hands can alter our brain chemistry.” The story featured
an interview with Dr. Kelly Lambert, a neuroscientist at the University of
Richmond. “I made up this term called ‘behaviorceuticals,’ instead of
pharmaceuticals,” she said, “in the sense that when we move and when we engage
in activities, we change the neurochemistry of our brain in ways that a drug
can change the neurochemistry of our brain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The story led me to Lambert’s book, <i>Lifting
Depression: A Neuroscientist’s Hands-On Approach to Activating Your Brain’s
Healing Power</i>. In the section, “The Work/Pleasure Connection,” Lambert
writes about effort-driven rewards. She notes, “Our brains are programmed to
derive a deep sense of satisfaction and pleasure when our physical effort
produces something tangible, visible….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Our hands, she writes, “play a crucial role
when it comes to effort-driven rewards. “Any activity that requires you to use
your hands and that you enjoy, especially if it puts you into the flow zone,
will energize your effort-driven rewards circuit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Her research explains why I am drawn to hand
appliqué and crochet, and even activities that require my hands to get dirty,
like gardening and mixed media. Working with my hands actually serves as a
retreat from my day-to-day work. The joy of creating something by hand is
certainly rewarding. There is added joy when you can share your creations with
others. I find too that it connects me to the long history of women in my
family, principally my mother, who taught me how to sew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Whether at home or at work, we all have gifts
God has given us. Look at your hands again. What is the work they are called to
do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As we begin a New Year, our communications
team for the Diocese of Brownsville, which continually looks at the work we do
and try to do it better, recommits to gathering and sharing the stories
happening in the Church here in the Rio Grande Valley. We offer up the work of
our hands to utilizing all the communication resources available to keep you
informed. As St. Teresa of Avila said, we are his hands and feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“Christ has no body now on earth but yours;
no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must
look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing
good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in January 2019 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
</div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-11999116616938639482018-12-27T13:34:00.002-08:002018-12-27T13:34:10.386-08:00Endings and the unfinished<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfudoJ4Hc_kcSamKhv3T2pjCEJ-OJ7okqbxTylZuCe8s63w4kX_r8CWq2X-9dKlfRmqeFkU19X7EpVGJmhkKu25jbv204-1B5lKgb03uEIoigwj8lin1jZDB5V1zPTVM_0ybVCfLsoQ/s1600/Be+vigilant.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfudoJ4Hc_kcSamKhv3T2pjCEJ-OJ7okqbxTylZuCe8s63w4kX_r8CWq2X-9dKlfRmqeFkU19X7EpVGJmhkKu25jbv204-1B5lKgb03uEIoigwj8lin1jZDB5V1zPTVM_0ybVCfLsoQ/s320/Be+vigilant.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
Nunc Coepi, Now I Begin</h3>
<div class="Body">
Spiders can spin a web overnight. Several mornings, when rushing,
I have walked right into their sticky threads. We have to be careful and look
in the direction we are headed, especially if we don’t want to be caught off
guard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
It’s also worthwhile to look at where we’ve been. Each December
we publish a year-in-review in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Valley
Catholic</i>. It affords us a glance of the faith lived in our Catholic Church
here in the Rio Grande Valley. We’ve had some historic moments along with some
challenges. Overall, the events of this past year are clear indicators that we
are a Church alive, a Church on the move. <i>Somos una iglesia caminante, una
iglesia viva.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="Body">
Pausing from time to time to look at where we’ve been helps us
take a notice of and count our blessings. At the same time we can take note of
the areas of our lives that need work – we are, after all, works in progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
One year ends. A new one begins. Taking stock of where we are on
the journey helps us. We can make corrections where necessary, take action to
reset our course and as needed begin again. What surprised us? What small
graces did not escape our attention? What challenges did we confront? What are
we most grateful for? How is God at work in our lives?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFRYaclG9rcDJKVXF-64BxrukWCk0M5J7nPtzW6ZEmoMQ8q3e5rPyaBCV4akq9weTlJs3AR44ceBh-O3Zg2egZCknk4vdQlfJwdYL1Cz9DivSzvQycjM91gIb4olhTAFZtXcuy77Ngg/s1600/Year+in+Review.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFRYaclG9rcDJKVXF-64BxrukWCk0M5J7nPtzW6ZEmoMQ8q3e5rPyaBCV4akq9weTlJs3AR44ceBh-O3Zg2egZCknk4vdQlfJwdYL1Cz9DivSzvQycjM91gIb4olhTAFZtXcuy77Ngg/s400/Year+in+Review.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="Body">
St. Ignatius of Loyola encouraged the practice of a daily examen.
Why not undertake an annual examen and create our own year-in-review? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
“Try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost,” Henry
James wrote in his essay “The Art of Fiction.” Through a lens of our faith, we
recognize God is in everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
One morning, when not rushing and getting caught in a spider web,
I discovered a new bird’s nest in my front yard. When I wasn’t looking a
feathered architect built a home to nourish new life, a new beginning. The
sparrow made use of what was available — twigs and grasses, whatever she could
carry. In a similar way, we can make use of what is available to nourish our
lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
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<div class="Body">
Among the graces of this year, the moments shared with family and
close friends, are the moments I treasure, moments which nourished us. Some
were filled with joy, some with tears, some with healing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amidst the endings and beginnings, I face a reality of the
unfinished — projects I wanted to complete, responsibilities I pushed to the
sidelines; all are tasks I must confront as I move forward in the new year.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I realize I have been
putting off what to do with my father’s home. I keep telling my sister I am
going to do something about the house. However, until I set a timeline and take
action, I am not entirely free to focus on my writing and other creative
endeavors. An untended task, if we are not careful, can act as an anchor.
Identifying the anchor and finding ways to conquer it helps us move forward.</span></div>
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Taking a step back in time
can help us gain clarity on the present and inspire us as we learn from our
unfolding story. <span style="background-color: transparent;">The V Encuentro helped us as a Church to look at our ministries
and how we are reaching out to share the Good News, how we are walking together
on the journey. Bishop Flores pointed out to delegates who participated in the
V Encuentro that the process allowed us to see how we can work together as we
share our faith. He also said we can’t be afraid to make mistakes as we
proceed, reminding us, we learn from our mistakes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">The Venerable Bruno Lanteri, founder of the Oblates of the Virgin
Mary in Turin, Italy, taught that because of God’s grace, we can begin again.
Using the Latin phrase, </span><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="NL">Nunc
Coepi</span></i><span style="background-color: transparent;">, now I begin, he encouraged, “Begin again, not only every day,
but every hour of every day.”</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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From his writings we hear: “If I should fall even a thousand
times a day, a thousand times, with peaceful repentance, I will say
immediately, ’Nunc Coepi (now I begin), my God, my God.’”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Holiness does not consist in never failing, but in rising
immediately, recognizing our weaknesses and asking God’s forgiveness …”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just as God is merciful, we should be merciful with ourselves and
others. St. Josemaria Escrivá used the phase as well. He wrote, “This
(Nunc Coepi) is the cry of a soul in love which, at every moment, whether it
has been faithful or lacking in generosity, renews its desire to serve – to
love! – our God with a wholehearted loyalty.”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The graces of this past year should nourish and encourage us on
the path ahead. <i><span lang="PT" style="mso-ansi-language: PT;">Alimentados. </span></i><i><span lang="ES-TRAD" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD;">¡Siempre Adelante!</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally published in December 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span></i></div>
poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-5167018171040760932018-11-30T15:36:00.001-08:002018-11-30T15:49:23.956-08:00Trying to make Him smileNot long ago a colleague ended a prayer offering that we continue to act in ways that make God smile.<br />
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The image of making God smile has stayed with me. It prompts my own smile and places a different lens on the day, one that focuses on the good we can do no matter the situation.<br />
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Enough gloom and doom persist in the world. We can’t get lost in despair allowing ourselves to become paralyzed. When we consider our options, so much depends on the lens we use to see the world, to see the people before us, and to see the impact of our choices and actions, or even our inactions.<br />
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Each November, we pause for a bit to give thanks for our blessings, for all the ways that God makes us smile. Why not also take time to think about all the ways we can make God smile. Beyond just thinking, we can commit ourselves to action.<br />
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How fortunate we are that we don’t have to look far for answers. The scriptures provide countless examples, as do the saints and Church teachings. Earlier this year, Pope Francis wrote “Gaudete et Exsultate,” (“Rejoice and be glad”) an apostolic exhortation on the call to holiness in today’s world. The title comes from Matthew 5:12, from the Sermon on the Mount. His exhortation serves as a clear guide to what would make God smile – each of us answering the call to holiness, living according to his will.<br />
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“Let everything be open to God; turn to him in every situation,” Pope Francis tells us. (GE15) He adds, “We need to walk in union with him, recognizing his constant love in our lives.” (GE 51) This serves as a reminder that it pleases God when we spend time with him. Whether in prayer, adoration or listening, he wants us to trust him, to rely on him for constant guidance. At the same time, I am sure it makes him smile when we give thanks for the countless blessings in our lives, recognizing that each day is a gift and his graces are boundless. As St. Ignatius reminds us, we can “find God in all things.”<br />
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There is certainly much to be joyful about. Psalm 100: 1-5 tells us to “Shout joyfully to the Lord.” But if we really want to make God smile, we can do so with our actions.<br />
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“In the light of the master,” chapter three in the exhortation, “Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23). The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card.”<br />
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What are we doing with our card? Are we taking action, doing our part to make God smile?<br />
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Pope Francis writes, “Those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness.” Imagine that. As we work to make God smile, he is filling our lives with happiness. Sometimes, however, it is easier to say than to do. We may have the best of intention, but unless we leave the comfort of our routine and get to work, intentions go mute.<br />
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The Holy Father points out we often have to go against the flow of the world we live in as “the world pushes us toward another way of living.” “Let us listen once more to Jesus, with all the love and respect that the Master deserves. Let us allow his words to unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change in the way we live. Otherwise, holiness will remain no more than an empty word.” (GE 66)<br />
<br />
He emphasizes “Holiness is also parrhesía: it is boldness…” He cautions us against mediocrity. “Let us not long for an easy life,” he says. “How often we are tempted to keep close to the shore! Yet the Lord calls us to put out into the deep and let down our nets (cf. Lk 5:4). He bids us spend our lives in his service.” (GE 130).<br />
<br />
Bishop Daniel E. Flores, in his talk “Accompany is a verb” for the National V Encuentro, reminds us as well we can’t just be spectators. “In a world where no one wants to stop to hear the weeping, and to touch the wound, the Lord asks us for the testimony of closeness, respect, patience and of compassion.”<br />
<br />
“The God who became flesh asks us to stop on the road, -- with all our responsibilities and our many things to do – to contemplate the face of Christ in the flesh and blood of the invisible ones of the world, and to extend our lives to embrace the Christ present among us.”<br />
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Advent begins Dec. 2. Perhaps as we make our Christmas lists, we can also make time to respond to the Holy Father’s invitation to read the Gospels and find ways to put our faith into action. Let’s be bold, accompanying one another; let us look for ways to make God smile. <i>Ad majorem Dei Gloriam,</i> “all for the greater glory of God.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola.)<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in November 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-5724455650536792952018-10-04T13:31:00.001-07:002018-10-04T13:31:39.316-07:00Where we go from here: Remaining firm in our faith<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">We are never comfortable talking about dark
moments in our lives. Sometimes we are at a loss for words. I could have chosen
a host of other topics to cover; it would have been easier. But in order to
move forward, we must not be afraid to talk, to ask questions, to share our
concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In his letter last month, Bishop Daniel E.
