Be intentional, take action

Deadlines. They haunt me, but I need them. Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush or the prompting to let a project go, but I credit deadlines for pushing me to action. Setting targets and cut off points, both at work and home, pushes me to reach my goals. Otherwise “mañana” finds a way into my day and I give myself a pass to put off something I want to accomplish.

The seven-year-old protagonist, Pepper, in the movie “Little Boy,” became intentional with his actions after his priest gave him a list of the corporal works of mercy. He found strength in carrying out each task by answering a question his father asked frequently, “Do you believe we can do this?” It’s a question for each of us as we look at our own list this Year of Mercy.

If we are not deliberate in scheduling time, our good intentions will never move forward. Bishop Daniel E. Flores in his column, “Mercy is a work,” encouraged us to try “during the Year of Mercy, not simply to think pious things related to mercy, but rather to search for how we can attend to those who suffer.” He said, “An attitude doesn’t make us merciful; searching for ways to alleviate suffering is the step that God asks us to take in order for us to enter the mystery that he began with his Incarnation.”

One of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson illustrates what happens when we don’t move beyond thinking to doing. She writes,

A DEED knocks first at thought,
And then it knocks at will.
That is the manufacturing spot,
And will at home and well.

It then goes out an act,
Or is entombed so still
That only to the ear of God
Its doom is audible.”

Unfortunately there have been times when a good intention goes “entombed” because of my failure to act. It is one of the reasons I set deadlines for myself and make lists. The CommitTo3 app is a helpful tool to track and follow through with the items on my list. The more specific the better. “We live in a world of unlimited choice,” said Michael Kripalani who developed the app. “The trick is to decide which things are really worth doing at any given time.”

I think the liturgical celebrations – Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, work in the same way. They help refocus us and make us more intentional on our faith journey. During Lent, some families commit to praying the Stations of the Cross each Friday; others dedicate time to praying the Rosary together. This Easter season, which continues through the Feast of the Pentecost on May 15, might serve as a good time to consider how intentional we are with our time. 

Here are five steps that can help us:
1. Determine what you want to be more intentional about.
2. Set clear goals and measurable objectives. It’s easy to say I want to practice the corporal works of mercy, but it’s more specific to say I am going to visit my sick aunt on Sundays after Mass.
3. Look at your calendar. What do you have scheduled? Is what matters listed? Set aside dates and times for what you want to do.
4. Share your plan with someone. We are more likely to follow though if we are held accountable.
5. Commit to your list and do it.

Bishop Flores, at the Stewardship Conference March 10, reflected on the scripture in John 5:17, “My father is at work until now and so am I.” He said we all have work to do to help build the Church. “We all have something to do, something to offer, something to build.” “We need to ask ourselves,” said Bishop Flores, “Where should I be, and what should I be doing?”

Pope Francis in Mexico City stressed “todos somos necesarios.” (We are all necessary.) He also invited the bishops in Mexico City, to give themselves “tirelessly, tirelessly and fearlessly to the task of evangelizing and deepening the faith…” “Los invito a cansarse, a cansarse sin miedo de la tarea de evangelizar y de profundizar la fe…” I think this is an invitation for each of us. 

In this issue of The Valley Catholic, we find examples of people who are being intentional and working tirelessly – Benedictine Sisters Rosalia Fink and Jeannine Spain, both in their 80s, who are helping women who have experienced domestic violence; Ofelia de los Santos, director of jail ministry, and Ezequiel “Zeke” Martinez and other volunteers, who work in jail ministry; Cecilia Abbott, the first lady of Texas, who is a pro-life advocate; Martin and Angelita Leal who founded pregnancy centers in Brownsville and Harlingen; and Sister Mary Ann Potts, who plays the piano each Sunday at Mass.

The fruits of their labor are a result of their commitment to waking each morning and saying ‘yes’ to the work before them. What are we saying ‘yes’ to? And what action are we taking?

(Originally published in April 2016 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper) 

On the other side of the fence

Growing up on the border in Brownsville with family on the other side of the Rio Grande River in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, I was accustomed to life on both sides. We traveled back and forth without worry. I say “without worry” because as a child I did not realize the barriers some of my aunts and uncles faced when crossing to the U.S. side. One of my uncles drowned in his last attempt.

Where we stand, where we are at any given moment informs our perspective.  Two experiences in February during the Holy Father’s visit to Mexico, both pure gift, enriched my perspective in new ways. One, the Mass in Mexico City on Feb. 13 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, helped me reflect on the gift of waiting. The other, with a view of the Mass in Ciudad Juarez from across the border in El Paso, Texas on Feb. 17, gave me a new perspective on the immigrant experience.

In Mexico City, Sister Norma Pimentel and I waited 11 hours before for the Mass with Pope Francis. Entry began at 6 a.m. for the 5 p.m. Mass, so we woke before sunrise, gobbled a portion of a prepacked lunch before going through security and then finding our seats inside the basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

As we sat there, we knew it was Nuestra Virgencita who brought us to this point. Arriving early gave us time to gaze at her image on San Juan Diego’s tilma framed behind the altar, just as the Holy Father would do later after the Mass. Naturally, he had a private viewing, but we were content to sit before her in the pews.

I discovered as I sat there the gift of waiting. Sometimes waiting can feel like a burden, but in the light of the Basilica, I saw it as an opportunity. Waiting forced me to pause from my tendency to rush from one project to the next; it gave me time to pray, especially for the intentions of family and friends. One senses the responsibility of being entrusted with such personal prayer requests, and I did not want to fail in this responsibility. Waiting also gave me time to thank God for the blessings of the moment.

Our days are not built around waiting. So much is designed to rush us through from one experience to the next. But what a gift when we remain stationary in readiness or expectation. What a gift to have 11 hours to prepare for Mass.

Four days later, we were in El Paso on the levee across from Ciudad Juarez along with two of our sisters who work with immigrants in the colonia of Peñitas, Sister Carolyn Kosub and Sister Fatima Santiago, Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In Mexico City, we sat inside the basilica with a clear view to the altar and to the Holy Father. The story changed in El Paso. While more than 200,000 attended the Mass with Pope Francis in Juarez, we were among some 400 guests hosted by the Diocese of El Paso and Catholic Extension on the levee. Among the guests were the pope’s “VIPs,” immigrants, refugees and people who assist them.

Hours before the Mass, the experience started to shift my view. The immigrant experience came into focus during our half-mile walk up to the levee as Homeland Security checked our green wristbands to make sure we belonged in the group. We walked without water on a dirt path along the fence with signs indicating the international boundary and “DO NOT TRESPASS.” Ours was a short walk and water was waiting for us at the end. What must the journey feel like for those who walk countless miles and face an uncertain path in their quest for a better life? Will we be there to offer them water?

On the border between Mexico and the United States, two nations joined in prayer, but on this day we were the outsiders looking toward what lay beyond our reach.  We could see the Mass about 100 yards away, but our view was blocked. However, it was just as moving to see the pope through the fence and participate in the Mass.

Crowds on both sides of the river welcomed the pope’s arrival before the Mass with chants of enthusiasm and watched as he walked up the partial bridge leading from Mexico into the United States. Organizers said the Holy Father originally wanted to cross the border, but the logistics dictated otherwise.

Near the edge of the bridge that stopped midpoint, the pope placed flowers near a giant memorial cross and prayed for those who have died along the Mexican-U.S. border. Tears flowed from many who had been waiting hours to witness the Holy Father come to the border.

Throughout the event, Homeland Security and Border Patrol agents maintained a visible presence along the fence. Some made reference to a “militarized zone” we were in at the levee, but that did not deter our focus on the historical moment. Peace reigned on in El Paso and throughout Juarez. As Sister Norma said after Mass, the pope’s presence leaves us with love and joy and we must continue doing the right thing.

One thing was clear. While we strained to hear Pope Francis’ homily from where we sat, his message of helping those in need and ensuring everyone’s human dignity reached us on the other side of the frontera. Faith has no borders. We were two nations joined in prayer.

(Originally published in March 2016 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper) 

Why we do what we do

What did I agree to this time? Why did I say ‘yes’? Do you ever ask yourself these questions? I do at times after I commit to something I have never attempted and I realize what this commitment entails. I credit my sister for offering the latest challenge – a sprint triathlon in May. From the moment I said yes to this birthday gift, it gave me four months to train.

Sometimes we need a challenge to jolt us out of our routine. The beginning of a new year can have that effect. Lent too provides some prompting. We all know someone who made a resolution in January to exercise. By February some of these resolutions are forgotten. The animo wears off and we return to our sedentary lifestyles.

Sometimes it’s a health scare that brings us to attention and makes us take action toward living a healthier lifestyle. My husband had a stroke in December. We took this wake-up call seriously. We started making adjustments in our lives, thinking twice about the foods we eat and looking at how we could arrange our schedules to include more exercise.