Flores expressed the sorrow of the Church for the sexual abuse of minors and
abuse of power in the Church reported from different parts of the country. He
provided us with guidance and hope during these dark days as the Church
undergoes a cleansing for sins of the past. He asked us all “to pray and do
penance for the harm that so many have suffered, and for the renewal of a
spirit of humility, service and evangelical life among all the bishops and
priests of the country.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Bishop Flores also provided us with an
important reminder. “It is necessary that we all continue with the mission that
the Lord has entrusted us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“We cannot be paralyzed,” he told reporters
during a press conference during the national V Encuentro Sept. 20-23 in
Grapevine, Texas. “There is work to do,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">During the V Encuentro gathering, more than
3,500 Hispanic/Latino Catholics showed how we move forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The joy of our faith resonated throughout
each moment and a day of the Encuentro. <i>La alegría de nuestra fe vive.</i>
The joy of our faith stands firm in the love of Christ, and our faith, centered
in Christ, helps us from letting any crisis take us off center.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">After reading the bishop’s letter, many have
shared their response to his request for prayer and penance. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">Some religious communities are spending
dedicated time before the Blessed Sacrament every Friday for nine weeks; others
are fasting on Fridays. Some Catholic schools are praying together. Others are
praying the Rosary.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">How are you responding? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As we pray, we must also take additional
steps. As parents, <i>tías, tíos,</i> grandparents — we must remain vigilant in
our homes and beyond our casitas. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">Bishop Flores stressed in his letter the
importance of continuing to follow through with the ongoing “Protecting God’s
Children” program required of all laypersons and clergy who work with youth and
vulnerable adults. The training provided through the program opens our eyes and
provides us with a greater awareness of what we can each do to protect our
children. We are in this together. Yes, it does take a village. The
effectiveness of these programs put in place to protect children has helped
decrease the number of cases nationwide.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Mark M. Gray, a survey researcher for The
Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), highlights some important
details and provides some context in “Pain Never Disappears from Unhealed
Wounds,” a piece he wrote for the center’s blog on Aug. 28.
(http://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.com/2018/08/pain-never-disappears-from-unhealed.html).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">He notes, “No new wave of abuse has emerged
in the United States.” He adds, “The clergy sex abuse scandal unfolding in the
news today is the same public scandal that erupted with the national media
reports in 2002...Just as then, the abuse in the headlines most often occurred
in the 1960s through the 1980s.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Gray includes figures of cases reported since
2004 and the year the alleged abuse began, which shows a decrease. However, as
he notes, “Nothing is acceptable other than zero.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">To get to zero, it will take all of us
working together. At the closing Mass for the Encuentro, Archbishop José H.
Gomez of Los Angeles reminded us of the role we have as lay people. Citing St.
Juan Diego as an example, he said, “Jesus entrusted the mission of his Church
in the New World to a lay person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“I believe that this moment in the Church —
is the hour of the laity. It is the time for saints. In the spirit of St. Juan
Diego, I believe the Lord is calling each of you to ‘go to the bishops.’ He is
calling the lay faithful to work together with the bishops to renew and rebuild
his Church.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Silller of San
Antonio expressed a similar point on the opening day of the Encuentro. As he
acknowledged our pain and heartbreak “by the faults” of our shepherds, and the
need “to do everything we can for the healing for all victims of these abuses,”
he also reminded us not to be afraid and to allow the Holy Spirit “to inflame
our hearts.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“In these times,” he said, “only <i>parrhesia</i>,
the courage of the baptized, will return the Church, the Body of Christ, her
moral authority.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Indeed, this is our time to continue carrying
out the mission of the Church. We cannot run away. We have a responsibility to
confront the ugly realities of the past, and to walk together, to<i> acompañar</i>,
as Bishop Flores tell us, our brothers in sisters who are hurting. We must
remain centered in Christ, for Jesus is our light and our salvation in times of
darkness (Psalm 27:1).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in October 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-54142664642669366412018-09-14T15:10:00.000-07:002018-10-04T15:11:26.415-07:00Life’s disruptions: Are we ever ready?<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Yes. We all know hurricane season runs from
June 1 to Nov. 30. Before it even begins and throughout the season, we hear the
forewarning “Be Prepared.” In our July edition of the newspaper, we ran a full
page with a checklist on how to prepare. I wonder how many of us actually went
through the list and took steps to get everything in order?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">The downpours in June reminded us how
vulnerable we are in the Rio Grande Valley to prolonged heavy rainfall. Many
families are still recovering from the damages. Some of our parishes and
Catholic schools in the Mid-Valley woke up June 20 to flooded buildings. San
Martin de Porres School lost everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Natural disasters shake us, just as medical
emergencies and other unexpected circumstances do. The disruptions in our lives
not only shake us; they awaken us to what is truly important –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>our families, our friends, our community –
people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Hurricane Dolly in 2008, the first direct
hit to our area since Hurricane Beulah in 1967, caused some considerable damage
to our home and left us without power for several days. As we made an inventory
of the damage, what mattered most was not what we lost, but that we were
together and together we could manage. The disruption reminded us as well that
we are just passing through this world as pilgrims. We are not taking anything
with us when we leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">While it can be devastating to lose personal
belongings when a natural disaster occurs, we learn in time that material
things can be replaced. Indeed, God makes all things new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">A year ago, as we waited for Hurricane
Harvey to hit, I began to worry. After our experience in 2008, I knew we were
not ready. My husband, who lives the Boy Scout motto “Be prepared,” was ready
on the survival aspect. However, my concern focused on the documents and
photos. They are not all in one quick access location.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">We were fortunate this time that the
hurricane, a category 4, missed the Rio Grande Valley as it made landfall in
other parts of the state. It devastated and displaced thousands of families,
leaving behind $125 billion in damage. In the midst of this disaster, we
witnessed signs of hope in the way people responded with relief efforts to help
those most impacted. We truly do not walk alone, although sometimes it may feel
that way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">We never know when a storm will strike us
directly, and often times we are unprepared for the landfall of any type of
storm, whether a natural disaster, health crisis, tragic accident or home
emergency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we can take some precautions,
some practical steps to help us during challenging times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">It’s too easy to become complacent, with
fingers crossed that the storm will miss us, that we will be spared the
disruption in our life. Reality dictates otherwise. Life is messy. I discovered
this recently with a leak in my ceiling that required me to remove everything
in the room that could get wet. It was certainly an inconvenient disruption,
but one that made me pay attention to how I could better organize. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Why not do our part to be a little more
prepared to deal with the messy? Why not start by making a personal risk
assessment? What are the vulnerable points in your home? Are you in a flood
risk area? Do you have adequate insurance? Ask yourself: “If I had to leave my
home this instant, what would I take with me? What would I save?” Naturally,
the people in our lives are at the top of the list. But what else would you
take? What are the essentials you need: medication, prescriptions, vital
records, insurance documents? Do you have a Last Will and Testament?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">My son and daughter are never comfortable
when I remind them before I leave on a trip where to find my Last Will and
Testament, but I know it will be helpful should it ever be needed. No, it is
not easy to talk about some realities. No, I don’t think we can ever be fully
prepared for the crisis that may come. However, we can do our part. We can also
rest assured God will remain always at our side and guide us through the storms
in our lives, no matter what they may be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Each year as I get older, I feel the
pressure to take action and spend less time worrying about all the things on
the check list I don’t have in order. I pray that Mother Nature will be gentle
this hurricane season. In the meantime, I have a lot to do.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally published in September 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span></i>poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-16455707370010914812018-08-31T13:36:00.000-07:002018-10-04T13:41:04.787-07:00Outpouring of cariño provides space for healing<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">Some families would arrive in the morning, some in late evening,
sometimes in the middle of the night at 3 a.m. The time did not matter; staff
at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine was ready to
receive the immigrant children and parents who had just been reunified a few
hours before at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Bayview.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNd1vyb4n4xpj7nBCAAr2LnWMBfADI7Itg9rlEnqhCBGbnvl6po-ThpQZbCHmvHuPaVKCrXvivOZURPBLmWovjK4GtAJvS0SfgjcTLHullKbrUfW5Th-3LI-vhIDnvaSKVaBR-5z2MQ/s1600/p1+Se%25C3%25B1oras+cooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNd1vyb4n4xpj7nBCAAr2LnWMBfADI7Itg9rlEnqhCBGbnvl6po-ThpQZbCHmvHuPaVKCrXvivOZURPBLmWovjK4GtAJvS0SfgjcTLHullKbrUfW5Th-3LI-vhIDnvaSKVaBR-5z2MQ/s320/p1+Se%25C3%25B1oras+cooking.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">With open arms and an outpouring of love, the Catholic Church in
the Rio Grande Valley provided families with a safe and holy place to reconnect
with each other after weeks and months of being separated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">From the first families that arrived on July 13 to the last two on
July 30, more than 500 reunited families spent their first nights together,
reunified on the basilica grounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbfZ6fv_CuDr22XcNPZBjYwrHe6gTRRML7V1NPrFCVXkpLJJ3osKJosyJVCb4K4XO-DsVn5mH6aj2gMKHq23bDaJqqretbZwT6wJDHWmArbph54V5iuTM4_9eB_kgK2JpWdyVHUksWA/s1600/p1+Reunited+Father+and+Son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1600" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbfZ6fv_CuDr22XcNPZBjYwrHe6gTRRML7V1NPrFCVXkpLJJ3osKJosyJVCb4K4XO-DsVn5mH6aj2gMKHq23bDaJqqretbZwT6wJDHWmArbph54V5iuTM4_9eB_kgK2JpWdyVHUksWA/s320/p1+Reunited+Father+and+Son.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">One child said it would be the first night she would go to sleep
without crying now that she was with her mother. One mother from Honduras who
was reunified with her son on July 27 after 55 days of being apart did not
sleep that first night. She wanted to watch her son sleep and hear his heart
beat. "<i>Mi corazón comenzó a palpitar de nuevo,</i>” she said. (My heart
began to beat again.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">She recounted the pain of her initial reunification, saying it
took nearly an hour for her six-year-old son to hug her at the detention
center. </span><span lang="ES-MX" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX;">“No me
toques,” he told her; “<i>no te conozco. Tu me abandonaste</i>.” </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">(Don’t touch me. I don’t know you. You abandoned me.”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">Each child, mother, father who was thankful for their
reunification carries at the same time untold traumas because of their
separation. As a nation, many of us felt helpless as more than 2,000 immigrant
children were separated from their parents as part of the “zero-tolerance”
policy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">As soon as the reunification of families began, everyone wanted to
do what they could. Here in our diocese we witnessed the Church in action
during a critical time. This is an amazing moment in the history of the Church.
We focused not on the politics but rather on taking care of our brothers and
sisters before us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">The Church response is not new. It is ongoing. Each week since
2012, volunteers pray with children who are living in detention centers for
unaccompanied minors. They sit and listen to their hopes and dreams, their
prayers to be reunified with their family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, other volunteers help keep the Humanitarian Respite Center in
operation. To date, more than 100,000 immigrant men, women and children have
found rest at the center, which first opened in 2014 at Sacred Heart Church in
McAllen and is now at a temporary site nearby. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">“This is a blessed moment, where we have been chosen to care for
them, to welcome them, to help them beyond this point in their journey,” said
Sister Norma Pimentel, of the Missionaries of Jesus, who has been overseeing
the care of newly released immigrants as executive director of Catholic
Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">From the moment they arrive, it is important to welcome them and
care for them, to let them know that they are safe, said Sister Pimentel, who
is a licensed professional counselor. “The moment that another human being
opens up their heart and their care to them begins a process of healing,” she
said. “That human contact is so transformative, and that is what is happening
here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">Witnessing the Church’s response, witnessing the people who turned
all their attention to helping the families, helps us to see the light of
Christ shine in even the darkest of times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTp4dbLbdUW1CRwIwR2p0xX0OLbkFNMuAEjT4JWH7F0S6ojtIQvmRU9KXvoonqZXxeANT5AFgAIOPaoOQ4NpvjqTNruhZeC3YbRdAj5ul8KwACNQ3DKsm1_3UJI5gDjL9W1wy6NloOw/s1600/p1+child+with+hoola+hoop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1050" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTp4dbLbdUW1CRwIwR2p0xX0OLbkFNMuAEjT4JWH7F0S6ojtIQvmRU9KXvoonqZXxeANT5AFgAIOPaoOQ4NpvjqTNruhZeC3YbRdAj5ul8KwACNQ3DKsm1_3UJI5gDjL9W1wy6NloOw/s320/p1+child+with+hoola+hoop.jpg" width="234" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">Their joy was contagious as we witnessed countless embraces
between children and their mothers and fathers. Their smiles and laughter gave
us hope. We trust in God that that their faith will continue to guide them in
the journey ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">As we rejoiced with families celebrating their reunions, it was
joyful as well to serve. Consuelo Jones from Mission worked from early morning
into the evening securing food for each meal. Socorro Ortega and her family
drove to San Juan from Brownsville at 5 a.m. to cook breakfast for the
families. Parishes and businesses donated meals as well. St. John the Baptist
Church in San Juan hosted an outdoor picnic for the families. The youths from
the parish organized games and gifts for the children. The abundance of giving
from so many in our diocese translated into smiles for the children and their
parents. That evening, they cried, they celebrated, they rejoiced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">An added joy, on Friday after the government’s deadline to reunite
families, the six-year-old who hesitated to hug his mother at their initial
reunification presented her with a yellow Esperanza flower he found after
spending the morning with her. He picked it for her just as he used to pick
flowers for her when they were in Honduras, she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 120%;">To witness and be a part of this moment in history is the most
blessed experience of all my years of working with the Church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in August 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-5956180641760841772018-07-31T14:04:00.000-07:002018-10-04T14:05:30.166-07:00What we can do<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfueI0HaqPnZIzE6OdVicbLwjC6aPbN3A8RJH3jhn5mfQ89ueYc-zLeCjm4VLmD0ERSF2nyaEqqDHRfFTqj2IQdyoeqbWzS3RS42whb9z8wjrDGAUGawzuHmaof7qqiDY-AyaLcZ6kiQ/s1600/Volunteer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfueI0HaqPnZIzE6OdVicbLwjC6aPbN3A8RJH3jhn5mfQ89ueYc-zLeCjm4VLmD0ERSF2nyaEqqDHRfFTqj2IQdyoeqbWzS3RS42whb9z8wjrDGAUGawzuHmaof7qqiDY-AyaLcZ6kiQ/s320/Volunteer.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">When Wyne Cler from
Denver Colorado heard volunteers were needed, she signed up, booked a flight to
McAllen, and came with her 13-year-old daughter Lucy to the Humanitarian
Respite Center. She did not know what she would be doing, knew her Spanish was
rudimentary, but she knew she wanted to help in any way she could. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">As she held and
rocked a baby from Honduras in her arms so the mother could rest, Cler said “We
have to do this. How can we not come?” She knows what it is like to be an
immigrant. Cler was 2 1/2 years old when she came to the United States with her
parents as refugees from Vietnam in 1975. “I don’t care what your politics are;
we have to do the right thing,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">Retirees Steve, 85,
and Ruth Mohyla, 82, from Cypress, Texas also acted on the impulse to help. “We
wanted to do something.” The couple drove down to the Rio Grande Valley and
heard about the Humanitarian Respite Center at their hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">Awakened by the
cries of immigrant children who have been separated from their parents, people
locally and from different parts of Texas and the United States have stopped
what they were doing, some taking time off from work, to take action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">We have all been
impacted, shocked that this could happen in our nation, that children could be
used as pawns in a deterrence measure that is cruel and unjust. Bishop Daniel
E. Flores in an early statement said, “the systematic separation of immigrant
parents and children at the border is simply cruel…This nation, for the sake of
its soul, must learn to weep with these children, and all the children who are
being instrumentalized and commodified in our midst.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">As we cry with the
children who must feel lost and alone, we cannot even fathom the long-term
damage this is causing them and our nation. It is heartbreaking to hear the
cries of children who are calling out for their parents. The cries published by
ProPublica are but a glimpse of these dark days. Dr. Amy Cohen, a child
psychiatrist who came from Los Angeles and talked to some of the children and
mothers, estimates that 90 percent of the people who come through the respite
center door have had some type of moderate to severe trauma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">But we find hope in
the midst of tragedy. We find it in each other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">A documentarian who
came to the border to cover the story, asked some good questions that we see
answered here by the response of hundreds, even thousands — “How is God at work
in the midst of this crisis? And how can we see that and participate?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">We see it every day.
Because of our humanity, we look for ways to help a brother and sister in need.
For four years volunteers have helped to keep the Humanitarian Respite Center
open. To date, more than 100,000 immigrant men, women and children have found
rest at the center, which first opened at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen and is
now at a temporary site nearby. Sister Norma Pimentel, with the Missionaries of
Jesus, who oversees the work of the respite center as executive director of
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, reminds us we are restoring
people’s dignity with our simple acts of kindness — with a warm welcome,
“<i>Bienvenidos</i>!” a warm meal, a shower, a smile. You can see the transformation
occur within minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">While at the respite
center one evening, a nine-month old baby delighted after a fussy spell when
his mother fed him small pieces of carrots and potatoes from a warm bowl of
soup. As she first mashed the pieces between her fingers, she told me this was
his first warm meal in days. Across the room, a three-year-old boy was taking
turns feeding himself and feeding his father with a spoon. Witnessing these
simple moments, filled me with joy, and with a renewed energy to do more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">God is certainly at
work daily through the volunteers from here in the Rio Grande Valley who help
year round and from the volunteers who are coming from Los Angeles, Laredo,
Dallas, Kansas City, Toledo Ohio, New York City, New Jersey and countless other
locations. They all have come in response to a spontaneous desire to help in
some way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">We are witnessing
“an extra measure of <i>cariños</i> and solidarity as an expression of support” said
one volunteer coordinator. This is evident in the overwhelming response from
people from across the nation, via donations, prayers and volunteering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">Four years ago, when
Sister Norma asked the parish priest to borrow the parish hall for a few days,
no one imagined it would continue this long. The days, weeks, months ahead are
filled with uncertainty in regard to the different immigration realities, but
we cannot lose hope. In the words of Bishop Flores, we must continue “as a
community to pray for families and children affected by this enforcement
policy, and that our country’s laws be crafted and administered with human
compassion.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">What we are doing,
taking action with our prayers and fasting, by speaking up and contacting our
leaders, by staying informed, by donating, by volunteering, is the visible
reality of God at work in our midst. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">Even children of all
ages are doing what they can. One group of children from San Francisco sent a
bundle of cards with hand drawn pictures and messages. “Sending love from San
Francisco” read one written in crayons. </span><span lang="ES-MX" style="letter-spacing: -.1pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX;">An older child wrote, <i>“les
quería enviar un cariño mensaje de apoyo y solidaridad....Todo el país está
pensando en ustedes y no les van a dejar solos.” </i></span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"><i>“Eres bienvenido aquí. Estamos contigo.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">At a prayer vigil on
June 20, Bishop Flores said, “We recognize that God puts us on the road that
other people travel so that we might help them. That is the spirit of this
walk. That God puts us really today on the road that helps to be servants of
those who walk....”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">A nine-year-old from
Dallas, Sean Bertram, who came with his father to the respite center, served
water his first day to thirsty immigrants who had just arrived. He said it was
his first volunteer experience, and his best decision ever. “It’s the least I
can do,” he said. His example reminds us all that we can each do something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in July 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-65485785747788666122018-06-15T15:01:00.000-07:002018-10-04T15:02:02.414-07:00Not just Workin’ for a Livin’<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">During these summer months, we start thinking
more about vacation days, looking for ways to take a break from work. Some
companies even adjust for summer hours or close for a few weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Year round, advertisers try to tempt us with
images of rest and leisure. They want us to imagine ourselves near the beach,
idle, holding a cold drink. They paint inactivity as an ideal moment we should
constantly pursue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">While we consider our vacation options this
summer, as these opportunities certainly afford us periods to recharge our
batteries and spend more time with family, I think we can also consider the
blessings of work both at home and in our professional occupations. After all,
the reality of work continues no matter the month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UOax-N-iKfzPZRAOr59RXAZfi-3kdHKhwxgjm1qr3RzRorIw5ty8omR5KvUQ_vGEchDEZSfyn1Kzn7NCa_S_xG3INkVcUn0LEwUzo5vYePy3lYzgvmfHjjMwiL9lt8F0MIO5tYCe7Q/s1600/St.Josemaria+Escriva.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UOax-N-iKfzPZRAOr59RXAZfi-3kdHKhwxgjm1qr3RzRorIw5ty8omR5KvUQ_vGEchDEZSfyn1Kzn7NCa_S_xG3INkVcUn0LEwUzo5vYePy3lYzgvmfHjjMwiL9lt8F0MIO5tYCe7Q/s320/St.Josemaria+Escriva.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Rather than looking at work as drudgery or an
obligation we try to escape, St. Josemaria Escrivá, whose feast day we observe
on June 26, taught that work can be a path to holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Work is a gift from God,” he said. “It is
something to be sanctified and something which sanctifies.” (Christ is Passing
By, 47). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The founder of Opus Dei (Latin for “Work of
God”) said, “Work is part and parcel of man’s life on earth. It involves
effort, weariness, exhaustion: signs of the suffering and struggle which
accompany human existence and which point to the reality of sin and the need
for redemption. But in itself work is not a penalty or a curse or a
punishment.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">He further notes, “It makes no sense to
classify men differently, according to their occupation, as if some jobs were
nobler than others. Work, all work, bears witness to the dignity of man, to his
dominion over creation. It is an opportunity to develop one’s personality. It
is a bond of union with others, the way to support one’s family, a means of
aiding in the improvement of the society in which we live and in the progress
of all humanity” (Christ is Passing By, 47). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Among our Catholic devotions, there are a
variety of novenas, a nine-day prayer period, to ask God for a specific
intention. a “novena for work” to St. Josemaria offers some good points to
consider. The focus for each of the nine days is reflected in the titles: 1. Work
as a path to holiness; 2. Work done for love of God; 3. Working with order and
constancy; 4. Well-finished work; 5. All honest work is dignified; 6. Work done
in company with God, and with rectitude of intention; 7. Maturing in virtue
though work; 8. Work as service, a help for others; and 9. Apostolate through
work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The selection from his writings and intention
each day offer a closer look at the value of the work we do. They remind us of
the power of prayer, love and sacrifice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Reading further, here are a few of his words
on the subject:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“Sanctity is not for a privileged few. The
Lord calls all of us. He expects love from all of us — from everyone, wherever
they are; from everyone, whatever their state in life, their profession or job.