Why do we wait for a health crisis to shock us into taking care of our well being? Being a good steward, includes taking care of our bodies. We have an obligation to care for the gift of life God has granted. In this Year of Mercy, we are reminded to reach out to others and help those who suffer. But how can we expect to be of service to others, to be God’s hands and feet, if our own health hinders us? As the U.S. bishops note, “As Christian stewards, we receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.”

It’s easy to find excuses not to exercise, to promise ourselves we’ll eat healthier tomorrow. How many mañanas will it take before we take action? Now that I am 50 I am certainly more health conscious. My husband’s stroke elevated our consciousness to full alert. To maintain a year-round focus on our health it helps to sign up for an event, such as the triathlon or other community sponsored run and cycling activity. They give us a goal to strive toward. I am thankful the event in May is not a full scale triathlon, but it’s a start. February, American Heart Month, is a good time to set some goals aimed at taking care of our hearts and bodies.

It’s encouraging as well to have a support system. Knowing my sisters and I are all training for the same event serves as motivation to stay on course, as do their weekly texts and phone calls. I know we have some exhausting, sweaty moments to endure, but together they will be joyful.

Another source of encouragement can come from tracking our progress. Our smart phones and now smart watches can log the number of steps we take. Most health websites recommend at least 8,000 steps. They say the average adult walks about 5,900 steps. Once I started tracking my own, I realized how negligent I had become these past two years. I had even ignored my weight gain, which served as an obvious clue to how remiss I was with the responsibility toward my health. Trying to reach a daily goal pushes me to find creative ways to build in physical activity throughout my day.

Setting goals is helpful. We need challenges, the carrot, if you will. Goals spur us to take action. Only by outlining a plan can we take the needed steps to see results. We also need measureable objectives to chart our progress, or if needed, to refocus. A friend and I laughed when on the same day our batteries died, which meant they could not track our steps, our interest in walking that day diminished.

Training to bike, run and swim for the triathlon in May are concrete steps for me to being a better steward of my health. I have had to make some changes in my life. Some mornings this means waking up an hour earlier. While some evenings it means cycling indoors at midnight.

There are varied reasons why we do what we do. Some are fed by obligation, some are doctor prescribed, some are tied to a challenge. In the end, we each have choices to make. 

(Originally published in February 2016 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper) 

On turning 50 & lessons learned

I was 26 years old when my mother died of cancer at age 50. In the aftermath of her passing and fearful of the limited time I might have, I learned to value each moment. I tried to fit as much as possible into each year. Now as I reach the half century point of my life on January 17 I am grateful for the adventure God has granted me.

The journey did not come without turbulence and challenges, but the dark days did not swallow me.  I am alive, and I feel even more alive because I am not afraid of death. Yes, I have a growing list of what I would like to do and I certainly need more time to try to do it all, but I embrace each day as it comes.

A half-century of stumbles and falls amidst the joys and exhilarating surprises provide for some lessons learned. 1. Be grateful. 2. Don’t take anything for granted, especially people. 3. Don’t be afraid.

There are not enough words to enumerate all I am grateful for in my days. When my daughter was younger, we played a game to see who could list the most blessings in our day. What a joy to see how endless the list became. Principal on my list each day are the people in my life, namely my husband, son and daughter along with my friends who inspire me forward by their words of wisdom, encouragement and example. I am also grateful for the capacity to love and to count myself as a lifelong learner, a citizen of the world with a growing curiosity about everything before me.

While I am not thrilled with some of the physical changes that come with aging – the added weight, new wrinkles and greys, I am thankful that with age comes wisdom, a greater awareness of what matters. In Proverbs 3:13 we read, “Happy the one who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding!” This wisdom helps us prioritize what’s important in our lives. It teaches us not to take anything for granted.  This helps me live in the moment, being present to people, recognizing that it’s not about me, but about serving others.

It also means we can’t take our health for granted. We can’t stop the aging process, but we can take steps to eat healthier and exercise. Carmen Tafolla, the Poet Laureate for Texas, wrote an open letter to the people in San Antonio when she was diagnosed with cancer urging people to take steps to stay healthy. We take extreme measures to fight cancer once it is diagnosed. Why not take action aimed at prevention? 

Wisdom, which comes from trusting God, helps us let go of our fears. Childhood experiences created a river of fears in me which have taken this half-century to overcome. How refreshing to leave those fears behind, to accept who I am with all my imperfections. Surrendering to the Lord makes the journey less worrisome. Yes, we may stumble along the way. There will be espinitas, but it is part of the growing. Not only am learning to speak up for my beliefs, these days I am more motivated to try something new, especially if it scares me. In 2015, I wrote about one such moment when fear prompted me to accept an invitation to turn some of my poems about my mother into a short play.