For the daily life we live, apparently so ordinary, can be a path to sanctity:
it is not necessary to abandon one’s place in the world in order to search for
God … because all the paths of the earth can be the occasion for an encounter
with Christ” (<i>Letter 24-III-1930, no. 2)</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“Let us work. Let us work a lot and work
well, without forgetting that prayer is our best weapon. That is why I will
never tire of repeating that we have to be contemplative souls in the middle of
the world, who try to convert their work into prayer.” (Furrow, Work, Chap. 15,
497) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“It is no good offering to God something that
is less perfect than our poor human limitations permit. The work that we offer
must be without blemish and it must be done as carefully as possible, even in
its smallest details, for God will not accept shoddy workmanship. 'Thou shalt
not offer anything that is faulty,' Holy Scripture warns us, 'because it would
not be worthy of him.' For that reason, the work of each one of us, the
activities that take up our time and energy, must be an offering worthy of our
Creator. It must be <i>operatio Dei</i>, a work of God that is done for God: in
short, a task that is complete and faultless.” (Friends of God, Working for
God, 47) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“We acquire the style of contemplative souls,
in the midst of our daily work! Because we become certain that he is watching
us, while he asks us to conquer ourselves anew: a little sacrifice here, a
smile there for someone who bothers us, beginning the least pleasant but most
urgent job first, carefulness in little details of order, perseverance in the
fulfilment of our duty when it would be so easy to abandon it, not leaving for
tomorrow what should be finished today: and all this, to please him, Our Father
God!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Friends of God, Working for God,
67) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">St. Josemaria’s writings are reinvigorating,
placing work in a new light. While we are “workin’ for a livin’" as
intoned in the 1980’s song by Huey Lewis and the News, our work can also
sanctify us. No matter how monotonous or challenging, our prayers direct our
approach. And this makes all the difference, filling each task with joy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in June 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-85439567781247646572018-05-15T14:45:00.000-07:002018-10-04T14:46:05.344-07:00While we wait, a word on patience, time<br />
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Pedir, confiar y esperar</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">” (Ask, trust and wait). Father Ignacio Luna,
one of our retired priests who recently published a collection of poetry, opens
his poem “3 Virtudes,” with these key words. The last word, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">esperar</i>, makes me stumble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG1GddeqUYTo3T6OvE5NT2EzyYotviRfegAu-MjhbzV0APbRlfDNwVjzDlB-pJD2j3w-6KDagDADQ3ehKwx8tvLfEZfeMwkELhMRs7ugQI_IWFhDLr9QAkgWxHgbttQCm6mnBn_TEHw/s1600/Waiting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG1GddeqUYTo3T6OvE5NT2EzyYotviRfegAu-MjhbzV0APbRlfDNwVjzDlB-pJD2j3w-6KDagDADQ3ehKwx8tvLfEZfeMwkELhMRs7ugQI_IWFhDLr9QAkgWxHgbttQCm6mnBn_TEHw/s400/Waiting.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Our addiction to immediacy pushes us towards
impatience. We have an aversion to waiting. Hence, the growing tide of fast
foods, overnight deliveries and on-demand videos. We have fed a microwave
culture, and allowed it to ensnare us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Daily we are caught in moments of waiting,
waiting for something to occur or waiting at times for God to respond to our
prayers. In a world that continually pushes for speed and efficiency, patience
seems to get lost in the rush.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Waiting, however, helps us cultivate
patience. We can choose to get agitated when confronted with a delay, or we can
opt instead to reframe the moment. Consider the purpose for the extra time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">For example, no one likes to wait in line,
but we wait when we deem something worthy enough of our time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In April, on our last day in Rome after
attending a seminar for church communication offices, we wanted to visit the
Vatican and pray inside St. Peter’s Basilica. The line seemed endless. It
curved like a river with thousands of people. It took an hour and a half before
we cleared security to walk inside the basilica. It was certainly worth the
wait to enter the largest Catholic Church in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">After our visit, I realized that the waiting
provided us with time to talk to people, to share stories. It allowed time for
the encounter with one another, with people we might have seen in passing but
never stopped to get to know like the newlyweds from Ohio<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on their honeymoon and the family from
Poland. A young man, Bartłomiej, was holding a spot for his elderly parents who
were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. His mother was confirmed by
Father Karol Wojtyła in Poland, St. John Paul II when he was a priest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">During Lent, we were waiting for Easter, anticipating
the Resurrection. Lent gave us time to prepare ourselves through prayer,
almsgiving and fasting for the special feast day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Patience is not an excuse to sit idle. During
the wait-time, there is likely something we can begin doing. Also, special
graces may be occurring of which we may not be fully aware. Just as we can’t
see all the work roots undertake beneath the soil, a transformation may be
occurring, or something may be taking shape beyond our knowing, beyond what we
can see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In May, the month of Mary, we can take some
lessons from our Blessed Mother. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, in his book <i>The
Glories of Mary</i> reminds us, “God gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model
of all virtues, but more especially as an example of patience.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As a mother, I also have a growing
appreciation for St. Monica, who prayed for 17 years for the conversion of her
son St. Augustine of Hippo. St. Monica never gave up on her loved ones, as her
prayers also led to the conversion of her husband and her mother-in-law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="ES-MX" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX;">In reference to the
word <i>esperar</i>, Father Luna writes in his poem, “…<i>espera sin desesperar / la
respuesta divina, / pues Dios sabe en qué / momento, nos da lo pedido.</i>” </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">(waiting without despair the divine response,
God knows the moment in which he will grant what was asked.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">With these words, he reminds we need to trust
a response will come in God’s time frame. As much as we like to set our own
deadlines, we need to recognize there is a value to waiting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">It may be helpful to remember this in our
day-to-day undertakings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“When will you make an end?” asks Pope Julius
II of Michelangelo in the movie, The Agony and the Ecstasy. Impatient for the
completion of the Sistine Chapel, the pope pressured the artist to hurry.
Michelangelo’s response: “When I’m finished.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Indeed, a masterpiece can’t always be rushed.
Michelangelo’s frescos, on the famous ceiling that now draws more than 20,000
visitors each day, were unveiled four years after he started his work. Consider
the community at Sacred Heart Parish in Hidalgo. They spent 13 years to raise
and save money for their new church which should be completed by June.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">While we may not have been commissioned for
something as grand as the Sistine Chapel or to build a church, anything worth
doing well requires patience and time. This includes our personal growth and
our relationships with others. We are all a work in progress. Perhaps learning
to be patient with ourselves, others, and God is part of the journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In his prayer “Patient Trust,” the late
Jesuit Priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin notes, “Above all, trust in the slow
work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end
without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient
of being on the way to something unknown, something new.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">He ends: “Give our Lord the benefit of
believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling
yourself in suspense and incomplete.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 150%;">We can also take a cue from the parable of the persistent widow and
remember “to pray always without becoming weary.” (Luke 18: 1-8)</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in May 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-47547307735743330552018-04-06T14:41:00.002-07:002018-04-06T14:41:28.679-07:00How one year turned into a 20-year pilgrimage<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">Twenty years ago, my son was in first grade,
my daughter in preschool. I was content working for a school district at the
time and taking graduate classes, on track with the 10 and 20-year-plan I
outlined for my family and myself. However, God had other plans. I did not
realize at the time, but he was calling me home, back to the Church. His
accomplice, my husband who faxed in my résumé to the diocese, helped me pay
attention.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IDYE-z_shLhveIXgUAIeZF1aiRshOiJ5nxKRTDcW7yF2y9zimZfB6mRsxAgMQtIga6LqS072Wbfhb-nwwOlW95jXw4IMuXFGYSwPrHT0A_i853kVk82Ee247hxvjIF2Oy4oErszcFg/s1600/Meeting+Pope+Frances.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IDYE-z_shLhveIXgUAIeZF1aiRshOiJ5nxKRTDcW7yF2y9zimZfB6mRsxAgMQtIga6LqS072Wbfhb-nwwOlW95jXw4IMuXFGYSwPrHT0A_i853kVk82Ee247hxvjIF2Oy4oErszcFg/s320/Meeting+Pope+Frances.jpg" width="312" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">When I started in 1998, I did not know what
to expect. I thought I would try it out for a year. Fast forward to 2018 where
April 6 marks the 20-year anniversary of my first day on the job. But the word
“job” no longer fits, as the journey taught me that my work here is a ministry.
Likewise, these years have served as ongoing catechesis and provided some
life-changing lessons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Learning to surrender ranks as one of the
most impactful lessons. Connected to this came lessons in patience and
humility. Also, I count the gift of each encounter with the people in our
diocese which continually reinforces the intricate ways God connects us to one
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The pilgrimage continues and I still have
much more to learn. For now, I leave you with two poems from my manuscript
titled <i>Somewhere Between Surrender</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Painter Stirs Each Moment<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He paints
pink oleanders in my backyard, blends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">greens
into shade, into palms, basil, bougainvillea,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">adds
salmon into the mix. He stirs blues of the sky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">with
grays, oranges, pinks. He creates colors we <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">try
to name, gives light, whispers his directions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
path sometimes blurs in my eyes. He wakes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">me
with aromas peppered with spice, the perfume<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">of
gardenias, the voice of love, the cries of my<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">babies
gone now, making their own ways, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">the
premonitions afloat en el Rio Grande <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">with
songs from la frontera.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX;">Mixed media on canvas. Los consejos de mi mama,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX;">la industria de mi abuela, the chess moves my <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">father
tried to teach me, the birdhouses I painted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">with
mis pequeños, their laughter a contagious tint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
holds some colors in reserve. Offers hues we <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">might
not dare. He gifts the lizards their own<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">paintbrush,
these chameleons that scale my<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">porch
screens. He, the master painter, in the light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">of
the Resurrection. I, his apprentice, his groupie,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">his
skinned-kneed child. I paint with bloodied palms,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">color
all over the page. I cannot sing, hold a tune, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">tantas
las canciones, but I write, try to capture <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">lightning
on the page, try to end the hunger, try <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">to
keep from catching fire, catch daylight, answers, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">hear
the symphony of the hours in each moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A Work in Progress<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
expectations falter, critical selves of missteps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and
falls. He picks us up, trusts us, again<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and
again and again. He wants to hear our laughter, cheers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">us
on, wipes our tears. Abba, I am your work in progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet
you deliver surprises with a bouquet of red <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">kalanchoes
wrapped in Sunday comics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
does not count promises, disappointments; he picks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">us
up, gathers our dandelion florets scattered by<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">day's
wind, nudges us in the direction, through hikes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">in
el Valle's wild, witness the gold blooms on the huisache.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
cactus flowers bring spring to the desert,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
offer my day, my poems, in prayer, in thanksgiving. </span><span lang="ES-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-US;">Ni<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX;">el frio de Abril, ni la
inquietud del miedo me quita<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">el
ánimo. I wake each day for you Lord, incomplete I look<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">to
discover your work in progress, your surprises, todas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">tus
maravillas. I surrender. May my pilgrimage walk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">give
witness to his love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-82803708903347091402018-03-23T11:10:00.001-07:002018-03-23T11:10:29.167-07:00Look! Where are you focusing your lens?<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Lately I have been looking back at photos
from recent trips and some from years past. I enjoy this traveling back in
time. This practice helps me tickle a memory awake and see again what I might
have rushed through when I originally snapped the picture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The opportunity to see again helps me count
the blessing of a moment beyond what was captured by the camera. Each image
emerges as a line in a poem or in a story. Sometimes I am also surprised by
what I see in the photo that was not the focus at the time. With this comes the
recognition that we don’t always see everything that stands before us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Alexandra Horowitz, in her book On Looking:
Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes, notes, “The world is wildly distracting.” We
simply can’t take it all in, so we learn to see without really seeing. She
adds, “Expertise changes what you see and hear, and it even changes what you
can attend to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Consider your own focus from day to day.
After a long weekend, we often have to refocus ourselves on our work and the
week ahead. Where your focus lies determines what you will see. Consider as
well that our lens can get blurry as we proceed on autopilot or in a rush, and
we may not always see what stands in front of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Lent, which calls us to spiritual growth as
we walk together as community to Easter, helps us pay attention to where we
point our lens. During this Lenten season, we can refocus our eyes on our faith
life, on the people in our lives and those in need; and on the blessings we
sometimes take for granted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Pope Francis in his Message for Lent said,
“Lent summons us, and enables us, to come back to the Lord wholeheartedly and
in every aspect of our life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In essence, it helps us focus, look more
closely. It’s healthy to pause from the rush that can take us off track. Bishop
Mario Avilés, who led a Lenten Retreat for our diocesan staff in February,
cautioned us to be mindful of what we do and what we see. We have to be
careful, he said, with thorns on the path that can choke our faith life and our
relationship with others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Speaking about the reality of sin, Pope
Francis reminds us in his Lenten Message, “In order to confound the human
heart, the devil, who is ‘a liar and the father of lies’ (Jn 8:44), has always
presented evil as good, falsehood as truth. That is why each of us is called to
peer into our heart to see if we are falling prey to the lies of these false
prophets. We must learn to look closely, beneath the surface, and to recognize
what leaves a good and lasting mark on our hearts, because it comes from God
and is truly for our benefit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Almsgiving, one of the spiritual practices of
Lent, provides us as well with an opportunity to see through another’s eyes, or
through their perspective to gain a better understanding of what others might
be dealing with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In his homily on Ash Wednesday, Bishop Daniel
E. Flores emphasized that during Lent we walk together towards the Cross and
the Resurrection. To walk together, he said,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>means we are connected to each other. Those connections are deep and
imply some responsibilities to one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">While the grain of the world has always been
individualistic, Bishop Flores said, the clarion call of the Lenten season is
to be people of mercy. Mercy is being able to respond to the person in need
next to you, just as Jesus responded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Ultimately, Lent is about refocusing our
lives as Christians upon the connections we have. Starting with prayer, he
said. “Prayer connects us to God. If we aren’t praying and asking God for help,
how can we be of any good and use to anybody else?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Bishop Flores added that almsgiving is
“recognizing that what I have is not just for me alone, that I have a
responsibility to use the goods that God puts in my possession for the good of
other people.” It is “about that sense of giving of yourself, not just about
material things, but of the time you have, and the support you give each other.
He advises us to more conscious about how we treat each other, starting with
family and friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The Holy Father tells us as well, “Love can
also grow cold in our own communities.” He reminds us, that in the Apostolic
Exhortation <i>Evangelii Gaudium</i>, he “sought to describe the most evident
signs of this lack of love: selfishness and spiritual sloth, sterile pessimism,
the temptation to self-absorption, constant warring among ourselves, and the
worldly mentality that makes us concerned only for appearances, and thus
lessens our missionary zeal.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">By focusing on the people in our lives, we
can prevent love from growing cold in our communities, and it might help us see
something we might be missing. We might also try to see through another
person’s perspective – an elderly family member or someone in our community in
need. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As we begin to pay more attention on where we
focus our lens, we may gain a better vantage point to recognize and appreciate
the everyday moments in our lives, and maybe to see with the eyes of a child
and their sense of wonder. Consider too the value of looking with all our
senses, not just our eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Indeed, Lent is a time for fasting,
almsgiving and prayer. It is also a time to count our blessings. How often do
we thank the Lord for the graces in our lives?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -.1pt; line-height: 120%;"></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in March 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-77337742021100867582018-02-06T10:44:00.001-08:002018-02-06T10:44:38.539-08:00Transitions, letting go and new beginnings<div class="BasicParagraph">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our
little birds will fly</span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQB1XepLUPxvypL8Zz7hIzGItc7yc-4g2uoYZWqc1nwUh-JsaSswlTrI8oXn5EqcB3ib8y4Ur7J40xtE4ohgvWHpHQMoBba9msw_zE_3Cur2XWhPDQr4McT-0eOGK1SrZtqoXW-u0KHA/s1600/_DSC5998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQB1XepLUPxvypL8Zz7hIzGItc7yc-4g2uoYZWqc1nwUh-JsaSswlTrI8oXn5EqcB3ib8y4Ur7J40xtE4ohgvWHpHQMoBba9msw_zE_3Cur2XWhPDQr4McT-0eOGK1SrZtqoXW-u0KHA/s400/_DSC5998.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Joy overflowed on the eve of New Year’s Eve, Dec. 30,
as my son and new daughter-in-law were married at the Immaculate Conception
Cathedral in Brownsville.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The bride’s talented mother did a beautiful job
overseeing all the details for their themed wedding – “Let love grow.” The
Wedding Mass and reception provided the perfect occasion to celebrate their new
beginning as husband and wife and as leaders of their “domestic church.” It
also provided a perfect backdrop to gather family and friends. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As mother of the groom, I held fewer responsibilities.
I did not have to worry about all the details. While I usually tend to juggle
multiple projects with a checklist in hand, always feeling pressured for time,
on this occasion I welcomed the grace of time to pray before Mass, to be
present for family, to take in each moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The flurry of emotions such a milestone moment brings
caught me off guard. Lydia Pesina with the Family Life Office reminds us often
that every stage of family life comes with rewards and losses. Rewards are
obvious as we celebrate the sacrament of marriage. Yes. I know: “I am not
losing a son; I am gaining a daughter.” This certainly brings our family great
joy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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However, we do not often speak about the losses. These
losses are part of the transitions that take place as children leave the nest
and start their own families. Naturally, we want this for our children. We want
them to become independent responsible adults. Over the years, we have walked
through various stages – learning how to drive, leaving for college, living on
their own, becoming financially independent, and now marriage. <o:p></o:p></div>
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At each stage, our roles as parents change, as do our
relationships. They no longer depend on us in the same way as when they were
children. Holidays will take on a different feel as they divide their time
between families and start their own traditions. And I am now a mother-in-law
and no longer the main woman in my son’s life. I can accept these roles. We
learn to let go. Learn to trust more and more in God to guide them. However, we
continue to worry about their health, their safety, their wellbeing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I confess, though, that hearing my son refer to his
mother-in-law and me as his “two moms” stung a bit. That is a role I am not
quite ready to share. Although I am grateful that his new in-laws love my son,
it will still take some time for me to adjust. I can accept that I am no longer
the main woman in my son’s life, but the role of a mother is different. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I remember the words the deacon at St. Anthony Parish
in Harlingen shared 27 years ago as he led the baptismal classes. He reminded
us parents and godparents that our children are on loan to us from God. Hence,
as I let go and celebrate new beginnings, I recall the words of St. James who
tells us to “consider it all joy.” Jas 1:2<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also focus my eyes on our Blessed Mother Mary, who is
an example for all mothers. I invite you to share your stories and <i>consejos</i>
about some of your transitions and letting-go moments as your children set out
to live their own lives. As we share, we learn together. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUYwN8rcZcLMcWIHS1oZfu5wY9Mz1-HcD33Sn6n2OswT4wKhBNxV4jFBbiEMb-5dSmQSLLVOr_uVOhILNzqUwzuCAZY8lPzIbxTcNU7kvdJ1ur9LMiSG0u59H32g75pkD7yg9Qu6xzw/s1600/_DSC6421+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUYwN8rcZcLMcWIHS1oZfu5wY9Mz1-HcD33Sn6n2OswT4wKhBNxV4jFBbiEMb-5dSmQSLLVOr_uVOhILNzqUwzuCAZY8lPzIbxTcNU7kvdJ1ur9LMiSG0u59H32g75pkD7yg9Qu6xzw/s320/_DSC6421+c.jpg" width="200" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
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For now, I treasure each second my son and I shared
during the mother-son dance. My son chose the song titled “The First Lady in My
Life,” by Paul Todd. We laughed; we
cried; we shared a private moment even as everyone watched.</div>
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I am grateful for my role as a mother. I know too, my
role as a prayer warrior will grow, and no matter how old my adult children
are, I will continue to give them a blessing before they depart my home or my
presence.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in February 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
poetisaperegrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00837642726616409965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-76127959064440444452018-01-05T14:16:00.001-08:002018-01-05T14:16:07.966-08:00Gift of silence and solitude<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xYPPZmkrTMNod1DSvvhGrL9V0kuakRW6xyPFjY5KFY2_PUeMGWuh221NT_EauZKnu99flUEJg9ZP738kFHUw05snV-Al3IlPth1UU89gsg83a_3CK3BmwRy6T8pCIHvYK93Q4kyhZQ/s1600/DSC_0662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xYPPZmkrTMNod1DSvvhGrL9V0kuakRW6xyPFjY5KFY2_PUeMGWuh221NT_EauZKnu99flUEJg9ZP738kFHUw05snV-Al3IlPth1UU89gsg83a_3CK3BmwRy6T8pCIHvYK93Q4kyhZQ/s320/DSC_0662.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">New Year, new calendar to fill. I imagine we
share a similar story as the days in 2018 begin to unfold. Just a few days into
the year and already my calendar rushes me ahead to the coming months as I fill
the dates for future events. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">We just finished what sometimes feels like a
rush through Advent and into the Christmas season. The speed of life can leave
us breathless. As a remedy, I find silence and solitude essential. This can
take the form of a mini retreat or even just a few short moments alone without
any distractions, without music, television, or any other noise. Setting aside
such time is most helpful for prayer. Without it, how can we make sure the
rhythm of our lives is in tune with God’s will for us? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">A dear friend has been inviting me to learn
more about contemplative prayer, which the St. Teresa of Avila said, “means
taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.” (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, 2709.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">I confess I struggle with staying still, but
I think contemplative prayer may help me find a balance to the sometimes crazy
tempo in my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">I have also come to appreciate the simple
pleasures of the ordinary – the art of lingering, of drinking a cup of green
jasmine tea, of reading a few pages from a book, or even preparing a meal or
taking a short walk. Always I emerge
refreshed and ready to tackle the next challenge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">If we are constantly in motion, running
through our to-do list, even adding to it before we have a chance to complete
the list, if we are incessantly caught up in all the chatter of the world, if
our mind has lost some focus, if we start to lose our creative spark, it may be
time to retreat. Sometimes we need a “Do Not Disturb” sign to create some space
to rest and recharge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Winter, with the darker nights and cold
chills that cue nature to rest before a spring rebirth, reminds us it is
healthy to take a break. What joy, though, knowing dormant periods are
opportunities for regrowth, for renewal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Silence and solitude give us space to think,
to hear our own voice. The world grows loud with others’ ideas and opinions.