Letting go of fear has been part of my faith journey. I have stopped worrying about how many more tomorrows wait. I start this New Year and new chapter ready with anticipation for what comes next, ready to say “yes” to God’s calling. I realize, as St. Ignatius of Loyola notes in his spiritual exercises, I am a work in progress. I also know death does not have the last word. As I wrote in my death poem, “La muerte no triunfa” – “We don’t know when / the ink will dry in our hands, / when the words will stop / mid breath. But we know the hour / will come, the hour for our story’s last page.” In the meantime, I pray my days be an offering and that they may be pleasing to God.

New Year & I Start Wondering

Ushering in a new year sparks both nostalgia and anticipation. Personally I am ready for 2016 and the adventures that wait.

It was an honor to start the year by being included as a guest contributor on the I Start Wondering website which highlights the journey of lifelong learning. Dorian Martin does a great job of finding “people who continually seek ways to stretch and grow as well as resources on which to reflect.” As she notes, “Ultimately, the goal is to encourage you to invest in your curiosity and to follow Albert Einstein’s advice: ‘You have to color outside the lines once in a while if you want to make your life a masterpiece.’”

In this New Year, I certainly want to color outside the lines from time to time. I also continue my focus on living lightly and purging the excess in my life to make room for what matters. Already the results yielded some rewards. After almost a month of decluttering and organizing, I now have a creative space to work and pray. 

My first project of 2016, making a memorial shrine box for a friend, was particularly meaningful. It gave me time to pray and honor the memory of her loved ones who died in 2015.

It is indeed joyful to have space to create. The challenge now, to schedule some time for art throughout the year.

Confessions of a pack rat on a journey to less

Mind map by Paul Foreman and link to article “De-clutter your life”

 http://blog.iqmatrix.com/de-clutter-your-life

The truth is I prefer an uncluttered space. My attempts, however, fall short. I have a tendency to save everything because I believe that it may be useful later. This habit is exasperated by my growing collection of books and research material for different writing projects along with my collection of supplies for sewing, crocheting, mix-media art and scrap booking.

I have closets, cabinets and shelves stuffed with fabrics, threads, yarns, paints, craft paper. I tell friends, my entire home is an art studio. You can find a creative work underway in almost every room of my home. The mixed-media arts are a magnet for all sorts of items, some of which most people would discard. The artist in me knows even an empty box or piece of wood can be repurposed for one of my nicho shrine projects.

But the art and craft supplies are not alone in taking space in my home. When my husband and I bought our home 21 years ago, it took us several years to purchase furniture and fill the rooms. As a young couple with two young children we never imagined that our once spacious home would be filled with an excess of accumulated possessions we hold on to. It is easy for this excess to clutter our living spaces and such clutter is not conducive to a healthy home or work space.

We have fallen prey to overindulgence and the trap of consumerism. When we first got married 27 years ago I made the ornaments for our first Christmas tree. The day after Christmas we started a tradition of going to the half-off sales to buy decorations for future Christmases. We have since amassed boxes full that sit in our attic 11 months of the year. We have accumulated so much that we started putting up a second tree.

Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home appealed to everyone to consider how we are caring for our environment. In his appeal, he even addressed what he calls the “ecology of daily life,” the setting in which we live our lives.

In the section “Joy and Peace,” he notes Christian spirituality “encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption.” He said, “We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment.”

My husband asked me for my Christmas list in November. The truth is I don’t need anything. What I need is to let go. I am embarrassed by my weakness for sales, the excess we’ve accumulated, and my failure to purge what I do not need.

The Holy Father’s words resonate as I commit myself to simplify and create a healthy space to work and to live. He said, “Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess… This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures.”

My father died in August this year, and my siblings and I have the task now to go through what he left behind. It pains me to see how much he held on to after my mother’s death 23 years ago. He still had boxes of her costume jewelry. The truth is I still have boxes of some of her craft items. I call them “las cajitas de posibilidades” (boxes of possibilities). 

I believe my father would have lived his last years with less stress if he had gotten rid of roomfuls of furniture and possessions he no longer needed.

As I continue on my pilgrimage, I want to change my pack rat ways and let go by purging myself of the excess in my life. I realize too, it’s about making time to organize and make decisions on what stays and what goes; what are the essentials. Sometimes we have to evaluate how much value we assign to possessions.  After all, when we die we’re not taking anything with us. One of my biggest fears is the clutter I will leave behind when I die.