Finding time to process and form our own ideas takes time. Social media, which
helps keep us connected to our ever-widening community and provides us with
some valuable communications tools and countless idea resources, grows
overzealous for our time. There is simply too much to take in as we scroll
through hundreds and thousands of posts daily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">It is healthy to step away from all the noise
in the world; healthy to rest and recharge. Just as we sometimes have to turn
off and restart our computers, we have to refresh ourselves. When was the last
time you took a nap? How did you feel afterwards? I used to take naps on Sunday
afternoons. It’s been awhile, but I remember how refreshing they felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The gift to myself this January and in this
New Year – some silence and solitude, some time for contemplative prayer. Even
if it’s just for a few short moments interspersed amidst all the rush and
chatter, I am going to make use of my virtual “Do Not Disturb” sign. I am
especially going to make sure my calendar includes scheduled time for prayer
before the Blessed Sacrament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As noted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
“One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one
makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter
what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one
can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health,
work, or emotional state. The heart is the place of this quest and encounter,
in poverty and in faith.” (CC 2710)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in January 2018 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-77038230926453125292017-11-30T15:59:00.000-08:002018-01-05T14:05:36.296-08:00Corn tortillas, beans and rice<h3>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">A story of response, love and abundance</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Two sisters on their way back from buying bread and
milk for breakfast one morning waited for the train to pass. As the train,
known as <i>La Bestia </i>(the Beast),
slowed down they saw some men appear and several yelled out, <i>“Madre, tenemos hambre; regálanos tu pan.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The sisters did not hesitate to give them their bread
and milk. People were hungry. After sharing the story with their family and at
their mother’s suggestion, the next day they prepared 30 food packets with corn
tortillas, beans and rice, and then listened for the train. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That day in 1995 changed their lives, said Norma
Romero from the small town of Guadalupe (La Patrona), Veracruz, Mexico. “It
made us more conscious of the realities we’re living. Too often, we ignore what
is happening around us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the time, “We didn’t know where they were going; we
didn’t know about the immigration issues; we didn’t know if they were here
legally or illegally. When one wants to help, the last thing you think about is
their legal status. For us they were humans,” and that is all that mattered,
she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrHkhDFn3AxQ0ttUZ5BZ0EkPOLzgCDSP9lI9AHZn6nFv86Xbpy3AE9PqjMEI6yjnKtJcyCKjSvREb_vy4mAb4d_yXuxX5jKBhrWfEC_MYoOz8qUcAZYh33ciHB3nFZWxfI6tP5nKUzg/s1600/p4+Two+Normas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="875" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrHkhDFn3AxQ0ttUZ5BZ0EkPOLzgCDSP9lI9AHZn6nFv86Xbpy3AE9PqjMEI6yjnKtJcyCKjSvREb_vy4mAb4d_yXuxX5jKBhrWfEC_MYoOz8qUcAZYh33ciHB3nFZWxfI6tP5nKUzg/s320/p4+Two+Normas.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Romero, who visited McAllen in October, shared the
story of the women now referred to as <i>Las
Patronas</i>, denoting the name of their town. In Spanish, the word <i>patrona</i> also means boss or
protector. For Romero, the name reminds
her they are working under the patronage of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and
doing God’s work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For the past 22 years the women, <i>campesinas</i> from La Patrona, have fed thousands of migrants
traveling from Central America. <i>“Donde
hay amor, no hay cansancio,”</i> she said. Where there is love, there is no
fatigue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Listening to her story, underscores the importance of
our initial response when we see someone in need. These women did not hesitate
to help the moment they heard the words – <i>“Madre,
tenemos hambre; regálanos tu pan.”</i> And 22 years later their response has
not diminished. It has grown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Las Patronas now
have a shelter named El Comedor la Esperanza del Migrante. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With
the help of the community and other contributors and volunteers they prepare up
to 300 meals daily which they toss to migrants as the train passes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We see this response here in our own community. Close
to home, we have our own Norma, Sister Norma Pimentel, director of Catholic
Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, who one day in June 2014 responded with a
yes when she heard there were immigrants at the bus station in McAllen who needed
a place to rest. With her yes, other yeses followed from near and far from
people who came to volunteer and provide needed supplies at the Humanitarian
Respite Center at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Both Normas and those who help them illustrate all
that can be done when you see a need and take action. The capacity of a
generous heart provides light and hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During her visit in McAllen, Romero spent some time
with Sister Norma and visited the Respite Center. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“It gives me hope and joy,” she said, “to know there
are others who are supporting our migrant brothers and sisters. Each day God is
bringing more of us together, helping us grow in solidarity, not just with our
brother migrants but also as a team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“This space represents hope in the midst of so much
violence and evil. There is hope, but above all there is love. I feel as if I
am in my home, because these are spaces where God is, where you feel the
solidarity, you feel the brotherhood.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Romero added, “We all need to continue working and
need to be conscious of all they are living and how they managed to arrive
here, all the obstacles they had to overcome.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bishop Flores reminds us God wants our response, and
this response is a grace. But in order for us to respond, we must be ready, he
said. We must read the Gospels, share them with our children, with our families.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At the Diocesan Encuentro Mass on Oct. 14, Bishop
Flores reflected on the image of the Virgin Mary reading, as she is often
depicted in many paintings. He pointed out she is reading the scriptures,
meditating on the words of God and the prophets. She was ready to respond when
the angel appeared to her at the Annunciation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">"Dios quiere un pueblo capaz de recibir la gracia
y de responder."</span></i><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> /
God wants a community capable of receiving his grace and responding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Pero tiene que tocar el corazón,”</span></i><span lang="ES-MX" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> he said. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It must reach the heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While Thanksgiving provides us an occasion to express
our gratitude for the abundance in our lives, year round we need to be ready to
respond where needed so that we may say yes to God’s call and be a blessing to
others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As Romero notes when she talks about her work, “We are
all Church. From the moment we were blessed with baptism. We need to work in
God’s kingdom.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We don’t need great
wealth. But in our response we can find an abundance to share. Let’s go listen
for the train. <i>Las Patronas</i> show us
it starts with a generous heart, and perhaps with some corn tortillas, rice and
beans. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in November 2017 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-62431824113787314612017-10-27T15:50:00.003-07:002018-01-05T14:05:06.688-08:00Take a pilgrimage, volunteer your time<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">C<span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">an you
imagine opening your doors to anyone who comes to your home looking for a place
to stay, no matter their health condition or legal status? Every day the
Sisters of Divine Providence welcome strangers into their emergency shelter —
La Posada Providencia in San Benito.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">When answering the telephone or opening her
door, Sister Zita Telkamp, who has served as the shelter’s executive director
for 13 years, never knows who will need her assistance. “We never turn anyone
away,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEWeRopUEjPjt55T9g6k2OQur9GoZPaTZ6GDik7RRZjCvZ_g_Stj_5KM4knygyPucY9EO1HuTUpRMmHXBwGOT3_HDUkTfud2KkASU2or-UT4IibSO80haAT7XRFewn3z2t48WoOVItw/s1600/P4+volunteer+time.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEWeRopUEjPjt55T9g6k2OQur9GoZPaTZ6GDik7RRZjCvZ_g_Stj_5KM4knygyPucY9EO1HuTUpRMmHXBwGOT3_HDUkTfud2KkASU2or-UT4IibSO80haAT7XRFewn3z2t48WoOVItw/s400/P4+volunteer+time.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Since the sisters opened in the center 28
years ago in 1989 they and volunteers have served more than 9,000 people from
81 countries. Many of their clients arrive with only the clothes on their
backs, and “with hope in their pockets,” said Sister Telkamp. The stories
recounted by the men, women and children overflow with hardships from their
long journeys in search of safety and a better life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Pope Francis is asking us to share the
journey with our migrant and immigrant brothers and sisters. But long before he
announced the international campaign on Sept. 27, Sister Telkamp and so many
others in our diocese have been answering the call, witnessing to the power of
accompanying others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The campaign draws us to ask ourselves the
question, “How are we sharing the journey?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">When considering this month’s Close to Home
pilgrimage, I felt a prompting to do more than visit a traditional religious
site. St. John Paul II reminded us a pilgrimage is “a process of conversion, a
yearning for intimacy with God.” He said it is a gift of grace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">When we reach out to others and share our
time, that is also a part of the pilgrimage, one the sisters and volunteers at
La Posada Providencia live daily. I went to the shelter in August to report on
the visit from Catholic Extension and Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, and was drawn
to return in September. This time I made some time to volunteer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Sister Telkamp always has something for
volunteers to do, whether it’s for an hour, a weekend or more. Help is needed
with the vegetable garden, inputting data or tutoring a student, among other
activities. Elvira Canales of La Feria has been volunteering every Tuesday for
the past five years, and has recruited other volunteers to join her. She said
she draws great joy from her work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">On the Tuesday I visited, I tutored three
young girls with their English lesson for the day. I confess I was nervous as I
did not know in advance what I would be doing. Sister Therese Cunningham of the
Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate put me at ease reminding me of
the essentials — love and patience. As the young girls practiced their English
we shared some stories. Yuriel from Honduras also instructed me on how to make
tajadas, fried bananas. Another highlight: holding a one-month old baby, Hilda,
born on the Feast of the Assumption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Sister Cunningham, who has been at La Posada
Providencia for 12 years, said her time at the shelter has been a learning
experience and one that has enriched her life. “I feel privileged to be a part
of this wonderful ministry here at La Posada.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“Their faith inspires me; their faith in
divine providence that God is going to be there for them,” she said. “Sure they
have anxiety and moments when their down and depressed,” she added, “but
underneath that they have a real trust and a real faith.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">She said sometimes it can be a challenge on
how to serve “our immigrant brothers and sisters” who are at the shelter for
just a short period of time. “It may just be to be compassionate at heart, to
be a compassionate presence, to listen to their story. It might be to give them
a hug, a smile, just to be there to tend to their needs in this particular
moment and show them they are valued, that they are reverenced because they are
God’s creation, that we are all brothers and sisters on a journey.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“While we’re here on earth,” she said, “we
have this opportunity to be God’s hands and feet and heart for one another.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 107%;">To visit or
volunteer, call (956) 399-3826.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in October 2017 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-55308285127001013842017-09-22T15:47:00.000-07:002017-10-27T15:52:05.612-07:00Consider your circle of influence <div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">Listening to the
wisdom of the saints helps us remember there is much to celebrate. We are alive
for another day. While there is so much we can’t control, we can focus on what
we can do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">St. Francis de Sales
advocated for living in the moment. “Leave the past to God’s mercy, the future
to his Divine Providence and embrace the present willingly and lovingly,” he
said. He also advised us to “bloom where you are planted.” In other words, in
our own homes, work and communities, we should do what we can to make a
difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">In his book, “33
Days to Merciful Love,” Father Michael E. Gaitley, with the Marian Fathers of
the Immaculate Conception, also offers us the example of St. Thérèse of
Lisieux, who advised, “Keep trying: Keep trying to grow in holiness and do
little things with great love.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">We witness this
wisdom lived out daily in the work of so many here on the <i>frontera</i>.
Daily, starting with how we care for our families, we are making a difference,
influencing the people in our lives with our actions, with our love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">And it’s not just
the saints who offer us this advice. Stephen Covey, in his book, <i>7 Habits of
Highly Effective People</i>, points to being proactive as the first essential
habit. He notes as we look at being proactive, we should consider our circle of
influence, areas of which we have control instead of focusing on the circles of
concern, those areas which are out of our control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">Patrick Lencioni,
author and management consultant, spoke about the circle of influence and
circle of concern during the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the
Gospel in America in Orlando, Florida, this past July.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">He said we have to
focus on our circle of influence; otherwise, if we focus on the circle of
concern, there is a danger of doing nothing. People can lose hope and get
bitter, he said. However, hope grows with those who take action. This starts,
he said, with our faith life, our interior peace and personal holiness. We then
need to work with our teams (within an organization) with whom we share a
responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">In August, we had a
chance to give Cardinal Blase Cupich and visitors from Catholic Extension who
traveled from Chicago a tour of some of the different areas in our diocese,
including the Humanitarian Respite Center at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen and
La Posada Providencia in San Benito. I emerged reenergized by witnessing again
the amazing work taking place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">During the visit to
La Posada Providencia, an emergency shelter for refugees fleeing from political
oppression, natural disasters and poverty, we had some time to hear the stories
of the residents. Some came from Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, South Africa and
the Ukraine. They met at the shelter as strangers, but under the guidance of
the sisters who run La Posada Providencia, they have formed a temporary family,
helping one another heal from some of the struggles they’ve lived as they learn
English together and share their talents at the shelter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">As they recounted
their stories, they each mentioned how much they appreciated Sister Zita
Telkamp, a Sister of the Divine Providence who has served as the director since
2008. In a story we published in our newspaper in 2013, Sister Telkamp, who
“welcomes the stranger” at all hours and from multiple countries, was noted as
not just an administrator, but also “a chauffeur, teacher, friend and much
more.” Sister Telkamp, who lives on the property where the shelter is located,
is virtually on call around the clock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">In our
communications ministry, we get to cover stories every day about the people in
our diocese here in the Rio Grande Valley like Sister Telkamp who put their
faith into action, people who use their gifts within their circle of influence
to help one another on this pilgrimage of life. We may be among the poorest
dioceses in the nation, relying on the generosity of founders such as Catholic
Extension and others, but we live in an abundance of love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">In our present
political environment, it is natural to worry about health care, immigration
and safety. We must do more than worry. We must stay informed, speak up, and
take action, remembering we can be more effective by focusing on what we can do
close to home in our own families, work environments and communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="BasicParagraph">
<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">After our visitors
from Chicago leave, after the cameras and reporters disappear, after we return
to our day-to-day, the work continues within our circle of influence. Love
continues to overflow as well in our communities. It does so because of the
inspiring men and women, women like Sister Telkamp and so many others whose
stories we need to tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in September 2017 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-73268244897083482382017-08-11T15:56:00.002-07:002017-08-11T15:56:16.666-07:00Schoenstatt: A place, a movement, a spirituality<div class="BasicParagraph" style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoGVLBjYJqrnSPP9pMIUlslqMW7Cp7nHli6qd9fxsxg5bTqlgOTBScmgIdc_ytSqL1yyA9gKgprrov6s9mkCqFBiF4J58w4w-reaOymm9idwPI3mlohviv8Di5Tp-Nh3a8MPNR9P6bw/s1600/IMG_1996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoGVLBjYJqrnSPP9pMIUlslqMW7Cp7nHli6qd9fxsxg5bTqlgOTBScmgIdc_ytSqL1yyA9gKgprrov6s9mkCqFBiF4J58w4w-reaOymm9idwPI3mlohviv8Di5Tp-Nh3a8MPNR9P6bw/s320/IMG_1996.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;"></span></span></div>
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Wayside shrines dedicated </h2>
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to Blessed Mother Mary</h2>
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WESLACO
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Sometimes we miss what stands in our own backyard. I have lived in the Rio
Grande Valley all my life, and up until this past May had never visited any of
the wayside shrines dedicated to Our Lady of Schoenstatt. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Schoenstatt,
a German word that means a beautiful place, is a Marian movement started in
1914 by Father Joseph Kentenich in the Rhine region of west-central Germany.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">“The
Movement emphasizes a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we uphold
her as a perfect example of love and purity,” said Father Carlos Zuniga, pastor
at St. Pius X Church in Weslaco.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">“Father
Kentenich encouraged those devoted to Schoenstatt to invite the Blessed Mother;
hence, her divine Son, Jesus Christ, into the home by establishing a spiritual
Covenant of Love with her. It encourages its members to have the faith and
purity of children, and to think of Mary as their mother,” he added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Carlos
Cantu, of La Feria, who has been devoted to the movement for more than 50
years, explained the different types of Schoenstatt shrines. The original is
located in Germany and replicas, referred to as daughter shrines, number more
than 200 throughout the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Wayside
shrines are smaller and vary from location to location. Additionally, some
families set up home shrines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-Bz947o48U5yUq3xAg9J6pLBtvhQSShyphenhyphenN1ZZdnv0FgiLFd1urrxKZ69413y1U9bBoI9Sl_Y73EccDbFccHsQXwTxwb2eZ5iZs2klPhILQbWXz5tMMPM2Q5ulu0aTFI2KDvV9OT4Emg/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-Bz947o48U5yUq3xAg9J6pLBtvhQSShyphenhyphenN1ZZdnv0FgiLFd1urrxKZ69413y1U9bBoI9Sl_Y73EccDbFccHsQXwTxwb2eZ5iZs2klPhILQbWXz5tMMPM2Q5ulu0aTFI2KDvV9OT4Emg/s320/IMG_2002.JPG" width="240" /></a><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">My
mother-in-law, who has a special devotion to Our Lady of Schoenstatt, gave me a
small framed image some time ago. In May, as I attempted to post a different
picture each day of Our Blessed Mother Mary on my social media sites, I found
an unexpected surprise. On the same day I posted a photo of Our Lady of
Schoenstatt, I came across the newest wayside shrine dedicated in her honor at
St. Pius X Church in Weslaco. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Inspired,
I set off to visit each one. There are a total of six in our diocese. I was
inspired as well to restart our Close to Home Pilgrimages series in </span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: -.05pt; line-height: 120%; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Valley Catholic</span></span><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">What
strikes me about each of the wayside shrines I visited – the simple beauty.
Nothing fancy, nothing large, no sign announcing the location. But each chapel
offers a peaceful space for prayer. A small chapel, with three walls measuring
not more than five feet by six feet, open always for prayer. No key needed. You
won’t find a door. You won’t even find a sign announcing the location. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6vzGIvwWKoSXB-JepUa3cb7RI2WK8kwTrckEM0B9heayMbC6yy61dXTUgXl0j3KUvuk_NehBz7XhHX4wyePEHbCt86ogad3Xc1TA7H8CGPsx1yn4J9VisE0HDTpoZR-aAyFzXU7iWA/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6vzGIvwWKoSXB-JepUa3cb7RI2WK8kwTrckEM0B9heayMbC6yy61dXTUgXl0j3KUvuk_NehBz7XhHX4wyePEHbCt86ogad3Xc1TA7H8CGPsx1yn4J9VisE0HDTpoZR-aAyFzXU7iWA/s320/IMG_2313.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Yellow
roses in Weslaco; a spring bouquet in La Feria; a white and yellow silk
arrangement in Santa Rosa next to a red rose and baby’s breath. Someone always
places fresh flowers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Inside
on the center wall, an image of the Virgin Mary under the title of Mother
Thrice Admirable. The image is from a painting by the Italian artist Luigi
Crosio. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">You
can pray anywhere. We know this. Wayside shrines offer another place to pray.
They can even serve as a reminder or a quiet escape. By visiting a wayside
shrine, you stop what you are doing and make time to visit with our Blessed
Mother, away from distractions and noise of the day. Or maybe while you are
driving or in the area, you are moved to stop to say hello to our Mother Mary
and pray with her awhile.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5IWW6JyNa5sukK79nCFCueGZQv3WjfDi_v8ZYNCJCQqRgY0K5KG7L6y12LV82QdqFGrYAIr4Pk1bUvATJQonB80V8VgXm7gCs6TJB6IxB7Qts0f9a4UQTiAlnqPqZMjukbN6KWU21g/s1600/IMG_2256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5IWW6JyNa5sukK79nCFCueGZQv3WjfDi_v8ZYNCJCQqRgY0K5KG7L6y12LV82QdqFGrYAIr4Pk1bUvATJQonB80V8VgXm7gCs6TJB6IxB7Qts0f9a4UQTiAlnqPqZMjukbN6KWU21g/s320/IMG_2256.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a><span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Two
Schoenstatt sisters, Sister M. Margret Gruending and Sister M. Imma Paul, who
arrived in La Feria in 1959, started promoting the devotion shortly after they
came to work at St Francis Xavier Church in La Feria. Credited for the birth of
the Schoenstatt Movement in the Rio Grande Valley, the sisters recruited
members in the community to help build the first wayside shrine for the Mother
Thrice Admirable. It was dedicated on Oct. 18, 1964 at St. Francis Xavier
Church in La Feria. On the 25th anniversary in 1989, members of the local
movement named it “The wayside shrine of loyalty.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">La
Feria now has two wayside shrines. The first remains at the site near the old
church, and a second was built on the grounds of the new church. Other shrines
are located on the grounds of St. Mary Church in Santa Rosa, built in 1966; San
Juan Diego Church in McAllen, built in 2010; and the newest one at St. Pius X
Church in Weslaco, built in 2014. Another wayside shrine resides in Rio Grande
City, on property owned by the Blas Guerra family. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">Members
of the Schoenstatt Movement selected the Feast of the Queenship of Mary on Aug.