Susan V. Vogt in her book “Blessed by Less: Clearing Your Life of Clutter by Living Lightly” gives some practical tips to what she calls “living lightly.” She started her journey of letting go one Lent when she decided to give away an item a day. This Advent leading into Christmas, I plan to do the same.

We are each called to be good stewards. As December moves us into a new year, I look forward to the possibilities that living lightly will create, including making more space to focus on what is important starting with spiritual growth. Already I see the difference with the small steps we have taken in our office where a cleaner, uncluttered environment allows us room to concentrate on the work before us.

Moving forward, this prayer from St. Ignatius Loyola offers us some focus on letting go of not just material possessions but of other tendencies as well.

Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.

(Originally published in December 2015 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper) 

¡Siempre Adelante! We move in the direction of hope

What would you do if you were left alone on Mars?

Each morning we make the choice on how to face our day. Sometimes, we can get discouraged by circumstances and the challenges before us, those in our personal lives and those on a grander scale. Saint Junipero Serra, recently canonized by Pope Francis during his U.S. Papal Visit in September, lived by the motto: ¡Siempre Adelante! Always move forward.

Pope Francis at the Canonization Mass in Washington, D.C., opened his talk recalling the words of St. Paul, “Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again, rejoice!” “This command,” said the Holy Father, “resonates with the desire we all have for a fulfilling life, a meaningful life, a joyful life... Something deep within us invites us to rejoice and tells us not to settle for placebos which simply keep us comfortable.”

“At the same time, though,” he added, “we all know the struggles of everyday life. So much seems to stand in the way of this invitation to rejoice. Our daily routine can often lead us to a kind of glum apathy which gradually becomes a habit, with a fatal consequence: our hearts grow numb. We don’t want apathy to guide our lives… or do we?”

How opportune that in November we take time to give thanks for the blessings in our lives. Even the feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day remind us to celebrate life. We honor the memory of the saints in heaven and all our ancestors who went before us.

As we give thanks, we can also take time to reflect on the direction our lives are moving. Are they moving in the direction of hope? Are we taking steps to bring joy to others, to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need? Or are we letting apathy guide our day?

No matter what is occurring in our lives, no matter the challenges, we must move forward. There are some noteworthy takeaways from the movie “The Martian” about an astronaut left behind on Mars when his team thought he was dead.

The astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, never gave up when he awoke and found himself alone on the planet. While some might have given up in the face of the extreme odds of survival, he instead took action. He looked at every possible way to stay alive. He remained positive, focused and looked for solutions.

The Martian is a story about survival and perseverance. Sometimes our days can feel like we are on Mars, alone and miles from a solution to our problems. Each day we wake does not come with a guarantee that it will be easy, but guided by our faith and trust in God we can find the courage to move forward. Don’t panic. Just as the astronaut in The Martian, take time to figure out what comes next. He did not give up on life or remain idle waiting for someone to come and save him.

We read in Sirach 15:14, 17 “God in the beginning created human beings and made them subject to their own free choice. Before everyone are life and death, whichever they choose will be given them.”

Just as the astronaut Mark Watney had to overcome one obstacle after another to the point of what could have led him to defeat, the world too presents us with a slew of challenges. The headlines remind us daily about the struggles in our communities and around the world. 

We read about the plight of migrants and refugees who embark daily on dangerous journeys trying to flee from violence. In the midst of this humanitarian crisis are stories of hope, of men and women who take the only action they can to save their children. Here in our community, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley helps 50 to 100 people each day. More than 25,000 have received assistance at the respite center at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen since it opened in June 2014.

We read too about growing infringement on religious freedom here in our own country. Most tragically, we have also heard about the horrors of human trafficking and the profiting from the organs of unborn children.

Bishop Flores in his column which we published in our October edition, “The Dismembered children will rise to judge us,” reminds us “We cannot relent.” He said, “We will continue to sound the drum, today and tomorrow and beyond.”

The bishop stressed we need to “Let state and local officials who are slow to express the truth to higher levels of government know that the nation is bleeding and the trafficking in unborn children must end.” “Let our faith in the Lord’s promise strengthen us to fight unceasingly to help our nation find its soul and reason again,” he said. 

There is much work ahead for each of us. We must continue to speak up for the vulnerable. We must look for ways to make a difference. Thankfully, we are not alone on our journey. Let us remember Saint Junipero Serra’s motto ¡Siempre adelante! We must keep moving forward.

(Originally published in November 2015 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)