22 as a day to honor the Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Schoenstatt. This year’s
Annual Queenship of Mary Celebration with Bishop Daniel E. Flores begins at 7
p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, at St. Mary Catholic Church, 101 San Antonio Ave., Santa
Rosa. The feast day, established by Pope Pius XII, celebrates Mary as the queen
of heaven and earth. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;">“In
Schoenstatt, we deepen our relationship to God through what we call a covenant
of love with the Blessed Mother,” Cantu shared. Adding, “Sometimes it appears
like the Blessed Mother is the center. She is not the center but is at the
center always pulling us, always wanting us to follow the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="PhotoCaptions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.05pt; line-height: 120%;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Published in August 2017 edition of The Valley Catholic)</span></i></span></span></div>
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Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-68931385606936008412017-08-02T14:10:00.002-07:002017-08-02T14:16:44.401-07:00Learning together and the art of accompaniment<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">We learn from one another. We are always
learning. God did not want us to be know-it-alls working independent of each
other. He wanted us to work together, to serve one another. As St. Catherine of
Siena shared, God wants us to need one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">We read in her <i>Dialogue,</i> a collection
of her spiritual writings, “I have distributed them all (gifts and graces) in
such a way that no one has all of them. Thus have I given you reason —
necessity, in fact — to practice mutual charity. … I wanted to make you
dependent on one another so that each of you would be my minister, dispensing
the graces and gifts you have received from me.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Understanding “we do not evangelize alone or
in a vacuum; we need each other,” the bishops of the United State convened a
historical gathering in July, the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of
the Gospel in America. More than 3,500
people (bishops, priests, religious and lay leaders) gathered in Orlando, Fla.,
the first four days in July to “reflect, pray and discern together … to renew
our baptismal commitment to be missionary disciples …” Our goal – focus on how
to reach all the peripheries and share the Joy of the Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">While there is certainly much to unpack and
process from the talks and conversations that took place, I return with hope,
energized for the journey ahead. In the words of Archbishop Christophe Pierre,
apostolic nuncio to the United States, who spoke at the closing Mass, “The
spirit is alive in the Church in the United States.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Among my pages of notes, five points stand
out in regard to what is needed from each of us – 1. a renewal of joy; 2. to
grow our own faith; 3. to go out in a spirit of mission; 4. to be present and
accompany others; 5. to go out to the peripheries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghR4KNVutyOHkeZqk12IhJB3U2Win4x_nn3VAk6_Rev_HbUgaaCfmkWByS6t7cBGPZhOMam-j37nIWlcmJik62oHAIN7NFrjkM59qGa55Pc-Bh0vQxI0QxZ3GdWEOB0ApuGR18wPVc-w/s1600/JOY.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghR4KNVutyOHkeZqk12IhJB3U2Win4x_nn3VAk6_Rev_HbUgaaCfmkWByS6t7cBGPZhOMam-j37nIWlcmJik62oHAIN7NFrjkM59qGa55Pc-Bh0vQxI0QxZ3GdWEOB0ApuGR18wPVc-w/s320/JOY.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Our starting point begins with joy, as it is
Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation <i>Evangelii Gaudium </i>(The Joy of the
Gospel), which brought us together. “We, your pastors, believe with Pope
Francis, that a renewal of joy is essential for a deepening Catholic vitality
and confidence at this moment,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New
York, during his homily at the convocation opening Mass. He quoted philosopher
Leon Bloy, who said, “Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">How do we find joy? Cardinal Dolan shared a
story of St. Teresa of Calcutta who said you find joy by looking at the word;
each letter outlines our priorities: 1. J, Jesus; 2. O, Others; and 3. Y,
Yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">During the convocation, Bishop Frank J.
Caggiano of Bridgeport emphasized the importance of our interior lives and a
radical response. He said it begins as well with humility. Humility, he said,
“is needed amongst all of us so that we can come together as a family and
create a home.” He asked a telling question, “How many times does our own
selfishness and ego get in the way of missionary discipleship?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">I think this question reminds us of our role
as lifelong learners. The understanding that we are always learning helps keep
our egos in check before they explode into arrogance. No matter how many years
I have in the communications field, I find there is always something more to
learn. In July, I signed up for another writing class. Even though I write
every day, I realize there is so much more to learn. It also provides an
opportunity to get feedback from my colleagues as we learn from one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">I am thankful as well for the grace of this
column space and for each of you who read what I share each month. I don’t come
before you as an expert, but as a humble servant putting ideas on the page,
learning, sharing, wanting to learn more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As we share, we give witness. It is a part of
going out, a spirit of mission. As noted in the convocation Participant
Guidebook and Journal, “Each of us is called to witness Christ in the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Pope Francis in <i>Evangelii Gaudium</i>,
tells us we “can make present the fragrance of Christ’s closeness and his
personal gaze.” To do this, the Holy Father notes, “The Church will have to
initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity – into this ‘art of
accompaniment’ which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground
of the other (cf. Ex 3:5). The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and
reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also
heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life.” (EG 169)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">The “Art of Accompaniment” certainly reminds
us that we walk with one another. We focus on the other, our neighbors near and
far. “As we journey together,” said Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of
Washington, “may we each grow closer to the Lord.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">We have much work ahead of us. As Archbishop
Pierre, said before we departed the convocation, “Our mission is beginning. It
is always beginning.” And in the words he quoted from a child, “<i>¡Vamos
gente; muevanse para Jesus!</i>” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">As a recap, I leave your with a string of
hashtags, as I like how they can serve as quick summary – #joy #service #other
#humility #accompaniment #witness #missionarydisciple #lifelonglearner.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in August 2017 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper) </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-4206691933021618042017-07-13T07:52:00.000-07:002017-07-13T07:52:46.976-07:00To say yes, sometimes we have to say no<div class="MsoNormal">
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What does your to-do list look like
today? How many commitments are you juggling? My husband reminds me often to
put a hold on my workaholic tendencies. Even on weekends and vacation time, I
keep a to-do list, checking off one item, adding two more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A question I should be asking myself: Are
all my activities in line with what matters?<o:p></o:p></div>
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My sister gave me some excellent advice a
few years ago, which echoes in my ears each time I am asked to take on a new
commitment. “Every time you say ‘no’ to a new request for your time, you are
saying ‘yes’ to your family.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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This holds true as well in our faith
lives. For as we say no to what is not important, we create room in our lives
to follow the Virgin Mary’s example and say yes to God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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However, in the midst of our busy buzz,
we need to pay close attention to what we are saying yes to. To do this it is
helpful to pause. In a world where we feel inclined toward rushing all the
time, multitasking on several projects at once, it seems awkward to pause. It’s as if we think that by stopping for bit
we might miss something. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our capacity to discern, however,
requires time. Retreats can offer space for a needed pause, for a moment to
consider how we are using our time. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of
Loyola include a helpful framework for discernment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In his rules for discernment, St.
Ignatius explained the different motives, which influence our decisions as a
movement of spirits. He classified these as consolations and desolations.
Consolations move us toward deepening our relationship with God, while
desolations pull us away. “Our one choice,” he said, “should be this: I want
and choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the secular world, Stephen Covey,
author of the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” suggests writing a
personal mission statement. He also offers a time management matrix for
organizing priorities. It includes a quadrant for what is 1. Urgent and
important; 2. Not urgent but important; 3. Urgent but not important; and 4. Not
urgent and not important. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As we focus on our priorities,
understanding our goals and objectives, we learn it’s okay to say <o:p></o:p></div>
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no. When we say “no” it helps us consider
our capacity for what we can add to our hours. More importantly, Saying no helps
us say yes to what matters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Throughout our day, we are saying no to a
host of things before us – to new tasks, to temptations the modern world offers
such materialism, greed, gluttony; to emotions which are harmful – negativity, anger,
rage; to all that keeps us from saying yes to living more fruitful and grace-filled
days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just as we must measure and watch what we
eat and try to exercise our bodies to stay fit, it’s helpful to take a step
back from all our activities not only to recharge ourselves, but also to get
some perspective. I know firsthand that saying yes too often can lead to
overextending myself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We have to ask ourselves, are we addicted
to busy or to being tethered, always connected to our mobile devices and social
media notifications? <o:p></o:p></div>
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When it comes to saying no, I draw
inspiration from my sister Leslie who said no to her profession as a stockbroker
and later as a teacher so she could focus on her family. Also, from my friend
Zulema, who despite a fulltime job and raising a six-year-old, found time to
train for her first half Ironman race in May. She did this by saying no to new
projects and to television and saying yes to exercise. I think, too, of all the
priests and the religious men and women in our diocese who have said yes to
God’s call and said no to another vocation.</div>
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As we evaluate where we are and the
direction, we recognize God may be trying to get our attention and alter our
course. We can’t say yes to everything. What can you say no to that would help
you say yes to something that truly needs your attention?</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Originally
published in July 2017 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper) </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70712483677083376.post-10192586777513735172017-06-29T13:14:00.002-07:002017-06-29T13:14:58.953-07:00Finding joy in the darkness<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: middle;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI4zHb5KHRY0MJlAIQ1AuNQQVdC5Q1_jmbqXTJb7dO4E_vf0ChqheIygNqSZq1uiO7qxd_7Keif-MgxXb0AnPxl4wic_FF235H1ZJ08pE02mi06AjbOFBvoI1-7mbQ6q0Z707a6a01w/s1600/Consider...joy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI4zHb5KHRY0MJlAIQ1AuNQQVdC5Q1_jmbqXTJb7dO4E_vf0ChqheIygNqSZq1uiO7qxd_7Keif-MgxXb0AnPxl4wic_FF235H1ZJ08pE02mi06AjbOFBvoI1-7mbQ6q0Z707a6a01w/s320/Consider...joy.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Fear can paralyze us. After my father died,
it took me more than a year and a half to return to his home, my childhood
home. With windows boarded up and weeds growing, the house sat abandoned until
recently when I finally decided, and with my siblings’ promptings, that it was
time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">I was overwhelmed. The emotions of dealing
with my father’s home coursed through the full spectrum. But I found strength
to find the positive side of the situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Pope Francis in his message for the 51st
World Communications Day addressed the theme “‘Fear not, for I am with you’ (Is
43:5): Communicating hope and trust in our time.” In his message, he said,
“Everything depends on the way we look at things, on the lens we use to view
them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">We need to remember this in the dark days
that emerge from time to time in our lives. Through health struggles, family
dramas, financial burdens. Also, we can’t escape the headlines filled with the
tragedies occurring near and far. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">James in his letter tells us, “Consider it
all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance” (Jas 1: 2-3).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“Consider it all joy.” Easier to consider
when we are not living in the middle of the storm. How do we proceed when it’s
too dark to see? James reminds us we must ask God for wisdom, and that we must
do so with faith. (Jas 1: 5-6)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">It also requires us to consider the lens we
use to view a moment we are living. Jun Ellorimo, a triathlete and trainer in Harlingen,
shared with our group, “Struggles, challenges, obstacles, or anything that
falls in that line are a part of life. We will all encounter that. As
Christians, we are not spared from it.” Some struggles, he said, “will either
1. Destroy us; 2. Define us; or 3. Develop us. It’s our choice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">Pope Francis in his message proposed, “that
all of us work at overcoming that feeling of growing discontent and resignation
that can at times generate apathy, fear or the idea that evil has no limits.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">“I would like, then, to contribute to the
search for an open and creative style of communication that never seeks to
glamorize evil but instead to concentrate on solutions and to inspire a
positive and responsible approach on the part of its recipients.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">If we are to find solutions, we must rely on
the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Pentecost this month on June 4 is a
good time to remember that we are each given gifts to share. Remembering, too,
that we can’t share the gifts if we allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear and
other trials.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">In our communication ministry, we recognize
we have an important responsibility to share the stories in our diocese, a
diocese that serves more than one million Catholics here in the Rio Grande
Valley. In sharing the stories, we can see how God is always at work in our
lives, we can indeed “consider it all joy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">I am grateful for the grace to serve in this
ministry and to do as Pope Francis asks, “offer people of our time storylines
that are at heart ‘good news’.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 120%;">As Pope Francis notes in his World
Communications Day message, “This good news – Jesus himself – is not good
because it has nothing to do with suffering, but rather because suffering
itself becomes part of a bigger picture.” He adds, “In Christ, God has shown
his solidarity with every human situation.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">I’m not finished with my father’s home, with
the emptying and sorting through what he left behind. I know too there are
other moments that will test me, but I trust God will help me “fear not,” for
he is with me. I also trust he will put people on my path to remind me and that
we will remind and help each other find the joy in each moment.</span></div>
Una poetisa peregrina...http://www.blogger.com/profile/06183450294828236839noreply@blogger.com0